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Week of March 15, 2009
JungleFlasher v0.1.55 Beta
>> Team Jungle released a new beta version of JungleFlasher(info) (the flasher that came with Team Jungle's IXtreme release):
[QUOTE]
JungleFlasher 0.1.55 - cleanup to 1.51
We have probably added or changed alot more but this is what we could remember.
Hitachi Support Updated
- Portio will only be enabled with "Via Only" ticked, as it was only added to support Via w/o drivers
- Via card must also report status (Code 39)... no drivers loaded
- Mode Select method removed from Port IO. Mode Select is for USB support, port IO does not support USB.
Modder Mode
- Now stops on bad device ID.
Splash Screen
- Context enable/disable removed from splash ( added as a ctrl key)
Advanced Ctrl F Keys
- Ctrl + F5 key, set modder mode backup directory, clear folder to disable it
- Ctrl + F6 key, hitachi read block size 100 --> 2000 ( 78 and 79 FK models will fail on this )
- Ctrl + F7 key, set working folder in modder mode... clear all tabs and save log
- Ctrl + F8 key, enable "Free Flash" and "Ram Poke" in Hiatachi
- Ctrl + F1 key, enable context menus
- Ctrl + F2 key, disable context menus
Lite-On Dummy.bin Serial Fixer
- Bug, fixer added drive barcode byte swapped to Identify string, fixed.
Sammy flash
- was failing for at least one user.. typo in last cleanup. fixed.
Port Inquiry
- Timeout in port Inquiry for drive properties extended from 200ms to 1s
Lite-On-Erase
- Dead time after l-o-erase extended from 2s to 3s
- dots and timer added for better appearance.
[/QUOTE]
Official Site: n/a, by Team Jungle
Download: here
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Microsoft's Reply to February NPD Numbers
>> From the press release:
[QUOTE]
February NPD results are in and Xbox 360 highlights include:
· Xbox 360 system sales hit 391,000, up 53 percent from a year earlier, as the best value in the industry continues to win over consumers
· Xbox 360 claimed four of the top 10 video game titles in February
· "Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned" set a sales record for Xbox LIVE
Xbox 360 sustained its record-setting pace this year as U.S. retail sales jumped 53 percent in February from a year earlier to hit 391,000 units. With Xbox 360 starting at just $199, the system offers a compelling buy for consumers looking to make their entertainment dollars go further. Xbox 360 is home to the most top-rated games of any current-generation console, with 135 titles earning a score of 80 or above on Metacritic, versus 94 for PlayStation 3 and 43 for Wii (Metacritic data). Xbox 360 also features a vibrant online community with Xbox LIVE and takes entertainment beyond games with more than 30,000 pieces of content available for download, including more than 12,000 movies and TV shows for instant watch through a partnership with Netflix.
Games on Xbox 360
Xbox 360 claimed four of February's top 10 console games, including "Street Fighter IV," "Call of Duty: World at War," "FEAR 2," "Skate 2." (February NPD data). Each game was from a different publisher, underscoring Xbox 360's role as a driver of the entire industry. Sales of third-party games on Xbox 360 hit $162 million in February, more than either competitor (February NPD data). Xbox 360 owners continue to buy more games than owners of other systems, having bought an average of 8.2 titles each.
"The Lost and Damned" Sets Xbox LIVE Sales Record
On February 17, "The Lost and Damned," the first highly anticipated Game Add-on for "Grand Theft Auto IV," was released exclusively on Xbox LIVE. This all-new chapter in the "GTA IV" world set a record for first-day sales on Xbox LIVE and highlighted Xbox 360 as the only console where you can play additional episodes of the game.
Setting the Stage for Sustained Growth
Xbox 360 rolled out more hits in March with the release of "Halo Wars," which put a strategic twist on one of the best-selling franchises of all time. As announced earlier today, sales of "Halo Wars" have already hit 1 million copies worldwide. Also, Capcom's globally popular "Resident Evil" franchise came to Xbox 360 for the first time with the release of "Resident Evil 5" on March 13. Xbox and Capcom further stoked fan enthusiasm by releasing a red "RE5" limited edition Xbox 360 console.
