Lorgosin

EDIT: Sorry about possibly incorrect statement. Modding hardware usually voids all guarantees.

LeapinLew

Quote:

Originally posted by Lorgosin Modding hardware is illegal. Modding software isn't. I guess we weren't talking about the same thing.

Is this sarcasm? I can't tell - modding hardware is more legal then modding software. Tons of people overclock or tweak their hardware - try modding windows or using some windows code - they'll be on you quicker then a pack of dogs

PhantomJM

Modding a PC is different than modding an Xbox. I remember when TechTV ran a segment on Xbox mods a while back. Soon thereafter they reported that they were unaware at the time that the mods were illegal and informed viewers to forget what they were told.

Lorgosin

Of course you can "mod" your PC. It's not an integrated system protected by copyright. I just don't call it modding, I call it upgrading. There is no such thing as a "basic PC" so there is nothing you can "mod" to make it something it's not intended to be. Modding your xbox is like fixing your cable TV so you get more channels. You're getting a service you should pay for for free. Therefore it's illegal. Changeng the actual code for a program and then saying that it's the original is of course illegal. Any stability issues caused by your code might affect the reputation of the original product. Mods in the same sense as for games (removable additions) for operating systems are called programs and are of course completely legal. Even companies like ID, who has an open sourse policy for their old games probably wouldn't be very happy if you changed the code for Quake I and then offered the compiled version as a free download and said it was the original Quake I. You'd have to clearly state that it was an altered version.

PhantomJM

And let's not forget the illegal activities that many Xbox modders engage in. Tell the truth now, do you really own all of the games on your hard drive? You weren't at all tempted to "borrow" that copy of Halo you rented at Blockbuster? That's one major reason that many officials are against modding.

Lorgosin

That's why you can't rent PC games. If xbox modding continues they'll have to ban renting xbox games as well.

LeapinLew

The purchase and installation of the matrix chip isn't illegal. Loading the software image on the chip that actually performs the mod - that is illegal.

PhantomJM

What good is modding the hardware without adding the software? We're talking semantics now...

LeapinLew

I dunno. I don't think so - it's like owning a water pipe, using kazaa or a cable descrambler. I'm sure you could do something legal with it - but we all know what it's being used for.

I'm just pointing out that modding your Xbox isn't totally illegal. This thread was making it sounds like the moment you took a screw out of the xbox you purchased you were breaking some sort of laws, and that isn't true to the best of my knowledge.