This is an interesting story to me. Full disclosure: I'm a PS3 owner. Never really messed with Xbox and I tell anyone who will listen (and most who won't) that the PS3 is a far superior experience to spend your money on, when you factor in all the aspects such as Blu Ray player, free online gaming, wifi, and exclusives like Uncharted, God of War and Ratchet & Clank.

That said, I read with interest the story about how Microsoft has banned up to 1 million of it's customers, due to them having modded consoles. Most of the modded consoles are for simple reasons such as to run a different Operating System such as Linux or to make backups of the games the people own.

MANY people however are using it to illegally copy games, and play them for free without actually buying them.

And I realize that Microsoft HAS to do something about this, and banning them isn't really a problem in my eyes. The people who modded their consoles, KNEW it was against their terms of service, so if they're going to do it KNOWING that Microsoft could brick their console, then that's on them.

However the aspect that I found most interesting, and a bit odd, is Microsoft's reaction.

Microsoft has responded that the customer's consoles ban is "irreversible" and that they are free to go buy a brand new console.

HOW GANGSTER IS THAT???



That's crazy to me. If I got banned from online gaming, and they made many features of the 360 (which are selling points to many 360 fans) completely obsolete by doing so, am I going to go and rush out and give them MORE of my money? Hell no!

That's hilarious though, and you know the vast majority of 360 fans are going to do just that. It's the ultimate in "thank you may I have another". Is it a coincidence that this happens JUST in time for the Christmas Shopping Season?

I mean, even if I was 100% in the wrong, and I realized that I got what was coming to me, I would never put another dime in their pockets. I mean this is incredible, the balls of the company doing that.

To be clear, I don't have an issue with them banning the modded consoles, and bricking them. Them's the breaks. But I find the incredible ballsiness in telling them "we just made your console useless for online gaming, but feel free to go buy a brand new one and give us some more money" just astounding!

I almost expected them to add "oh and we encourage you to mod that one too, so we can gank you for even more money"

I think Microsoft should be forever dubbed Gangster #1 for this move. I have to say bravo. It's not enough to just come out and say something outrageous, but to actually do it and have it work is another thing altogether.

And that's not even the end of their Gangsterific behavior! They're now essentially putting everyone on notice about buying second-hand consoles! Because once banned, always banned. And since the ban is on the specific console, and NOT THE ACCOUNT, they can not only continue to milk money out of their fanbase, but also they're pointing out that if you buy a second hand 360 from Ebay or Craigslist or whatever, and it was banned (even if you don't know that) you'll FOREVER be banned.

You see what's happening here? Microsoft isn't making any money off of those second hand purchases.

Microsoft isn't getting paid off of Ebay purchases and Craigslist and Pawnshops and whatnot. So now they're pretty much laying down their rules and saying that there's a damn good chance that unless you buy from them and them alone, you can't get online.

Wow. That PS3 is looking mighty good right now. I can't say it with absolute certainty, but I don't recall anyone EVER being banned from the PSN for a modded PS3.

Have fun shelling out your money to Bill Gates. Because we know that's what you're going to do. Oh you'll bitch for awhile, and curse Microsoft. Might even post up using that oh so clever and hip "micro$oft".

But at the end of the day you know what you're gonna do. You're gonna go waste more money by buying something you already bought.

Cheers Mate!