According to most game companies, software piracy is very black and white. In this article, we analyze the pros and cons of hacking your console, and provide twelve legitimate reasons to do so.
Software companies control every aspect of their hardware and software. Legally, they own it, and are just licensing it to you, so they can one day just say “we don’t want you to play this anymore”.
1. Limited Game Availability
I’m not talking about when a new hot game comes out and it can be hard to find. I’m talking about when an older game goes out of print and is no longer on the store shelves. Some people are really enthusiastic about their classic system, and just want to have a complete collection of games, regardless if they suck or not.
You may have to turn to garage sales, online auction sites like Ebay, or trolling on Craigslist. If you call Microsoft, Sony or Nintendo looking for a particular out-of-print game, they will tell you the same thing. If you have a game cartridge or physical disc of the game and it breaks, then there is no “legitimate” way to get your game working again. You are just SOL.
The game companies can turn this negative into a positive. The Steam distribution platform is really good at this. Many legacy PC games (like Doom, Quake or Monkey Island) can’t really run on modern operating systems, and Steam has a copy that is tested and working on modern computers.
If you have a hacked console, then you can continue to enjoy your game
2. Disc or drive will eventually fail
Most consoles distribute their games from a physical disc or cartridge, and those discs will eventually scratch or degrade to the point that they become unreadable. Cartridges are better at this, but they have a tendency to produce errors are they age. As mentioned above, you have very little choices when the game goes out of print.
Current generation consoles use optical drives (DVD or Bluray), and these will eventually need repair. Just like games, eventually replacement drives will not be available, and you will either have to repair it yourself or modify your console to use a standard PC drive.
If you modify your console to play backups, then you can either have a playable backup copy of your game, or have an electronic copy on a hard drive, so that you can keep playing your game.
3. Privacy concerns
Most people don’t know that retailers automatically register the serial number with the console manufacturer at the moment of purchase. If your console breaks, there’s really no lying about the warranty period. Most companies have a 1-year warranty that starts at the time of purchase, not the time when you opened it. If you do your Christmas shopping in early September, and your “new” Wii console breaks next November, then you’re SOL. It’s true that many companies will so a “no-charge-non-warranty” repair, but for accounting purposes they’re doing a non-warranty repair.
The bedrock of the previous paragraph is that game companies already know more about the console than you think. If you register your console with the company, or even purchase any games through the console’s online store, then they’ve tied the console to your name. This can be really helpful to find information if you have a legitimate claim. For example, if you purchase a lot of systems and games from them, they know this and will be more willing to work with you if you have a problem.
Most people don’t like the idea of others knowing too much information. If you’re of those that wants to go “off the grid” then don’t use their online stores or register your product.
4. Education
This is probably one of the most important reasons to hack your console. If you want to be on the bleeding edge of technology, then you have to know how the new technology works. All consoles are closed systems, and only the game companies know how to program them. Hacking your console allows you to create “homebrew” applications, which fuels the next generation of programmers.
The best security specialists became experts because they poked and prodded firewalls and other computer security. The same holds true with the best game designers today: they got their start by playing and tinkering with consoles.
5. Games tied to system
Most consumers don’t know this, but some consoles’ downloadable content is tied to the physical system. Games you download for the Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and PC (via Steam) are tied to an online account, so you can re-download these games at no cost if your old one is stolen, breaks, or you just buy a new one.
Nintendo’s eShop works differently. When you purchase and download a game for the Wii, DSi, or 3DS, then that game is tied to your console’s serial number. You lose all of your games if your console is replaced, stolen, or otherwise unrepairable. On top of that, Nintendo prohibits you selling a console with pre-purchased titles (according to the license you have to wipe all content before selling it).
Nintendo is changing their stance on this issue for future consoles. You will be able to transfer your Wii titles to the new Wii-U, and you can currently transfer DSiWare or 3DSware to a new 3DS system. But Nintendo is still tying game licenses to serial numbers, not accounts.
The next generation of consoles will be focusing on downloadable distribution methods. Either the game will be tied to an online account or to the physical box, which may raise some eyebrows in the Privacy department (see point 3).
6. Warranties don’t cover physical damage
Every warranty only covers manufacturer’s defects. If you drop your Nintendo 3DS and the screen cracks, then that’s considered physical damage and not covered under warranty. If you spill Diet Cherry Dr. Pepper on your Xbox 360, then that’s physical damage. Dog chewed through AC adapter cord? Physical damage.
