Report: Xbox 360-branded ecstasy popping up in UK

Underground bulletin boards indicate illicit pills stamped with logo for Microsoft's next-gen console are making the rounds in British clubs.

A selection of logo-stamped ecstasy pills.

Ever since it became popular in the early 1990s, ecstasy--the street name for Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)--has typically appeared in pill form. Often drug suppliers would stamp their pills with symbols, and sometimes even logos of corporations, to differentiate them from the competition. One of the more famous examples of logo-theft were the "Mitsubishis" that were popular among West Coast clubs during the mid and late 1990s.

Now, it appears the latest corporate brand that has been appropriated by drug dealers is one well known to gamers. A series of postings by club-goers on a forum uncovered by Kotaku reveal that "Xbox 360 pills" are making the rounds at underground events around the central British city of Northampton.

The quality--and precise chemical content--of the Xbox 360 pills was the subject of some heated debate on the forum. However, one entity that won't be joining the debate is the Xbox 360 brand's legitimate owner. "In regards to the ecstasy pills, we don't have any comment on this," said a Microsoft rep. "But we're obviously aware of the rumors."

123 Comments

  • snarple_basic

    Posted Jul 17, 2006 6:49 am PT

    Great way to advertise there system........... Now i know Bill Gates is the devil. =P

  • DanC1989

    Posted Jul 16, 2006 9:53 am PT

    I bet Jack Thompson is reading this....

  • TorugotoShinsan

    Posted Jul 15, 2006 2:22 pm PT

    Well at least we now know that Microsoft were doing when they were creating Windows XP

  • thefjk

    Posted Jul 14, 2006 7:43 pm PT

    They are here in the UK? Thats the first time somthing got released here first! LOL!

  • Maquis_UK

    Posted Jul 14, 2006 4:04 pm PT

    Price Drop? wasnt that a rumour denied by mocro$haft a week ago? Halo 3? you weren't thinking anytime soon i hope. oooh look FMV LMFAO

  • Generic_Dude

    Posted Jul 14, 2006 3:44 pm PT

    Any plans for a US release? lol.

  • UrbanMessiah

    Posted Jul 14, 2006 3:31 pm PT

    I've heard of market penatration with out of the box advertising schemes, but damn... -=x

  • comthitnuong

    Posted Jul 14, 2006 12:57 pm PT

    haha thats pretty funny

  • Kuja_Leonheart

    Posted Jul 14, 2006 12:30 pm PT

    Woot! Go Northampton! Thats where i live. Glad were good for something rather than leather selling ( even if it is bad...).

  • nev70

    Posted Jul 14, 2006 12:23 pm PT

    anamnawshad
    LAWL!!!!!
    Damn Crackheads.........
    WTF are you on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MDMA (methilene dioximeth AMphetameine) is not crack what drug education have you had ? P.S i've checked out the pic and i notice no doves very strange considering how many of them were churned out.

  • anamnawshad

    Posted Jul 14, 2006 11:45 am PT

    LAWL!!!!!
    Damn Crackheads.........

  • TacoJelly

    Posted Jul 14, 2006 11:23 am PT

    the nintendo themed ones were always good.... ahh high school.

  • boblighte

    Posted Jul 14, 2006 10:09 am PT

    Maybe MS is prepping a triple whammy: Halo3, 360 price drop, and these pills. PS3 killer!

    Seriously though, I wonder which GameSpot employee was clubbin' over in the UK and discovered these.

  • rokkuman09

    Posted Jul 14, 2006 9:07 am PT

    dude its only 50 points per pill!

  • exavior17

    Posted Jul 14, 2006 9:07 am PT

    Anyone notice there is also one with the Apple logo on it? Maybe that is what comes with every mac to give the fanboys their persona

  • juvinwo1

    Posted Jul 14, 2006 8:39 am PT

    i want some of those!!!!!!

  • Ponsardin

    Posted Jul 14, 2006 8:31 am PT

    Can I get X360 pills from the XTC Live Marketplace? No, I'm just kidding.

  • IceMage087

    Posted Jul 14, 2006 8:30 am PT

    the pill is a new innovative way to play games. Take that Wii !

  • roareh

    Posted Jul 14, 2006 7:48 am PT

    how many gamer points do i get for taking these?

    =D hahaha

  • PazUSA

    Posted Jul 14, 2006 6:58 am PT


    beaudman
    Now Sony will come out with a pill, and say they thought of it first.

    CLASSIC!!!! LMAO

  • PelekotansDream

    Posted Jul 14, 2006 6:30 am PT

    People are so silly at times. Why take that drug when it only wastes money and does harm.

  • mhder

    Posted Jul 14, 2006 5:29 am PT

    Hey Peter Moore, is this pill backwards compatible - ie, does come in suppository form?

  • insinuendo

    Posted Jul 14, 2006 4:41 am PT

    Hmmmm. That's not really that much of a story. In my day's of clubbing there wasn't a brand logo on Earth that hadn't had 15 minutes of fame on the face of a pill. I even remember once there were pills going around called "Ataris".

