In an effort to "create a level playing field for gamers" Microsoft has begun banning Xbox 360 owners from Xbox Live who have modified the firmware on their console. According to the company's Gamerscore Blog, users won't have their accounts deleted, but won't be able to access Live from a modded console.

Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb wrote on his (temporary) site:

As you can imagine, we have a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to modded consoles connecting to LIVE. We're very serious about this, and if we detect you have a modded Xbox then you will not be able to connect to Xbox Live. If you see this screen and get Status Code: Z: 8015 - 190D...that means your console has been banned.

We've heard of a few users who claim not to have modified their console in any way still getting the above ban error, but have no way to confirm this. If I were in the market for a used Xbox 360, I'd be very wary of buying one over the next few weeks. Michael McWhertor

Keeping Xbox LIVE Fair [Gamerscore Blog]

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