Gamer auctioning XBL gamertag for PS3 [update 1]
by Kevin Kelly 
{ Oct 9th 2006 at 1:45PM }
Rance6, a gamer in Italy who has managed to stack up over 5000 hours of gaming and a gamerscore of more than 80,000 is auctioning off an Xbox 360 hard drive containing his identity, "ALL LIVE ARCADE INSIDE" (which isn't possible, since all of the XBLA games weren't released in Italy -- sounds more like an advertisement you'd see on a seedy adult bookstore), and more than 1GB worth of saved games. He claims to be the "1st IN THE WORLD," and he and his team of farmers must be proud. The Xbox 360 was released in Italy on December 1st, so even if Rance picked one up then, he's had just over ten months to build up those 5,000 hours. Our rusty math skills work this out to mean he's been gaming 16 hours a day to clock this. The poor guy must be really sleep deprived.Why is he parting with something so dear that represents so much of his time and effort? He ungrammatically states on the eBay auction page, "I am selling cause PS3 coming out."
The auction ends on October 11th and is already up to $6,000. For that amount, Rance6 and co. should be able to buy a PlayStation 3 coated in gold, along with a copy of all the launch titles and a Wii to boot. We can't imagine that he hasn't killed every zombie, run every race, and settled the Geometry Wars once and for all on the 360, so more power to him as he changes consoles.
[Thanks, Ethan]
[Update: clarified ALL LIVE ARCADE ARE BELONG TO US situation]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Cyrix_0 @ Oct 9th 2006 1:51PM
Hahahahahaha...
Nice One
darryl @ Oct 9th 2006 2:28PM
"...along with a copy of all the launch titles and a Wii to boot."
Except for the fact that he doesn't want a Wii. Though, I understand that Joystiq never misses a chance to shill for Nintendo.
Firegirl @ Oct 9th 2006 1:52PM
I love gaming just as much as the next person, but paying over $6,000 for an Xbox Live identity is really retarded. What are they going to do, flash it around town like they earned it? Just wow is all I have to say!
Kennie @ Oct 9th 2006 1:54PM
A gamerscore of 80 000. Man, someone has way too much time on his hands, or should we say in his hands.
Methane47 @ Oct 9th 2006 2:01PM
Wow that is hilarious...
jabbertrack @ Oct 9th 2006 2:02PM
what idiot buys into this
if Joystiq wants an awesome interview it would try to contact some bidders and ask "WTF?"
C. Grant @ Oct 9th 2006 1:54PM
darryl: you're seriously itching for a banning. Consider this a warning.
LaughingTarget @ Oct 9th 2006 1:56PM
I could imagine this being a big deal if the Gamer Score actually meant something. As it stands, the score is just a number attached to a name. We're not going to be able to conver them into XBLA points to buy stuff, so they're pretty much worthless and fail to enhance the overall gaming experience.
Optimus Prime @ Oct 9th 2006 1:57PM
MS should buy his console and use it for marketing purposes; 16 hours a day for the past 10 months! .. cant beat that!?!
Shannon @ Oct 9th 2006 1:59PM
You couldn't figure out that a Xbox 360 hard drive "ALL LIVE ARCADE INSIDE" means it has all the Xbox Live Arcade games included? Really? It was that confusing?
Brian @ Oct 9th 2006 2:00PM
IF he'd have spent all that time working instead of gaming, he'd have saved up enough money to buy a PS3. He's got until March to do it. I make that much in 5 weeks.
Paul @ Oct 9th 2006 2:01PM
Sony marketing ploy? "Hardcore gamers prefer PS3" or some other BS line...?
Rod Oracheski @ Oct 9th 2006 2:04PM
He's not switching consoles, as he's only selling the HDD. He doesn't even need to do that, since he's really only selling the Gamertag anyway - nobody gives a crap about the saved games. With his profit he can just go buy another HDD and start over.
Kevin @ Oct 9th 2006 2:07PM
Not all of the XBLA games were released in Italy, so I don't know what games he actually has on this HDD. It's possible he got them all through "other means." I mean, it is Itay ... cosa nostra ... the "family" ... crap, I need to go lock my door.
Mark D @ Oct 9th 2006 2:08PM
If you look at the auction history, it's pretty obvious that this auction won't pan out.
