METRO FREE Thursday, November 12, 2009 see page 5 for full details UP to 1million Xbox 360 users who modified their consoles to play pirated games face being cut off by Microsoft. Hundreds of thousands of gamers will be dis- connected, preventing them from playing the Xbox Live service, which allows players to com- pete against each other through the internet. Users who have violated terms of use by in- stalling hardware on their consoles to play illegal games will be cut off, Microsoft announced yes- terday. the company said it would affect a small per- centage of the 20million members of the Xbox Live community, but reports on gaming websites suggested it could disconnect between 600,000 and one million users across the world. Microsoft carried out a similar sweep of Xbox consoles last November but would not reveal how it detects modified units. the ban will only stop a player using the Xbox Live service the console will continue to work when playing games offline. In a statement, Microsoft said: All consumers should know that piracy is illegal and that modi- fying their Xbox console to play pirated discs violates the Xbox Live terms of use and will re- sult in a ban from Xbox Live. More than 34million Xbox 360 consoles have been sold around the world. Modifying a console, known as modding or chipping, involves soldering new components into the device. there is a huge online black mar- ket for modifying consoles, and the procedure can even be done at small electronic shops. one gamer whose Xbox Live service was cut off, Raz, 25, paid 85 to have his console chipped. He said yesterday: I sign in online and next thing I see, Your console has been banned. I was dis- traught at the time. I was completely gutted. Its like telling someone their dogs just died. by Ross mcguinness 1m Xboxes could become ex-boxes girl band The saturdays made up of una Healy from Tipperary and mollie King, Francesca sandford, Rochelle Wiseman and Vanessa White help launch Lips: number one Hits for the Xbox 360, which lets players sing their favourite hits. The issues singers were in Dublin to perform at an exclusive party in The good bits venue on store street Picture: Photocall go ahEad, makE ouR day... HeLP meTRo HeLP THe enViRonmenT. ReCyCLe THis neWsPAPeR ToDAy INSIdE Today See Page 24 index.html2.html3.html4.html5.html6.html7.html8.html9.html10.html11.html12.html13.html14.html15.html16.html17.html18.html19.html20.html21.html22.html23.html24.html25.html26.html27.html