Topic: Student uses controller to track down stolen 360 (Read 358 times)

GenTsoChiken · « **on:** December 16, 2008, 04:58:40 PM »

this is freaking amazing and really funny :p

http://www.gamepolitics.com/2008/12/16/student-uses-wireless-controller-track-down-stolen-xbox-360

Quote from: original article

Student uses technology to find stolen Xbox
Geoff Pickle
Issue date: 12/9/08 Section: News

A Missouri State student was able to recover his stolen Xbox 360 by use of the console's wireless technology, the student said.

The console unit's wireless controller was still registered to the specific console, allowing the stolen merchandise to be tracked down, said Ryan Ketsenburg, a sophomore construction management major.

Ketsenburg reported the incident to the Springfield Police Department on Nov. 21 at 5:48 a.m., according to a Springfield Police Department incident report.

According to the incident report, the suspect made entry into an unlocked door and stole the gaming console. As of yet, no suspect has been identified or named, according to the report.

Ketsenburg said he had just returned from a construction management trip and that both he and his roommate were tired, so they must have forgotten to lock the door.

During the night, someone entered the room and stole the Xbox while the roommates were sleeping, Ketsenburg said.

Ketsenburg, who lives in Hutchens House, said that after his Xbox was stolen, he turned on his wireless Xbox controller and found that it was still connecting to his Xbox. Based on this discovery, Ketsenburg said he realized that his Xbox must be nearby.

The controller connected to the Xbox on the fourth, fifth and sixth floors of Hutchens but not on the third floor and seventh floor, so through process of elimination, Ketsenburg said he figured out that the stolen Xbox must be on the fifth floor.

Following the controller's signal, Ketsenburg said he was able to pinpoint the room where his Xbox was stolen.

The Xbox 360 wireless controller has a 30-foot range, according to the Xbox Web site. When looking for his Xbox, Ketsenburg said the light-emitting diodes of the controller flashed when he was out of range.

The 5th floor resident assistant checked the alleged room where the stolen Xbox was and was able to find the Xbox, Ketsenburg said.

The controller was able to prove that the Xbox belonged to Ketsenburg, because the controller was able to turn on the console unit, he said.

The resident assistant called the supervisor and told Ketsenburg that if he provided sufficient proof that the Xbox was his, he would be able to take it back, he said. There was sufficient proof, so the Xbox was given back, he said.

Ketsenburg said that the Xbox's hard drive was formatted, erasing all of his data. Ketsenburg said he was upset about that.

Ketsenburg said that, overall, he was annoyed by the series of the events that transpired.

Ketsenburg will be prosecuting the offender, he said. The incident report confirms this.

"I'm going to try to prosecute to the fullest extent of the law, because I had to follow all the rules, so let's make sure it gets done right," Ketsenburg said.

As of the time of the interview with The Standard, the offender had not visited the room in question to realize that the Xbox had been recovered, Ketsenburg said.

Officer Terry Brant responded to Ketsenburg's police call, according to the incident report.