Consumers Get More Entertainment on Xbox LIVE
· Xbox 360 is the leading console for online play and is used by fully half of people who play console games online(NPD Online Gaming 2009)
· Xbox 360 owners spend an average of 8 hours per week playing games online, more than any other platform, including the PC (NPD Online Gaming 2009)
· The top five movie downloads on Xbox LIVE in February included "Body of Lies," "College," "Eagle Eye," "My Best Friend's Girl," and "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor" (Microsoft internal data)
· Game Add-ons give Xbox 360 owners the ability to extend the life of their favorite games, with examples ranging from the wildly successful "The Lost and Damned" for "Grand Theft Auto IV," to extra tracks for music games.
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Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Xbox 360 E74 Hardware Failures are on the Rise and Full of Fail
>> From 8bitjoystick on seattlepi.com:
[QUOTE]
West Virginian Joystiq.com super blogger and Monte Cristo sandwich fanboy Justin McElroy has authored a series of stunning posts that bring the rising trend of a disturbing Xbox 360 error to light.
The E74 error is caused when the "ANA" image scaler chip fails, overheats or there is serious AV connection problem. The hot air flow from the CPU and GPU goes right over the location of the ANA chip so it might be slowly cooked by normal use.
An Xbox 360 that is suffering an E74 error will have the lower-right quadrant of the Ring of Light flash on the front on the console and a multiple languages error message may display that will read "E74. System Error. Contact Xbox Customer Support." or the screen will simply glitch out and display a feild of video snow.
The more disturbing trend is that this errors seems to be affecting Falcon motherboard based Xbox 360 system. The Falcon system has a cooler 65nm CPU and a hot 90nm GPU. The newer Jasper motherboard has both a 65nm CPU and 65nm GPU and hopefully it won't succumb to either the E74 or RROD but only time will tell.
The E74 Error is the annoying cousin of the RROD since while it is not a direct failure of the CPU. GPU or RAM but it is caused by the high amount of heat eventually damaging the ANA chip causing it to fail. While it is true that the rate of RROD errors are dropping but it might bring other hardware failures to light such as the E74 that we never saw because the spot light was on the RROD.
Microsoft's official statement on the E74 error that they sent to Joystiq.com is:
"E74 is a general hardware error on Xbox 360 indicated by a single red flashing light in the Xbox Ring of Light and an error message visible on the television. This error is unrelated to the three flashing red lights error and there is not a single root cause. We encourage anyone who receives this error to contact Xbox Customer support through www.xbox.com/support or 1-800-4-MY-XBOX. The majority of customers who own Xbox 360 consoles continue to have a terrific experience from their first day, and continue to, day in and day out."
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: seattlepi.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
February NPD: Xbox360 391k, PS3 276k, Wii 753k
>> Here are the NPD hardware U.S. sales numbers for February 2009:
* Wii - 753,000
* Nintendo DS - 588,000
* Xbox 360 - 391,000
* PlayStation 3 - 276,000
* PSP - 199,000
* PlayStation 2 - 131,000
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Xbox LIVE Billing issues *Update*
>> From majornelson.com:
[QUOTE]
Currently, Xbox LIVE members may experience issues related to billing. That means difficulties with account recovery, account management, Marketplace functions and/or making purchases. Users who already have Microsoft Points in their account will be able to redeem them. Until these issues are resolved, you will also be unable to sign in to Xbox.com, which includes posting in the forums and queuing up downloads on the Marketplace. All other areas of LIVE (matchmaking, friends lists, messaging etc.) are not affected.
The engineers are actively working to resolve the issues as quickly as possible. Keep an eye on the Xbox LIVE Status page in the support section of Xbox.com which will be updated when conditions change.
[/QUOTE]
*Update* The above issues have been fixed.
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
360 Modification Disc v1.52
>> FrostyTheSnowman released a new version of his 360 Modification Disc(info).
What's new/fixed:
* Fixed lockup/freezing issues with NTFS drives
* Improved BenQ/Samsung dumping/flashing stability
* Replaced MS-DOS with FreeDOS (more stable)
Official Site: n/a, by FrostyTheSnowman
Download: n/a (contains modified FWs)
News-Source/Full Readme: xbins.org
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Halo Wars Sells 1 Millionth Game
>> From the press release:
[QUOTE]
Microsoft today announced that sales of "Halo Wars" have reached more than one million units worldwide, making the exclusive Xbox 360 title the best selling real-time strategy game on any current generation console. With a revolutionary control scheme designed expressly for the Xbox 360 controller and a riveting story that takes "Halo" fans deeper into the "Halo" universe, "Halo Wars" is breaking new ground for the strategy genre by introducing a new wave of fans to strategy games and reminding existing fans why it's so fun.
