How will Micro$oft handle X-box emulators and/or Roms

[mobace]

How about an emulator like Bleem that still requires you to have a game disc? Or just flat out Rom trading?

Seeing that Bleem survived legal blasts from the relatively large Sony.... and the continued existence of the other console emulators.

[Tetris L]

Been wondering about the same. Considering how close the Xbox architecture is to a PC , making an emulator should be piss-easy technically. UC for PC might come quicker than expected .... oh yeah!

I'm sure hell (i.e. Microsoft's lawyers) would break loose though.

[namu]

I think MS would unleash the pitbulls.

BTW, Sony is working hand in hand with a small company to create a hardware PS2 emulator for Macintoshes. This is the kind of product that would become quickly popular and boost the PS2. Good initiative !

[iridium]

People actually use macs?!?!

[Clayeth]

Since the Xbox is basically a PC stripped of everything that isn't needed for games, emulators will probably show up within a few months of it being released. Whether MS can do anything to stop it I don't know.

[SimplyCosmic]

You're forgetting that the Bleem case occurred prior to the Digital Millenium Copyright Act came into full swing, and that the current Attorney General of the United States Ashcroft is quite willing to hold people such as Dimitry Slyarovy in jail for a few months without bail for giving a speech about how to circumvent Adobe's eBook encryption scheme.

So, now, even if you own a legal copy of the game in question, you are committing a felony under the current Federal laws and International Copyright Treaties.

[Zaccix]

It could be argued that since the Xbox is just a very specialised PC in a console box, people who own a PC already have an Xbox and an "emulator" would simply "unlock" the capability to play Xbox games, rather than emulating any hardware as emulators usually do.

Oh is MS gonna have some fun with this one...

[iridium]

Originally posted by Zaccix

Oh is MS gonna have some fun with this one...

indeed

[@kuma]

BTW, Sony is working hand in hand with a small company to create a hardware PS2 emulator for Macintoshes. This is the kind of product that would become quickly popular and boost the PS2. Good initiative !

Yeah, and they handled the whole Bleem! thing so well too.

[SimplyCosmic]

It could be argued that since the Xbox is just a very specialised PC in a console box, people who own a PC already have an Xbox and an "emulator" would simply "unlock" the capability to play Xbox games, rather than emulating any hardware as emulators usually do.

Nice try. But that's covered as well. Essentially, the DMCA and it's British equivalent have taken away your ability to use a product as you see fit, even if it normally comes under the "Fair Use" clause of International Copyright Law.

Another example of a federal crime? DeCSS, and other DVD decoders that are unlicensed by the MPAA, along with DVD players which allow you to play region encoded DVD's from areas outside your own.

Welcome to your 21st Century rights, bought and paid for by the highest bidder.

On a side note, saying the XBox is just a "specialised PC in a console box" is a gross generalization. A TiVo is closer to a standard PC than a XBox is, but hey, don't let me rain on the parade of bandwagon "its teh sux0rs" comments.

[G-Lite]

Do you really think I feel sorry for em?
NAH
biatches can copy microsloth stuff as much as they want... I don't care ;p

[Clayeth]

Originally posted by SimplyCosmic


Nice try. But that's covered as well. Essentially, the DMCA and it's British equivalent have taken away your ability to use a product as you see fit, even if it normally comes under the "Fair Use" clause of International Copyright Law.

Another example of a federal crime? DeCSS, and other DVD decoders that are unlicensed by the MPAA, along with DVD players which allow you to play region encoded DVD's from areas outside your own.

Welcome to your 21st Century rights, bought and paid for by the highest bidder.

Exactly, and you wonder why I often reply with a "who cares?" message when you point out something is illegal now because of that? It's rediculous, there's no way that they can do anything to stop all the things that are now illegal because they are SO common. They'll either have to loosen it or it'll become one of those laws that nobody, including the government and law enforcement, pay any attention to.

[SimplyCosmic]

Tell that to Dimitry, who sat in jail for several months without bail.

Tell that to several college Computer Science professors who were barred from giving speaches on encryption techniques.

Tell that to the people behind the SSSCA act which would make it mandatory for all hardware produced or sold in the US to contain hardware level DMCA compatibility and compliance, or be considered a federal crime worth several years in prison for selling.

Sure, you can sit by and believe that it'll all go away, but you really should start pay attention to the fact that the current Attorney General has started some serious operations to enforce the DMCA down to the individual user level.

[Clayeth]

It's just so rediculous that I can't believe it would actually get to that point, but people never cease to amaze me with their stupidity, so who knows. I still give it 5-out-of-5 's

[Tetris L]

It's official: Bleem is dead.

[mobace]

big f@t eveil sonieei wuv u g@me5 s0ny no.. plez

[qazix]

Welcome to the United Corporate States of America, brought to you by Microsoft, Sony, AOL-TimeWarner, Disney, and the symbol $.

[Exar Kun [Sith]]

Originally posted by qazix
Welcome to the United Corporate States of America, brought to you by Microsoft, Sony, AOL-TimeWarner, Disney, and the symbol $.

Also don't forget the music industry.

[SimplyCosmic]

The other thing you might want to consider: What operating system are you going to be using that X-Box emulator with?

Owning the operating system would give Microsoft enough of an edge should they feel the need to break out previously developed copy protection and media licensing software built into their operating systems.

Will they do anything if the number of people with both the skill and desire to emulate illegal games on their PCs is small? No.

But should it get to the point where it was as common as .mp3's are now, I wouldn't be surprised if certain plans went into effect in Redmond, Washington.

[mobace]

SC is zen-like

and from this angle... he looks like Mulder heh heh