Sony, meanwhile, is banking on its experience with 'EverQuest,' a PC-only online world with nearly a half-million dragon-slaying and treasure-seeking players. 'You can't just go in like you can in a PC.' 'The number one thing we worked really hard to prevent is anyone from running code that we haven't authorized,' he said. Microsoft and Sony have just launched online gaming networks for their Xbox and PlayStation2 consoles and officials of the two companies say their consoles were designed from the hardware up to thwart cheating.īroadband-only Xbox Live, which expects to offer 14 multiplayer games and have 100,000 subscribers by year's end, uses a secure network to keep out cheaters, said Cameron Ferroni, Xbox product manager.

The revenue potential is huge for online gaming, which IDC analyst Schelley Olhava projects will reach some 10 million households by 2005. Such practices have long been the ire of PC gamers.Īnd while consoles have yet to be impacted, industry leaders including Microsoft and Sony fear such cheats could ruin an entertainment form still in its infancy.

Microsoft treasure hunt cheats