First of all, I'd like to make it clear: this is my fault. I bought an account online. I was safe about it, and the guy seemed genuine who sold me the account. Worked fine, I got a bunch of games for cheap. I was happy, he was happy. That was some time back. I enjoyed the games, and moved on. So, you can imagine my surprise after thinking it was in the past to get this notification today. Let's get to the point.
A short summary on my 360 modding knowledge (or lack thereof): I haven't flashed a 360 before. I've flashed a good few consoles including Xboxes, PSPs, Wiis, etc, so I'm sure I could pick up on what I have to learn fairly quickly. I hear about all the terms like Jasper, Zephyr, and so on. I know they refer to different models of the 360, but I don't know much beyond that. I have a relative who owns a few 360s. He claims that a couple of his 360s are different types and can't be flashed to the extent some of the newest games require, so he uses different consoles for different games. Is this the reality I'd have to face?
The message claimed I'm console banned. I did search this forum and read about how save games get corrupted. Unfortunately, I read this after I loaded the Metal Gear Solid HD Collection and my MGS2 save. The good news is that I didn't overwrite the save file. It was after I loaded the save that I tried signing in and got that nasty message, so I'm hoping that my saves will be okay if I don't load anything else. With that account I purchased, I got a lot of nice games, including Marble Blast Ultra which isn't available to download anymore. I have a feeling that game's lost forever.
Now, I think to myself, is it worth it? I can't "unban" my 360, and what good will I get from using my 360 as an offline Xbox? I was thinking of using one of my few softmodded Xboxes for XBMC in 720p (yeah, it's possible), so as far as homebrew goes, the main purpose is already served for me personally by my Xboxes. If I transfer my data to another 360 and download my profile again (or in reverse order?) to it, I'll still have lost the DLC I got on the other account. Is there any sure way to check the status of my account and whether it's banned? If all my gamerscore is removed, Microsoft can kiss my wallet goodbye. Not that it will matter. Aside from that error of buying the account which at the time was a stupid decision, I've been a totally legit customer and have bought perhaps nearly 200 games in retail and XBLA.
So, I might call it a day, sell all my 360 games and the console and make a decent enough amount of cash to pay some bills. It sucks, but if my account's banned, my days of playing the 360 are over. My reasons for many of my 360 games are void if I can't play them online, so I'd probably sell them. Also, I recall many of my online purchases requiring an internet connection merely to play them. (Indie games being one.)
Sorry for the lengthy post, especially since it's my first. I'm not in the best of moods right now and I'm not sure what to do. I'm sure some of you have been in the same boat. To cut my losses and maybe splash out on a PS3, or to get another 360 when there's no guarantee I'll be safe...
Edit: Would it be a good test to try a Games for Windows LIVE game?
A short summary on my 360 modding knowledge (or lack thereof): I haven't flashed a 360 before. I've flashed a good few consoles including Xboxes, PSPs, Wiis, etc, so I'm sure I could pick up on what I have to learn fairly quickly. I hear about all the terms like Jasper, Zephyr, and so on. I know they refer to different models of the 360, but I don't know much beyond that. I have a relative who owns a few 360s. He claims that a couple of his 360s are different types and can't be flashed to the extent some of the newest games require, so he uses different consoles for different games. Is this the reality I'd have to face?
The message claimed I'm console banned. I did search this forum and read about how save games get corrupted. Unfortunately, I read this after I loaded the Metal Gear Solid HD Collection and my MGS2 save. The good news is that I didn't overwrite the save file. It was after I loaded the save that I tried signing in and got that nasty message, so I'm hoping that my saves will be okay if I don't load anything else. With that account I purchased, I got a lot of nice games, including Marble Blast Ultra which isn't available to download anymore. I have a feeling that game's lost forever.
Now, I think to myself, is it worth it? I can't "unban" my 360, and what good will I get from using my 360 as an offline Xbox? I was thinking of using one of my few softmodded Xboxes for XBMC in 720p (yeah, it's possible), so as far as homebrew goes, the main purpose is already served for me personally by my Xboxes. If I transfer my data to another 360 and download my profile again (or in reverse order?) to it, I'll still have lost the DLC I got on the other account. Is there any sure way to check the status of my account and whether it's banned? If all my gamerscore is removed, Microsoft can kiss my wallet goodbye. Not that it will matter. Aside from that error of buying the account which at the time was a stupid decision, I've been a totally legit customer and have bought perhaps nearly 200 games in retail and XBLA.
So, I might call it a day, sell all my 360 games and the console and make a decent enough amount of cash to pay some bills. It sucks, but if my account's banned, my days of playing the 360 are over. My reasons for many of my 360 games are void if I can't play them online, so I'd probably sell them. Also, I recall many of my online purchases requiring an internet connection merely to play them. (Indie games being one.)
Sorry for the lengthy post, especially since it's my first. I'm not in the best of moods right now and I'm not sure what to do. I'm sure some of you have been in the same boat. To cut my losses and maybe splash out on a PS3, or to get another 360 when there's no guarantee I'll be safe...
Edit: Would it be a good test to try a Games for Windows LIVE game?