The warranty is not a “free pass for a year” for your console. Even if it was, you have to wait 2-3 weeks of turnaround time to get your system back. You might think you can return it to the retail store, but most won’t take it back, because once you buy it the serial number is registered to you.
The point of this is that unless you keep your console in a glass case surrounded by pillows, then you’re going to cause physical damage at some point, which voids the warranty.
As mentioned in the previous point, if you replace your console then you may lose any downloaded games. If you had backups then you wouldn’t run into this problem.
7. Keep community alive
Once a game console is retired, there are still lots of gamers who love to play the games. Some people just grew up with certain games and they find comfort in it, or they may have clans that are dedicated to a particular genre.
Whatever the reason, system emulators and hacked consoles are the only practical ways to play the games of yesteryear. Old consoles will eventually break, and the parts just cannot be found any more, which is why there are so many emulators that run practically every classic console you can think of.
8. No emulator available
Classic Xbox has no working emulator, which is very ironic since its hardware is the closest to PC hardware. If you still want to play your classic Xbox games, then you’re going to have to have a modified Xbox. Sure, Microsoft has added compatibility to the Xbox 360 over the years, so most of the games worth playing on the original Xbox will work on the 360, many with improved graphics or framerate.
Still…
9. Cheats
You can buy some addon products that allow you to cheat, like the Action Replay for the Nintendo DS. Not only are these things a little buggy, but it makes your cartridge stick out a few inches, which will probably end up breaking.
Hacking your console opens up a world of cheats right within the game itself, with no addons required. Usually you just press a button combination to open up a menu and select your cheats. You can also add new cheats by updating a text file on the console.
10. Fix compatibility of system updates
Console makers are publishing new system updates all the time… the Playstation 3 has a new one every day it seems. Sometimes this is to add new features to the console, but mostly it is to thwart the efforts of hackers. There have been a few patches that just flatout break stuff. With a hacked console you can maintain compatibility of your existing software.
11. Promotional considerations
Have you ever wondered how magazines and websites publish crystal-clear screenshots of your favorite game, even before the game is out? They have a “development” console that allows them to do so. The whole purpose of a hacked console is to have the ability to run software that would normally be locked out… such as taking a screenshot.
Additionally, once your console is hacked you can browse the file system of the disc or folder the game is in. Since the discs are generally unreadable by PC drives, many developers don’t bother placing copy protection on the audio files, and many of them are just MP3s or some other standard format. If you have a favorite game and want the soundtrack (for use in a walkthrough video, etc), then you have access to it. The same holds true for many video files… you can copy the file over and watch it on any PC… which could include spoilers.
12. Improved capabilities
In the end, it’s all about enjoying your games, and that’s what it’s all about. Game companies have a right to make a living, but they also have a responsibility to the gamers that helped them make all of that money. Taking your ball and going home is not going to win you any friends.
Industry analysts would say that PC games are some of the most pirated in the gaming community, but the PC game makers are the ones that contribute to the community the most. Once a game reaches “legacy” status, sometimes the source code is made available, which encourages education and promotion of their artform.
Take back your gaming heritage, and play the games you love.
4 Comment
I have this thing I do with all my consoles. I either hard or soft mod them to play games from the drive, then load all my games onto the drive. I've done it with my original Xbox, my PS2, my Xbox 360… If it were possible, I would have my Gamecube and my N64 playing from hard drives. Having a room full of game discs and cartridges is impressive, but sheesh…
I thought of another reason…. the physical space that all of these consoles would take up. Instead of having 23 pinball machines in a room you can play a virtual table. I knew someone that had every physical console ever made in one room, and it took up too much space, and he had to have special switches and stuff just to get them hooked up to his tv.
Yeah, when I worked at Nintendo we got a few really angry calls from people when we didn't have any parts to fix their old Nintendo 64s or NES systems. I would love to have pointed them to this article. There are a ton of emulators out there for these systems… and you can easily get the ROMs and then own the entire Nintendo catalogue… not just the few cartridges you have in a box.
Yeah, it's weird how Sony used to practically condone piracy when they were new and selling cassette recorders and VCR's. Now they would arrest you if they could if you even have a thought of downloading an MP3 without giving them money.