Set in the year 2525, "Halo Wars" takes players on a perilous journey through the famed "Halo" universe. As players take the command seat in the early, epic battles between the UNSC and Covenant, they will begin to unravel events 20 years before "Halo: Combat Evolved" that shaped the franchise into what it is today.
Since the game's release throughout Asia on February 26 and subsequent launches in Europe and the Americas, fans around the world have been taking full advantage of "Halo Wars'" rich Xbox LIVE gameplay. To date:
· There have been more than 2.6 million multiplayer matches played
· More than 118 years of time has been spent in multiplayer matches on Xbox LIVE
· On average, more than 200,000 "Halo Wars" fans have taken up arms in battles between the UNSC and Covenant each day
· For more statistics and game information, fans can visit the official stats page at: http://www.halowars.com/stats/globalstats.aspx
But these initial explosive battles in "Halo Wars" are just beginning. Microsoft is working closely with partner and newly formed studio Robot Entertainment, which is comprised of "Halo Wars" and "Age of Empires" veterans from Ensemble Studios. More Halo Wars content is being prepared, so stay tuned.
[/QUOTE]
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Coca-Cola gives away 3 million MS points
>> From computerandvideogames.com:
[QUOTE]
Coca-Cola is teaming up with Microsoft this week to give away $37,000 (£25,000) worth of Xbox 360 Microsoft Points. As in, they're free.
The partnership will see three million points given away via a Happiness Factory promotion on Xbox Live - and it's 'first come, first served'.
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: computerandvideogames.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
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(Wednesday 18 March 2009 16:49 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
New Xbox Experience Included on OXM Disc
>> From 1up.com:
[QUOTE]
Good news for anyone who missed out on the New Xbox Experience last year because of a lack of internet access on their console: There will soon be alternative methods of upgrading your Xbox 360's dashboard without going online at all. CVG reports that the demo disc bundled with next month's Official Xbox Magazine (on newsstands April 9) will include the update in its entirety.
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: 1up.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
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(Wednesday 18 March 2009 16:46 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
Surreal64 XXX B5 - Command Line Patch v1.0
>> From the readme/nfo:
[QUOTE]
This replaces the default.xbe in Surreal64(info) XXX B5 with one that supports launching a ROM using a command line parameter.
The patch comes in two versions.
* Version 1 will allow you to choose which emulator and video plugin you wish to use before the game launches.
* Version 2 will launch directly into the game without any prompts.
[/QUOTE]
Official Site: n/a, patched by Ez0n3 on forums.xbox-scene.com
Download: n/a (built with XDK)
News-Source/Full Readme: xbins.org
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Phished XBox Live Accounts In Circulation
>> From blog.spywareguide.com:
[QUOTE]
Today we came across a collection of approximately 270 sets of login details that have apparently been Phished via a fake XBox Live login page. The list, some 27 pages long in Word format, would allow people to access stolen XBox Live accounts, some of which may have credit card details stored against them (along with other forms of personal information, of course).
This list seems to be in circulation on a number of hacking forums; the majority of the accounts were phished between November and December of last year. Despite the relatively long time that's elapsed since the data was first collected, a lot of the accounts still seem to be accessible based on comments we're seeing on those underground sites. It seems someone might have put their personal stash on "general release" to gain some kudos with others.
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: blog.spywareguide.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Microsoft: 360 Sells Over 8 Million in Europe
>> From edge-online.com:
[QUOTE]
As well as announcing three new editions to its budget range [Bungie's Halo3, BioWare's Mass Effect and Bizarre's Project Gotham Racing 4], Microsoft has provided an update on the Xbox 360's sales success in Europe.
David Gosen, Vice President of Marketing, Xbox Europe claims that the console has "sailed past" 8 million console sales in Europe.
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: edge-online.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
MS getting the Community involved in E3 this year; Huge booth
>> From giantgamer.wordpress.com:
[QUOTE]
While listening to Major Nelson's (Microsoft's own Director of Programming for Xbox Live, Larry Hryb) podcast for today, Major Nelson announced some very interesting news [about E3 2009].
Major Nelson stated:
"I can't say much but I will say this; part of the Xbox Experience is Xbox Live, and part of Xbox Live is the community. The community will definitely play a role in this."
In response to Major Nelson, "e" stated:
"We're gonna try and get the community involved in E3 this year."
Major Nelson also talked about Microsoft's booth:
"I've seen that picture of our booth, its gonna be HUGE."
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: giantgamer.wordpress.com | majornelson.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
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