Gamers loading up their systems were met with the message telling them they had been banned and that there was “no recourse for terms of use violations.” Explaining the deactivation Microsoft said “Users of banned Xbox consoles can recover their profile to another, unmodified Xbox 360 console to resume their Live service. The banned console will be unable to connect to Xbox Live.” They also added evidence to speculation that the timely banning had happened because of the launch of the latest Call of Duty title. “We can assure you that if an Xbox Live member follows the Xbox Live terms of use, purchased a retail copy of Modern Warfare 2 and played the game on an unmodified Xbox 360, no action will be taken,” Microsoft explained.

However, whilst some gamers had modified their consoles specifically to play pirated games there are those that have hit out saying they changed their system to allow them to back up. Aberdeen’s Donald Glass explained “Discs are very fragile things and some users like to have their games backed up. After all you will have paid £40 for a new disc. It is my opinion that once you buy a disc you should be allowed to do whatever you want with the media as long as you do not break copyright laws.”

Releasing a statement over the issue Microsoft said “All consumers should know that piracy is illegal and that modifying their Xbox 360 console to play pirated discs violates the Xbox Live terms of use, will void their warranty and result in a ban from Xbox Live. The health of the video game business depends on customers paying for the genuine products and services they receive from manufacturers, retailers, and the third parties that support them.”

They added “We do not reveal specifics, but can say that all consoles have been verified to have violated the terms of use.” The move came after it was revealed that many console owners used third party software or chips which then allowed for unofficial game use. With some software particularly aimed at allowing pirated games Microsoft said that those affected would receive the “Your console has been banned from Xbox” message when logging into their system.

Piracy in the gaming industry is estimated to cost a yearly total of approximately £750m. Meanwhile, those who are banned will still be able to play their consoles. However, they cannot access their Xbox Live account.

Only currently available to those who pay the £60 per year tariff on the Xbox Live Gold system to access Microsoft’s gaming network, customers of Xbox Live will be able to subscribe to a similar package as long as they are already Sky customers. Director of On-Demand content for Sky, Griffin Parry said “This initiative is designed both for existing Sky subscribers and for people who, for whatever reason, either do not want or are not able to fit a satellite dish to their homes.”

Costing £15 per month to customers who are Xbox Live subscribers but not Sky customers, digital content will be available on-demand, however without content from sports and movie channels. In addition to being able to simple watch content, the move will also encourage socialising across the network. For example, a customer watching a live football match has the option to invite friends to watch as well.

Mr Parry explained “This deal gives Sky the chance to get our content to a new demographic. Our research shows that many Xbox Live subscribers are in their late twenties or early thirties, with no children yet, and no mortgage. A package like this, which is renewed monthly rather than annually, could appeal to a new demographic for us.”

Using a mixture of infrared and visual cameras in addition to a microphone, the new controller uses body temperature at the core of its function. Setting itself to room temperature, it uses heat produced by human bodies to detect the user. Once found, the device ascertains whether the player is new or not, loads a profile and then uses their distance from the Xbox 360 sensor to plot player movement. Kudo Tsunoda, general manager of Xbox 360 and creative director of Natal, the technology behind the controller, explained that the device will monitor and change as users do. “If you take a young child, they grow at quite a fast rate. However, these changes over days or weeks are slight. So if there are small day-to-day changes, Natal will recognise that and update your profile,” he said, adding that because the device uses infrared “you can even log in and play Natal in the dark.”

Speaking of the importance to constantly develop new devices to keep up with the market, Mr Tsunoda said “The current controller is a barrier to some people using our console. To many users, the vast array of buttons and analogue sticks is plain confusing.” He added that the device would add “extra fidelity to core users”, whilst still remaining easy to use for those who played casually.