orcishgamer: You're assuming there's no software hacks and/or won't be. I think fail0verflow should have dismissed reservations about this kind of thing. Sure, one day they'll come up with something that's actually semi-secure, this console generation just isn't it.
Also, I will say, installing a modchip once may actually be easier than hunting down dozens of individual "liberation files". When you get right down to it, it's just a computer, only mods that require actual soldering are in any way difficult.
Also, you'll probably have the horsepower to emulate an XBox 360 within about 2 years, that stuff is getting pretty old.
StingingVelvet: I never said it was impossible, I said it was more difficult. In any case I thought your stand against DRM was a principle thing. If you're planning to circumvent it on consoles should you ever lose access then why not do the same on the PC? You bitch at me for buying PC games with DRM but then you go and buy DRM'd games on the Xbox because you can mod your hardware?
I is confused.
No I buy on XBox 360 because I never have to ask permission to play my games. I'm not against all forms of DRM, but activation I have a serious issue with. If I can keep my 360 running 20 years from now (which is unlikely, but I do have a working NES) it will still play those games even if MS doesn't exist anymore.
I know buying DLC or Arcade titles is a double standard of sorts, but there's no activation and even if my Live account gets banned I can still play my games/DLC. Disc based games are even better, there's absolutely no DRM on DLC discs (as in you could load the same disc's DLC on 100 different XBox 360s) and the main game discs have less DRM than your average PC title (what a role reversal that is!).
And as much as I wish it were different, console gaming is better these days (for some definitions of better). There's great account management, I have a family account with my daughter on it giving me massive parental controls, there's a playable demo for every Arcade title, no exceptions, I can pop a random disc in and be playing in 5 seconds or less, or boot an Arcade title up. There's so many co-op games it's really great for playing with my kid and we can both see what we'll be getting before we invest in them. The sales are really pretty decent, usually 50% off or better, even on pretty new stuff. Not to mention all the extra crap that comes with my XBox 360 plus Live account (Last.fm, Zune Pass, Netflix, etc.).
I remember a day when PC gaming was better, you got a better picture, you got better textures, the DRM was less intrusive, you got free map packs, unofficial mods didn't get sued out of existence, you could run local LAN games and spawn copies for your friends, etc. That stuff is pretty much gone now. Consoles didn't kill PC gaming, PC gaming killed itself, the players by not demanding better of the publishers and the publishers by being even greedier on PC than they are on console (fwiw, the console manufacturers hold a lot of the cards and keep the publishers in line a bit).
Eh, end diatribe.