  • Alphabat

    Posted Jul 14, 2006 3:42 am PT

    I feel enlightened after reading these interesting news!

  • rynmls

    Posted Jul 14, 2006 3:02 am PT

    do they export this stuff...

  • OmGitsEDV

    Posted Jul 14, 2006 2:40 am PT

    GR8! XBOX IS ESCALATING INTO EVERYTHING! GO MS!!!

  • robybaggio

    Posted Jul 14, 2006 1:00 am PT

    Take a xbox 360 pill when playing xbox. Then you just stop playing at all.

  • djpookie2000

    Posted Jul 13, 2006 10:08 pm PT

    I love to drop a good pill from time to time. Maybe it will make their games more fun.

  • Ne0zEEd

    Posted Jul 13, 2006 9:49 pm PT

    YAAAAAY..

  • joyer

    Posted Jul 13, 2006 8:38 pm PT

    mhder
    "Uh, how far will Peter Moore go? LOL"

    lol lol heaheaheahaeha

  • mhder

    Posted Jul 13, 2006 8:17 pm PT

    Uh, how far will Peter Moore go? LOL

  • juansoziah

    Posted Jul 13, 2006 7:57 pm PT

    [This message was deleted at the request of a moderator or administrator]

  • Maquis_UK

    Posted Jul 13, 2006 6:10 pm PT

    i had one of those. i couldnt get high until i paid an orrery fee and subscribed to XTCLive. rip-off.

  • SnuffDaddyNZ

    Posted Jul 13, 2006 5:18 pm PT

    The only drugs I've ever had were prescribed to me.

    I experienced an unacceptable side effect and decided to stop taking them. I probably should have consulted my doctor on the correct process to gradually go off the pills.

    Anyway, I experienced a pretty interesting side effect of just stopping the pills immediately whereby I got up from my computer and had this massive feeling that the house was tipping over. I had to brace myself against the wall to stop myself from collapsing, and on the way to the toilet I had to brace myself against the wall down the hall for the same reason.

    During the week after I stopped taking them I felt really really sick, headaches every day. After that first week I felt normal again.

    If your Doctor ever prescribes Aropax (also known as Paxil) I suggest you investigate the other options available. It does a good job for what it's designed for, but the side effect (which I won't mention) while taking them was unacceptable.

  • caesarbites

    Posted Jul 13, 2006 5:05 pm PT

    I think you meant that drugs are like your comment there, MrPuzzlez...

  • trovello

    Posted Jul 13, 2006 5:04 pm PT

    Playstation fanboys are just using this to stomp on microsoft and the xbox arent they. probably some guy in his basement making the logo on it for more money. pathetic

    ps3 controller--6 degrees of freedom
    xbox branded ecstasy--360 degrees of freedom
    (thanks to the few people who get this joke)

  • MrPuzzlez

    Posted Jul 13, 2006 4:49 pm PT

    Drugs are like the 360, it's bad, "M'kay"?

  • caesarbites

    Posted Jul 13, 2006 4:11 pm PT

    One 360 pill: $30.
    Three Gallons of OJ: $15
    Two days of Muscle Pain and Headaches: priceless

  • beaudman

    Posted Jul 13, 2006 3:39 pm PT

    Now Sony will come out with a pill, and say they thought of it first.

  • neovalkyr

    Posted Jul 13, 2006 3:33 pm PT

    You're not actually "under the influence" unless you're using ps3 stamped exstacy.

  • Igwababa

    Posted Jul 13, 2006 3:25 pm PT

    whatever.....

  • Scarabus

    Posted Jul 13, 2006 3:16 pm PT

    I read some of the post in the forum that spawned this "news". I had no idea people were this serious about drugs. I guess I'm blessed that way ;p

  • foodmonster

    Posted Jul 13, 2006 2:30 pm PT

    While this is great, its about one of the worst drugs on the planet because you never really know what you are getting. You know you are hitting mainstream culture when its incorporated into drugs. For most of the world drugs are mainstream culture.

  • MusashiFilms

    Posted Jul 13, 2006 2:26 pm PT

    Kinda hard to trash-talk on Live while grinding your teeth.

  • granalf

    Posted Jul 13, 2006 2:20 pm PT

    HAHAHAHAHA! Man, this just made my day!

  • XtremePhsyco

    Posted Jul 13, 2006 2:08 pm PT

    HAHAHA video games are like drugs, they are addicting

    HAHAHA wait until hilary clinton and Jack Thompson find out about this.

    Jack Thompson: GTA taught kids how to make drugs and print cartoons of their videogames on their pills, GTA taught them that it made them play better.

  • sicone111

    Posted Jul 13, 2006 2:04 pm PT

    Try playin Halo on some of that!!!

  • vaejas

    Posted Jul 13, 2006 2:01 pm PT

    URnotE

  • GameDestroyer88

    Posted Jul 13, 2006 1:58 pm PT

    This news article was brought to you by, RANDOM!!

  • gdogg4210

    Posted Jul 13, 2006 1:55 pm PT

    i wonder if sony will follow

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clubs   drugs   ecstasy   kotaku   mdma   microsoft   uk   xbox   xbox 360   360

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