Xbox 360 Game Piracy Spreading in China (DUPLICATE)
Finally, we know some of the things that’s going on behind the Great Wall of China! According to Gamasutra‘s Simon Carless, who attented the ChinaJoy game exhibition in Shanghai, Xbox 360 game piracy appears to be spreading in the country with the most number of citizens on the planet.
The problem of piracy started when hackers cracked the Xbox 360’s drive making games on non-original dics playable. MS initially claimed the company’s core security system has not been broken despite the news of the hacked firmware and vowed to continue investing in the security of the platform.
But Carless says the number of copies of pirated Xbox 360 titles available openly in the country is proof that the company’s security system has been bypassed for physical media-based Xbox 360 games. Carless even thinks stores or individuals in Shanghai could be offering to flash the Xbox 360’s disc drive BIOS for a fee. How’s that for full service?
Although pirated versions of PlayStation 2 and Xbox discs are much more common because the Xbox 360 console is pricey, Carless noted a large selection of illegal copies of Xbox 360 games available at game vendors throughout China such Ninety-Nine Nights, Fight Night Round 3, and Project Gotham Racing 3. Some titles such as Hitman: Blood Money selling for about $3.50.
Recently, San Francisico-based Pearl Research said the Chinese gaming market should pass $760 Million mark by the end of 2006 and reach the $1 Billion mark by 2009. But those figures don’t factor in piracy.
Via Gamasutra
Finally, we know some of the things that’s going on behind the Great Wall of China! According to Gamasutra‘s Simon Carless, who attented the ChinaJoy game exhibition in Shanghai, Xbox 360 game piracy appears to be spreading in the country with the most number of citizens on the planet.
The problem of piracy started when hackers cracked the Xbox 360’s drive making games on non-original dics playable. MS initially claimed the company’s core security system has not been broken despite the news of the hacked firmware and vowed to continue investing in the security of the platform.
But Carless says the number of copies of pirated Xbox 360 titles available openly in the country is proof that the company’s security system has been bypassed for physical media-based Xbox 360 games. Carless even thinks stores or individuals in Shanghai could be offering to flash the Xbox 360’s disc drive BIOS for a fee. How’s that for full service?
Although pirated versions of PlayStation 2 and Xbox discs are much more common because the Xbox 360 console is pricey, Carless noted a large selection of illegal copies of Xbox 360 games available at game vendors throughout China such Ninety-Nine Nights, Fight Night Round 3, and Project Gotham Racing 3. Some titles such as Hitman: Blood Money selling for about $3.50.
Recently, San Francisico-based Pearl Research said the Chinese gaming market should pass $760 Million mark by the end of 2006 and reach the $1 Billion mark by 2009. But those figures don’t factor in piracy.
Via Gamasutra