Microsoft zaps Xbox-hacking chipmaker

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Microsoft appears to have shut down one of the world's largest distributors of "mod chips"--gray-market add-ons that allow Microsoft's Xbox and other video game consoles to play pirated games.

A representative in Microsoft's Australian subsidiary confirmed that the company has taken legal action against Hong Kong-based Lik Sang.

Lik Sang's Web site has been offline for nearly two weeks, with a notice on the site blaming a server outage. Lik Sang representatives could not be reached for comment, and Microsoft attorneys were unavailable to explain the exact nature of the legal action.

Lik Sang was one of the top worldwide retailers of mod chips, devices that, once soldered to a game console's main circuit board, disable security components. The chips typically allow a game machine to play legally and illegally copied discs, run unauthorized software and play game discs intended for other geographic regions.

Lik Sang offered a variety of mod chips for the Xbox and Sony's PlayStation 2, along with game consoles with mod chips already installed by Lik Sang technicians. The company went into the manufacturing side of the mod chip business last August when it acquired OpenXbox, a mod chip design intended to allow upgrades.

Though mod chips have bothered the video game business for years, Microsoft has been particularly zealous in fighting them. The company reconfigured the Xbox's innards partly to deter hackers and has sought to hire a mod chip expert.

News source: News.com

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#1 aaron901 on 03 Oct 2002 - 21:28

no wonder lik-sang.com has been down for so long...

#2 chromogenX on 03 Oct 2002 - 21:56

hmm...glad that my chip from lik-sang arrived last week

#3 tmaxxtigger on 03 Oct 2002 - 23:29

Just hope they don't follow up on deliveries to see who is breaking the law...

(2 replies) #4 Cryptic_Night on 04 Oct 2002 - 00:28

Mod chips shouldn't really be a crime......all it is doing is allowing gamers to have more fun with their system.

#4.1 Fonze on 04 Oct 2002 - 01:28

this "fun" includes breaking copy-write laws. i'm sure microsoft put something in the eula that prohibits people from modifying their system and from bypassing the security set in place to prevent piracy

#4.2 Martog on 04 Oct 2002 - 02:36

The EULA of the Xbox Live states that it can only be used with an unmodified console.

(2 replies) #5 werejag on 04 Oct 2002 - 01:54

one more reason to hate microsoft

#5.1 Fonze on 04 Oct 2002 - 02:41

so you hate microsoft because they are trying to police the industry? you are considered a common criminal to the video game industry if you install mod chips in your consoles to break copy-write laws. you are no better than the guy that walks into a compusa, pulls a game off the shelf, and walks out of the store with it.

#5.2 hestas on 04 Oct 2002 - 14:40

Quote: so you hate microsoft because they are trying to police the industry? And why not. Last time I checked it is not "their" industry to police. Unless somehow over night Microsoft bought every software maker on the planet. Perhaps you should re-word your arguments when trying to make a point.

#6 AJCrowley Esq on 04 Oct 2002 - 04:14

I notice a lot of people here standing up for MS. What about the legitimate users who want to just run unsigned code, or experiment with their own code? They do exist. The one thing that was making me consider buying an x-box was all the cool 3rd party freeware being released for it, everything from a Linux distro to a media player that would allow me to watch DVDs without Microsoft's rip off dongle, listen to MP3s on the system, and watch video CDs. There are plenty of legitimate uses for a modchip, and this is just one more infringement upon our fair use rights. The guy who jumped out and said "you may as well pull a game off a shelf", do you think that they should outlaw VCRs as well? It is legal to tape a show and watch it once before you destroy the copy. VCRs are used far more widely for illegal purposes than legal (though it's so relaxed that most people don't know this). A lawsuit was filed against Sony when the VCR first appeared - it's case being that the primary use of the VCR was illegal, but there were plenty of legal possibilities for it too, and this is why you have fair use laws. Microsoft's heavy handed indiscretions aside, they can do what they want, they will never win in the end. They'll come out with new schemes, and they'll be broken too. Remember when CSS came out for the DVD format? Didn't last long. Go back to the X-Box release and ask any MS exec about the possibilities of copying X-Box games on a regular CD burner - they'd tell you that there's no chance. Their actions will only succeed in fuelling a growing resentment against them. If I do end up buying an X-Box, I'll install a mod chip in it whether I intend to use it or not. Why? Because I can. If I feel like pirating games as well, I will, though if I like the game, I will cut MS and the overpaid publishers out of the loop and just send a check directly to the developers.

