03/23/2023 at 00:01 by Carsten Spille – anti-cracker law, Dell swallows Alienware, Gigabyte and Asus separate, Max Payne 3 – that happened on March 23rd. Every day, PC Games Hardware dares to take a look back at the young but eventful history of the computer.
…2002: On 23.3. the anti-cracker law comes into force. The aim of the law is to “prevent the unauthorized use of paid offers from radio and television stations as well as tele and media services by circumventing technical blocking and encryption processes”. Two years earlier, the federal government had already created a law that made the “commercial distribution of devices and devices intended to overcome protected access to television and radio broadcasts as well as tele and media services” a punishable offense. The law comes into force on March 23, 2002. What sounds complex at first is actually quite simple: the sale of software or a device that is used to crack a paid media service such as Premiere World is now a punishable offence.
…2006: In advance, rumors are spreading on the Internet that the world’s largest PC supplier, Dell, wants to take over Alienware, a company known for its high-end solutions. And indeed: On 23.3. It’s official: Dell is buying Alienware. Michael Dell, the CEO of Dell, confirmed the rumor after initial denials: “Alienware’s products are an excellent complement to Dell’s own line of high-performance computers designed for gaming, enthusiasts and media content customers.” After initial doubts about how the product range will continue, it later becomes clear that Alienware will continue Dell’s high-end computer business in the desktop and notebook sectors.
…2007: On August 8, 2006, Gigabyte and Asus, two of the largest Taiwanese mainboard manufacturers, announced their cooperation in a joint venture under the Gigabyte label. The extraordinary handshake of Gigabyte’s patron Dandy Yen and Asus CEO Johnny Shih stunned the entire market at the time. But on 23.3. both manufacturers announce that they are abandoning these plans. The reason given for the end of the joint venture was the confusion caused by the partnership among suppliers and customers; Apparently you can’t agree internally either.
…2009: Rockstar Games and publisher Take Two officially announced Max Payne 3 for 2009. The game noir for the PC, Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 should appear in winter. Rockstar Vancouver is responsible for the development. Max Payne is now older and bald, the scene is no longer New York, but Brazil, among other things. But nothing will come of the 2009 release date, the game will be postponed several times over the course of the year – then it should appear in 2010 and finally the 2011 launch cycle was even missed.
