The Microsoft Durango developer kit would eventually become the Xbox One.

Given the less-than-stellar reception of the Xbox One, in hindsight it seems strange just how eagerly awaited the system was.  Everyone was looking to get their hands on a new Xbox One or PS4, and it seemed split.  Indeed, some folks wanted the Xbone so badly they were willing to break the laws to get their hands on it before its May 21 debut.  Indeed, counterfeit Durango developer kits hit eBay pretty early, and that’s the source of the problem.  Five people have been charged with hacking into computer systems to create their own counterfeit Xbox Ones.  Four hackers in the US and one in Australia were rounded up  and face various theft charges, including jail time.

Only two of the Xboxes were made, but considering they were selling for up to $5000 a piece, the profit potential is amazing.  The counterfeit Xboxes featured stolen software from Epic Games, Valve, Zombie Studio, and the United States Army, including some very cool-sounding helicopter simulator stuff that would be awesome if it were legal.  Fortunately, nobody got their hands on any of the Call of Duty games.  Still, the value of the stolen IP is somewhere between $100 and $200 million dollars.

“Electronic breaking and entering of computer networks and the digital looting of identities and intellectual property have become much too common,” said Charles Oberly, one of the US Government’s lawyers involved in the case.  “These are not harmless crimes, and those who commit them should not believe they are safely beyond our reach.”

Tags: microsoft, xbox, xbox one, microsoft xbox one, microsoft durango, project durango, epic games, valve, zombie studio, us army, video games, counterfeit xbox ones, hackers make counterfeit xbox ones with stolen game software, unusual crimes, stolen video games, charles oberly

I’ve never had a problem eating food from a gas station.  Just two weeks ago, I ate a couple of hot dogs purchased from a gas station.  They were delicious.  That’s not the first time I’ve eaten gas station food, and I doubt it will be the last.  There’s nothing like a fun food novelty. […]

Commissioner Roger Goodell gathered 32 NFL owners for one big question.  One of the league’s most wanderlust-stricken franchises is looking to move again.  The Oakland-Los Angeles-Oakland Raiders, tired of gutting it out in a run-down stadium, were once again looking for greener pastures.  Only the Miami Dolphins refused to cooperate.  With a vote of 31-1, […]

In 2006, an injury to Dallas Cowboys starting quarterback Drew Bledsoe opened the door for an undrafted free agent by the name of Tony Romo to take the helm of America’s Team and lead the Dallas Cowboys to an early playoff exit.  Bledsoe went from starter to afterthought in a season.  Now, the circle continues […]

For 89 years, Oscars has never had a major mistake.  The last few Oscars might have had a few flubs, but at least they never got the most important category of the night wrong.  Well, that’s now changed, all thanks to OG Bonnie and Clyde legends Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway.  When Faye Dunaway called […]

Tom Brady has been wildly successful, if controversial.  He’s the first quarterback ever to win five Super Bowls and only the second player to do so after Charles Haley.  Unlike Haley, Brady won all his Super Bowls with the same team, the New England Patriots.  The only thing that seems to be able to stop […]

Ben Affleck, no matter what you might think of him, is a talented actor and director.  He’s got the goods, but he’s smart enough to know when he’s in over his head.  All along, since he took on the mantle of Batman, he’s had his eyes on writing, directing, and starring as the Caped Crusader. […]

In May, students for the for-profit American College of Education were running into some problems.  Their access to email accounts and course information was locked down by Google, who had disabled their accounts.  The reason why?  A fired IT worker for the American College of Education locked the school out of their Google cloud account. […]