Xbox Freedom

Hacking consoles and making them do things that they were not originally intended to do is something that every modder or hacker aims to do. In fact, modding consoles has become such a big business that many people even make money out of this hobby, which I bet is more enjoyable than any other profession in this world.

However, hackers and modders who have been altering Xbox 360 or modding the Microsoft console to suit their needs have to be aware that Microsoft reserves to disable the console if they get to know the console has been tampered with. The terms of Microsoft explicitly states that all services would be terminated if the console has been found tampered with.

If you plan to give the console for servicing, after buying a modded console, you might be in for a rude shock. Let alone the problem you encountered earlier, the console could be rendered completely ‘dummy’ if Microsoft has its way and decides to use the clause mentioned in the terms. Of course, when this was revealed to a fellow blogger at Technologizer, readers started pouring out their fears and expressing their distraught at the scary Microsoft clause.

While such a fear can be understood, and Microsoft could be justified for its terms too, the question of what ‘ethics’ really are remains. Is it OK to alter a product that has been copyrighted, or is the company infringing on the rights of the consumers who have paid for the product in its entirety? These are a couple of questions that run through my mind when I read about this. What do you guys have to say about it?

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