Draconian Microsoft Banning Users Who Play Halo 3 Before Street Date.
In what can only be described as draconian, unfair, and quite possibly illegal, Microsoft has confirmed that users who play Halo 3 before the street date of September 25th will be banned from LIVE for life.
The console gathers information about what games are played and when and stores that information which is then uploaded to Microsofts Live servers whenever the console is connected to the internet. So simply not signing into LIVE would only be a temporary solution, with the only real solution being to NEVER connect the console to the internet.
Why users who have purchased legitimate copies of the game through retail channels should be punished is unfathomable. Any person who wanted to purchase the game and saw it available would of course pick it up for themselves, and would not, or should not ever expect to be banned and forfeit the money they’ve spent on their subscription to LIVE, when they’ve done absolutely no wrong. If anything the retailers should be penalized in some form, but not the users who have spent their hard earned cash on a game, supporting Microsoft and bungie studios.
If Microsoft intends to become number one in the console game, this is hardly the type of PR move that will win over new customers and maintain existing ones.
We’re sure, hidden somewhere in the ridiculous EULA is some vague stipulation that allows them to get away with this sort of thing (as well as eat your first born children), but that doesn’t make it right.
You have some nerve Microsoft.
Did you enjoy this post? Did you hate it? Why not leave a comment below and continue the conversation, or subscribe to the feed and get articles like this delivered automatically each day to your feed reader.
Man, do you have turds for brains? People know what day the game comes out. People know that stores aren’t allowed to sell before that date. Therefore if you do go into a store to get your “legitimate” copy of Halo 3, before the date, and get a idiot to sell it to you, one the store gets a fine per copy sold, and two you tricked the person into selling it to you so your “legitimate” copy of Halo is no longer legitimate. Why shouldn’t they be punished? Then you got assholes leaking endings left and right. All of you faggots that think this is ok really piss me off. Think of all of the people who worked thier ass off on this game and put in hours and hours into this game only to have some jerk-off ruin the ending and story lines for other people. Not only that but what about everybody else who wants to play the game that can’t, is that fair to us gamers? Two idiots don’t make it right.
I completely agree that nobody should be ruining the ending to this or any other game for anyone else, but thats completely irrelevant to what’s going on here.
If Microsoft is indeed banning people from LIVE for simply playing a game they purchased before Microsoft deems it appropriate to do so then theres a major problem with possible legal ramifications in the form of a class action law-suit.
It’s clear that YOU’RE looking forward to this game as much as we are, but not everyone is counting down the days or even KNOWS the exact release date of this game. So if they were wandering through the electronics section of their store, and saw the game for purchase and decided to pick it up, do you really think it’s fair that they should be banned for life for simply playing a game that they spent their hard earned money on?
Not every person in the world reads gaming news sites as frequently as you and I (and by the way thanks for reading our site feel free to bookmark it and comment on future stories ;) )
so NOT everyone knows they shouldn’t be allowed to purchase that game. The consumer has done no wrong in this case and shouldn’t be punished.
OK you got a point. If a consumer is not aware of the facts, and is able to purchase then yes the consumer has done no wrong. But thats giving people the benifit of the doubt, which I am not so inclined to give to people. People are sneaky and take advantage of things, to those people is whom my response is directed to. Anyways they say (Microsoft) that the ban is only for thier employees, not the consumer.
what huge terdlingers! i heart halo! i hope they ban all terdlingers FOR LIFE!!! halo woot! i heart halo. halo
halo.
I agree. Terdlingers for life yo! Oh wait… you said BAN all terdlingers.
Halo 3 makes me want to pump-fuck myself in ways of glorious goodness.
Wait, did I say that out loud?