#7 NeoTrunks on 04 Oct 2002 - 05:20

Damn. I was actually going to mod my PS2 not for illegal reasons, but for the dev scene. The PS2 homebrew scene is only growing. Things like that are legal, but can only be booted with the help of a modchip unfortunately (at least for the PS2 and Xbo

. The DC is great because it doesn't need a mod at all. Oh well, what can we do? I just hope MS doesn't buy out LikSang.

Last edited by 1312 on 04 Oct 2002 - 05:30

#8 sunnyy4 on 04 Oct 2002 - 05:25

Well... although I'm not a gamer, but hear me out: Microsoft is being a bunch of sore losers and user hogs. OK... so the user pays $249 (which I believe will include the license for the OS itself)... Microsoft loses NOTHING by letting other people modify their XBox to run on Linux or some other alternative OS, right? Furthermore, games that belong to another region is like isolating oneself. I feel that all the movies and stuff should be allowed in all regions because it will allow a more diverse world. If a country doesn't want a certain media into their country, then so be it... there's no need for companies to set such limits. Sorry if that seemed like rant, but thanks for reading..

#9 Raphael on 04 Oct 2002 - 06:31

I used to modify my PS-One, few years ago. Then I went on a endless-run to get the latest games... Paying them few bucks or getting them for free... Just to have them, with no time to play them all. When I got my PS2 I decided not to modify it: this way, when I buy (yes, you're reading well: BUY) new games I just want to play them since I had to spend my money to get them. I feel better. And... Microsoft is just protecting their partner: Microsoft will go on selling XBOXes with or without modchips: software houses (and only software houses) will suffer loss of money when users get games over the net or buy illegal copies at the nearest dealer... I think this is part of the agreement software houses have with Microsoft: c'mon guys, play with us and we'll protect you agains software piracy. But this is just my opinion.

(4 replies) #10 Redmak on 04 Oct 2002 - 06:33

No one is stopping you from doing whatever you want with your XBox. You can drop it from the roof of your house for all they care. Get your screw drivers and soldering equipment and get going on your new XBox, no one cares if you resolder it completely. Microsoft is just shutting down a company that makes money of - and promotes warez. If you want to run your own code, linux or a media player get a PC. Use the XBox for what it is intended for, playing (legal) games and if that's not good enough for you ... don't buy it.

#10.1 theh0g on 04 Oct 2002 - 07:46

Once you buy Xbox, you OWN it an you can do whatever you want with it, no matter what Microsoft thinks - they don't own the world (like they'd like to). Whatever area Microsoft enters, they fu*k up everything.

#10.2 Redmak on 04 Oct 2002 - 08:58

That's exactly what I said , do whatever you want with it. Who's gonna stop you. (Just don't modify the chips inside and sell them on the internet)

#10.3 werejag on 05 Oct 2002 - 06:45

this company did more that promote warez. which was a small part of the company. there was controlers, cable and region converters. my xbox is mine not your or microsofts i can mod my xbox if i want. the high horse attitude i see in people about game console is unbelieveable

#10.4 Redmak on 05 Oct 2002 - 07:35

That's were people are wrong. The XBox isn't yours. The code inside isn't yours the chips aren't yours so you can't modify them and sell them on the internet People should be aware of these things before they buy anything. this is not just a Microsoft thing. My bought copy of Windows isn't mine either. I'm not allowed to alter any of the code and sell it on the internet. Same goes for vbulletin we use. We payed for it but we're not allowed to put a single file online for anyone to download (modified or not)

#11 aaron901 on 04 Oct 2002 - 08:00

Raphael, your story is exactly the same as mine! i modded my playstation few years ago and bought almost every games that came out, at a really low price

. 80% of them were sitting on the shelves collecting dust. i just didn't feel like playing them. I bought my PS2 last year, well, i modded it as well

, but useless anyway 'coz i decided to buy all games legitimately. and yeah, i did play all of them! (i also bought some "low-price" ps2 games which are also collecting dust at the moment.)

#12 mr_da3m0n on 04 Oct 2002 - 12:22

Whyyyyyyyyy? Lik-sang! I loveded yooo lik-sang, i loveded youuuuuuuuuu Seriously, that makes me angry, because Lik-sang was like, THE only place on the net where you could still find decent Dreamcast stuff... (i.e., the fricken broadband adapter...)

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