Valaris @ Oct 9th 2006 2:09PM
Reserve Not Met... wow.. just wow. I could explain why I'm pointing that out... but I don't see a point.
xrays @ Oct 9th 2006 2:58PM
You know what's funniest. Current bid is $5200 (not $6000...) and that doesn't even meet the reserve!
That guy is cool. When offered five grand for nothing he holds out for more.
logikil @ Oct 9th 2006 2:18PM
Why in the name of all that is holy in gaming, would anyone freaking by this? I mean are there people that just have that much money to burn for no reason?
Anyway, yup this is stupid.
KR @ Oct 9th 2006 2:21PM
Actually, SONY should use this to push their console - "this guy spent countless hours and dollars on a 360, but even he threw it all away at a moment's notice to get the amazing new Playstation 3."
Flash @ Oct 9th 2006 2:20PM
That is retarded, who ever would pay more than 500 bucks is a idiot. At least he is smart enouf to get a ps3.
Robotic House Plant @ Oct 9th 2006 2:23PM
Is it even possible to transfer gamertags between people?
It's going to be interesting explaining that one. Yeah, I change my name and moved to a different country.
arne @ Oct 9th 2006 2:30PM
16 hours a day? That's not impossible as I remember an interview somewhere with this guy. He owns a video game story in Italy and basically spends all his time playing games during working hours.
Xbox Evolved has an interview:
http://www.xe360.com/article/RANCE6/3622.html
quick @ Oct 9th 2006 2:27PM
This is just plain sad. $6000 for a 80k gamerscore that means absolutely nothing since you didn't earn them yourself? What a waste.
niindre @ Oct 9th 2006 2:26PM
I don't know if this guy is a 9 year old or just a total tool. Southpark should do a paradoy of fanboy losers like this guy, that would be awesome. Potentially even more awesome than the torching they gave WoW turds.
darryl @ Oct 9th 2006 2:31PM
"darryl: you're seriously itching for a banning. Consider this a warning."
Freedom of speech, man... Besides, I have an army of email accounts... Ban this account if you like, and the next one, and the next one, and...
Morgon @ Oct 9th 2006 2:32PM
It is possible to transfer GamerTags -- unfortunately, people do it all the time to boost each other's scores.
As for the high score and Live Arcade title availability - keep in mind that he has European, American, and Japanese consoles and imports and plays games on all 3 regions... I'm assuming he simply switched the hard drives between all 3 when playing.
LaughingTarget @ Oct 9th 2006 2:34PM
darryl -
Freedom of speech is only free from government intervention. Anyone else can silence you without any protections.
Swegamer @ Oct 9th 2006 2:38PM
Well, if I had bought out my game score would be a wooping 82000 in two years time.
LunarDuality @ Oct 9th 2006 2:51PM
Anyone consider that maybe this guy just got caught by the Bungie Banhammer and he's doing this to "start fresh" with a new gamertag so he can play Halo 3?
nllx @ Oct 9th 2006 3:02PM
Actually it's very well possible to get all XBLA games by just creating a US silver account. When a region is locked out when something releases (like the Chromehounds demo being only in EU and Jp), the US members just created a EU or Jp account and downloaded it through there.
azesino @ Oct 9th 2006 3:02PM
darryl I hope you have an army of accounts, no cable or dsl hance they have an static IP adress
MosquitoControl @ Oct 9th 2006 3:10PM
I love when people claim freedom of speech will save them on a private server.
Which may not even be based in the US.
That comment alone deserves a banning, but he'd just be back as ethan, or azn1080p, or Me Again...
Anyway, are those bids even real? Why would anyone want this? Overall gamer scores are dull. However, the individual level scores on XBLA Doom has been insanely entertaining for me, shockingly.
I really hope Microsoft encourages this further, and I hope Sony and Nintendo do something similar.
Grindstone @ Oct 9th 2006 3:27PM
24. "darryl: you're seriously itching for a banning. Consider this a warning."
Freedom of speech, man... Besides, I have an army of email accounts... Ban this account if you like, and the next one, and the next one, and...
Posted at 2:30PM on Oct 9th 2006 by darryl 0 stars
Don't be such a tool. You have no freedom of speech at Joystiq. They get to govern their website as they choose and we adhire to them accordingly. Quite frankly, you are very lucky I do not moderate this site. Even still, if you do have copious email accounts waiting to be used, I bet you will be more civil after your first banning, or after the second, or third... see my point? There is no limit to being banned either.
