184w ago - Update: As expected, Microsoft has defended their stance on banning modified XBox 360 consoles.

Reports now indicate that the fresh wave of Microsoft bans on modified consoles has resulted in systems not only being banned from XBox Live, but also removing the ability to install games to the HDD, forbidding the use of Windows Media Centre extender, and not allowing the retrieval of achievements from backups without corrupting profiles.

Thus far, Microsoft has disabled 600,000 accounts (up to 1 million according to MSNBC) in the US and Canada.

To quote from Kushan: - What does this mean for you and what can you do about it?

Firstly, and most obviously, you cannot connect to Xbox Live on this console any more. This means no more game updates (aka title updates), XBLA games, marketplace content, netflix/sky player and so on. There is no way around this, all online capabilities are now disabled PERMANENTLY.

In all likelihood, your gamertag has NOT BEEN BANNED. When...

235w ago - Yesterday we reported news of Microsoft starting a new wave of XBox Live bans on modded XBox 360 consoles.

Today, Microsoft's Major "Larry Hyrb" Nelson has confirmed it stating the following via his blog linked above:

Xbox 360 Console banning: I've gotten a few messages and seen some forum threads pop up on console bannings so I thought I'd post and let folks know what's up.

In our our continued effort to keep gameplay safe and secure for our community of more than 14 million members, Microsoft has taken action against a small percentage of Xbox 360 consoles that have been illegally modified in order to play pirated games.

You should know that modifying your Xbox 360 console is also a violation of the Xbox LIVE terms of use, will void your warranty and result in a ban from Xbox LIVE.

The health of the video game business depends on customers paying for the genuine products and services they receive, both from manufacturers and the local companies that support them.

We will continue to employ and bolster anti-piracy security measures to counter piracy in the gaming...

236w ago - As mcdevitt1985 has reported (linked above) along with some users from our own XBox 360 Forum HERE, it appears Microsoft is on another XBox Live ban rampage.

According to reports, today they have issued a new wave of bans against XBox 360 consoles with modified DVD firmware. That being said, it's recommended to stay off XBL for the time being if you have a modified system until further details are available.

To quote: Dunno if its a massive wave or not, but my console was literally just banned from live within the hour.

If anyone else gets banned let me know please. iXtreme 1.4 and all games were burned right and stealthed.