[Debate]Are ModChips Illegal?

Darkchild · #1 06-22-2007, 05:11 PM

Are modchips illegal? IMO they're not, because, If you lose a copy of your game (I.e : Gets scratched) you can't just go to the local game store and ask for another copy...And well..sometimes they are used for piracy...not all people can buy those extremely expensive games >,>...

now....peepz what is your opinion?

MenaceInc · #2 06-22-2007, 05:49 PM

i'd say that software piracy in general is illegal and wouldn't vouch for it although i do admit i do try out games or download them if they're not available in the UK.good example is Valhalla Knights and MGS: Portable Ops. I dl'd both of them and bought MGS yesterday.would i of done so if the game had been bad?...nope. the same thing is applied with rental but i don't see PSP games for rental about where i live.

however if i was to download it with no intention of buying it if it was good then i would say that wasnt right. that means that the company that made the game loses the money that if the game is good,they deserve. think the same as being in a restaurant. if the food is cold or bad, you should refuse to pay as they haven't provided good service.

mod chips are different though.although mod chips and OE firmware do provide the ability to pirate games,i don't think it should be illegal since it is hardware that YOU have purchased and should be allowed to modify to however you want both internally and externally.

Cheezeball99 · #3 06-22-2007, 07:14 PM

Okay, Cole's opinion time-

Modchips:
I think modchips, and modifying something you own is NOT illegal, in any way, shape, or form, and I don't understand how it could possibly be illegal unless they technically still 'owned' the hardware, which if that was the case what would stop them from just barging in your house one day and taking it back? Ridiculous? Exactly- so is NOT letting you modify something you BOUGHT with your MONEY, it's like selling a car and telling you that you can't fix it.

Backups:
I think the 'theory' of 'backups' is very valid. If I buy a game and my friend's kid comes and scratches the shart out of it a "Sorry, man!" isn't going to fix it, and I have to pop down another 40+ bucks to get another copy of it. That isn't right, but so are people that use modchips 'n' such just to download games they don't own and KEEP them. I agree and approve of what you do/did, MenaceInc, that is very valid and good, I can understand you not wanting to dole out the cash for a game that sucks, especially if you're going to import it(I can't rent PSP, DS, etc. games around here either

). But it's my guesstimation that over 85% of people that have modded/hacked systems use them for nothing but piracy, which is why 'big dogs' see modchips 'n' such as a completely bad and dark entity of the gaming world, which is an unfair stereotype, but it's true.

Piracy:
Now, I can, however, see the concern, because piracy is very rampant, especially with everyone having internet connections so fast they can download 3+ years of a company's hard work in less than an hour(except for dialup, sorry roe

). But that doesn't mean they should let them ruin it for everyone else. And I can understand and totally back up the use of 'backups', because if you go out and your disc accidentally gets ruined then you're f@cked, which I don't think should be fair, which is why I like M$'s policy- You can actually download Windows, any version, from the internet, and it's not illegal, because they don't sell the software, they sell the license to USE the software.

And finally- I have my opinions, and even though I have schpieled on and on about how bad piracy is, I'm a huge pirate, and I'm not afraid to admit it, I can't afford most of the games, so I DO indeed download ALOT of games, I have a modded 360, PS2, Xbox, DS, and PSP, and you may say "if you can't afford it so much how do you have those?", and the truth is that I've poured practically every extra penny into the stuff- I just got the PSP about 2 months ago, and now I'm saving up for a Wii. Is it right? Absolutely not, but game prices these days are absolutely ridiculous. It's not like I'm a rich kid that can totally afford the game and don't buy them, but I'm a 19 year old college student that puts about 80% of all extra money into my gaming fund. But I also buy games that I truly like anytime I have the chance, such as the fact that the other day I just bought Megaman Legends 1 and 2, King's Field 1 and 2, RPG Maker and Suikoden for the original PSX, because I truly like those games, and I had the money to do so. If I had the money I would've bought every single game I've downloaded, but I just plain can't afford it- not only that, but I couldn't even afford two games a month. I don't mean to defend myself too much- think what you like of me, but I, personally, find my reasons to be justified.

Chilly Willy · #4 06-23-2007, 06:31 PM

In the US and other places (notably Australia), laws have been added to make devices which bypass copy protection (technical circumvention devices) illegal. This means that MOST mod-chips in countries with such laws are indeed illegal. So it depends on how the device is made and how it acts inside the console.

For example, the Devolution for the PSP probably isn't illegal as all it is is a USB connection to the JTAG port. It can be used for testing parts, and also reading or writing the NAND. The fact that the NAND could be rewritten with software that bypasses copy protection is irrelevant as the "mod-chip" itself doesn't circumvent anything. It's the software written to the NAND that is doing the circumventing.

You'll notice that recent ads for the Devolution now simply call it a programming port device. They are trying to make sure that technological circumvention laws aren't applied to their product.

canadajames · #5 06-23-2007, 08:26 PM

I really don't want to go either way on this. I agree that the prices of games are way to high. The only problem with pircay is people losing interest. If piracy was equal on all platforms things might equal out a bit. But In general modchips I'm perfectly alright with its not the chip makers but up to the discretion of the mod user to decide what to do.

XTM_Rage · #6 06-25-2007, 11:29 PM

Mod chips are legal in most parts of the world and companies that don't like them can't do anything to change it. Having the mod chip is completely legal, it's what you do with it that might not be legal. Piracy, I completely agree, not legal. Playing backup copies of games you went to GameStop and purchased, legal and I don't care what M$, $ony or N!ntendo thinks about it. The same goes with using an Xbox as a full blown media center, also legal, and I still don't care what M$ thinks about it. You pay for it, it's yours. Period.

I think that companies like M$ and $ony should let you play your "legal" backup copies on their online service, but Xbox Live and the Playstation Network are something the respective companies own, not us.