As for the topic, it's amazing what someone will pay to be a bonafide poser. Incredible, and without honor.
darryl @ Oct 9th 2006 3:28PM
"I love when people claim freedom of speech will save them on a private server."
I made no such claim. The point of that statement (since you don't get it), was that I have the freedom to say what I want. If they don't like what I write and want to ban that particular email address from posting in the future, so be it. That is their right to do so. I don't care either way...
I post as 'darryl' because that's my name. If it makes you feel better to believe that I am also these other people you mentioned, that's alright with me :) In the future, anyone who doesn't agree with you, just assume that that person is really me, because there can't possibly be more than one person out there who thinks differently than you do about stuff.
"That comment alone deserves a banning..."
I control mosquitos by smashing them.
friedgreenmushrooms @ Oct 9th 2006 4:42PM
Any way that we can get an option to ignore Darryl's comments? Just click it and never worry about it again - that would be sweet.
Mr. Khan @ Oct 9th 2006 4:55PM
If there's a market for this, then maybe there really IS a market for all my maxed-out GC saves
Maybe i can turn all those hours of fun and effort into $$$
(with the help of a USB memory card, at least)
Mista Big @ Oct 9th 2006 4:55PM
ha ha ha darryl your hilarious. Way to stand up for yourself and say what you mean. Not worrying about these whiny cry babies.
ben @ Oct 9th 2006 5:04PM
$6000?! Wow, that's almost enough for 2 PS3s and a controller! But if you think about it, if he used that time towards a job, he would have way more than that.
TheGrayWolf @ Oct 9th 2006 5:17PM
This is a rather stupid article and quite frankly i would expect a little better from Joystiq. Rance6 does have the most gamerpoints of anyone in the world, this would have taken approximately 30 seconds to verify. Secondly his main 360 is a Japanese 360, hes been playing on it since november. Third, what arcade games have not been released in italy? Its easily verifiable that he has played every single arcade game (except totemball). Fourth, Rance does not have a team of farmers. Hes done it all himself. He owns a game store. I guess someone got their journalism degree from Weekly World News.
Nathan M @ Oct 9th 2006 5:39PM
Why would you want to ignore darryl? He's the best comedy act on this website. :P
On topic, damn. What idiots have bid on this thus far?
Wernstar @ Oct 9th 2006 6:22PM
$6000 for an ID? wow, ppl are really desperate/ insecure.
on another note:
(reads most of the above comments) hahaha people are funny, leave them with the most neutral subject and they still find a way to start fighting........dance puppets dance............
Splinter @ Oct 9th 2006 5:59PM
Lol, its funny, because if he'd been holding a job for those 5000 hours, instead of playing Xbox, at minimum wage(about $7.50 where i live), he would have made $37500!
That just sweetens this already ridiculous cake.
Bryce @ Oct 9th 2006 10:22PM
It seems like the auction was taken down.
PaleGringo @ Oct 9th 2006 11:57PM
Yah... just checked the eBay link again, and 'tis gone. Guess that they didn't like the publicity, or the spurious bidding and retractions.
Aren't the point of achievements an indication of what an individual has done in a game, and not what somebody else did in order to cash out on and then give to a freeloader with a lot of cash to burn?
skrills @ Oct 10th 2006 12:20AM
Just cause he's living in italy doesn't mean it's not possible... i commute back and forth from nyc to my house outside of milan every month. And I have just about all XBL. Put your foot in your mouth kevin kelly.
Rob X. @ Oct 10th 2006 1:00AM
After not playing for four days, he seems to be back.
http://www.360voice.com/blog.asp?tag=Rance6
Maybe he had second thoughs (who would really spend thousands of dollars on a gamertag that would quickly get overtaken by every other gamerscore whore?).
PerfectVirus @ Oct 10th 2006 9:33AM
Seems Ebay has removed the auction and displays the following:
"This listing (220035230072) has been removed or is no longer available. Please make sure you entered the right item number.
If the listing was removed by eBay, consider it canceled. Note: Listings that have ended more than 90 days ago will no longer appear on eBay."
I would be interested in knowing why it was pulled.
thebigL @ Oct 13th 2006 5:37PM
I know someone who goes to my school. who used to be #16 on the list. Hes now #21 and is pulling an all nighter tonight to get up into the teens again. He goes to school and is still in the top 25 so it's perfectly possible for this guy to have done this himself.