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Week of December 18, 2005
Official Xbox Magazine - Jan '06 - Playable Demos for Xbox360 and Xbox
>> I went to 7-Eleven last night for my regular Friday night Slurpie and picked up the newest issue of the Xbox Mag. Notice the cover..
Cover, DVDCover, DVD
..and bought it. Brought it home, and fired it up on both consoles.
Video showing the new OXM interface
Then I fired up my Xecuter(info)3 moded v1.6 Xbox.. Booted XBMC.. and FTP'd into the Xbox to browse the file structure. The Whole disk was browsable, including the Xbox360 part. All the Xbox360 executable demos and launcher were quite visibile. Default.xex, Kameo.xex, Fullauto.xex etc. Not a big deal in itself, but seeing this dual boot disk I just thought was interesting. Cheers.
EDIT - Merry Christmas to One and All.. whatever you celebrate this time of year the staff at Xbox-Scene wish you and your a Happy Holiday!
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(Saturday 24 December 2005 16:54 EST) - (Category: Xbox_Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
Developing for Xbox 360 Not Limited to Licensed Publishers
>> From xbox.com:
[QUOTE]
At this time, access to development tools for the Xbox 360 video game console is limited to developers working on approved titles for licensed publishers. This will change over time, so check back for more information in the future.
If you want to learn more about how you can prepare for Xbox 360 development using a Windows PC, this document covers some of the basics."
[/QUOTE]
The Word document linked above is not really new, it was already posted long time ago on our news, but the interesting part is Microsoft might plan to open development to more than just 'developers working on approved titles for licensed publishers' in the future. We'll have to wait to know how far Microsoft wants to go with this.
Thanks to Arti for news/link.
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Gentoox Loader with HTTP client ... More Progress
>> ShALLaX posted new updates about the progress made on Gentoox Loader(info) with HTTP client (see earlier news):
[QUOTE]
Two more hours of work and I now have a kernel being downloaded and booted! Hooray for progress! What still needs to be done:
* Fix network transmission reliability issues.
* Elegant menu option to select this functionality.
* Download progress meter.
*Update*
I have a full version of Resctoox(info) being booted from a server now!
*Update 2*
I've created a special file format specially for this. Basically, it is constructed as follows:
INITRD
KERNEL
APPEND
|||SENTINEL|||
INITRDSIZE
|||SENTINEL|||
KERNELSIZE
|||EOF|||
This eliminates the need to set up multiple connections and downloads. Gentoox Loader parses this file and loads the appropriate parts into the appropriate memory and then boots it. Currently, the parsing is working at a 100% success rate (tested with various different files), a bug has been fixed whereby the Linux kernel could not initialise the network after Gentoox Loader had already done so (Gentoox Loader now disactivates the ethernet device before exiting to Linux). The only issues being faced now are listed above.
*Update 3*
I have now had it booting the kernel from ShAPAChE and Apache! It correctly parses the HTTP header (and uses the Content-Length field to clear memory for the file). The only problem I'm facing now is reliability - it seems that sometimes the transmission cuts out or never starts (I fear that this could be a horrible bug to do with memory allocation)!
*Update 4*
I've changed the TCP priority for the connection to "MAX" and that seems to have sorted out the reliability issues during transmission - starting the transmission is still hit and miss, however. The good news is that I managed to get the Resctoox "Packlet" to download and boot 100% successfully from a Sourceforge mirror on the first attempt!
*Update 5*
Progress bar done and improved reliability. It seems that doing processing while it is receiving packets causes it to stop receiving data. I've reduced processing as much as possible by using "HEAD" first to get all the header details and process them, then "GET" to just get the data rather than doing it all in one go.
[/QUOTE]
Official Site: http://gentoox.shallax.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
(Europe) Guess Vista Launchdate and Win Xbox 360s
>> From microsoft.com:
[QUOTE]
The official launch date of the new operating system Windows Vista has not yet been set. When will the final product be launched? Enter your guess now and win an exclusive invitation to the international Vista launch event in the USA!
* 1st Prize: Be live at the Launch Event in the USA: the full package with entry, flight and 3 nights in a 4-star Hotel
* 2nd-4th. Prize: New XBOX 360
* 5th-10th Prize: XBOX Core System
All legal residents of Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Pakistan, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Switzerland, UK who are 18 years of age or older will have the chance to win.
[/QUOTE]
Check it out on microsoft.com.
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(Saturday 24 December 2005 12:12 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
A Linux, Mac, x64 Streaming Solution for the 360
>> Xbox360FanBoy.com posted about an alternative for Windows Media Connect:
[QUOTE]
It won't stream video, but TwonkyVision's UPnP MediaServer software will stream music and photos to the Xbox 360 from a variety of platforms, including Linux and Mac OS X. This is great news for users of alternative computing platforms who have thus far been unable to duplicate the functionality of even an iPod or PSP on their 360. TwonkyVision lists the 360 under supported "Media Players" writing "Microsoft only allows to stream music and pictures. Microsoft neither allows video streaming from Windows Media Connect Servers nor from 3rd party UPnP servers." So there you have it.
[/QUOTE]
There's a version for Windows XP (it works on x64 too ... unlike Windows Media Connect (*update* aceboomer posted there's a way to make WMC work on x64, but it's not officially supported yet)), Mac OSX, Linux (several flavors) and also for a number of Network Attached Storage devices (NAS).
The downside is the application isn't free (20eur or ~24usd). There's trial version if you want to test it.
Official Site: http://www.twonkyvision.de/UPnP/index.html
News-Source: xbox360fanboy.com
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(Friday 23 December 2005 23:06 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
Team Xodus Announced Xenium GOLD 24K
>> From teamxodus.com:
[QUOTE]
Xenium(info) GOLD 24K
Team Xodus is proud to announce our latest offering in the hugely successful Xenium range of products. As a special celebration of our two year birthday and in keeping with the spirit of giving we have decided to release a special collector's edition Xenium.
ANNOUNCING THE WORLDS SMALLEST AND BY FAR THE MOST STRIKING 4th GEN CHIP.
AND THERE'S MORE...... we have decided to go a step further for this one of a kind commemorative edition. We decided to plate it in PURE 24 CARAT GOLD!
AND THERE'S MORE.... Same great price. Same great value.
AND THERE'S MORE.....
XeniumOS 2.3.1 Gold Edition:
- Fixed RTC access problems. System clock is now read correctly, and overridden to a default time if not set
- Fixed heap allocation, full 64MB ram is now available to XOS (previously fixed at 21mb)
- Fixed task switch inconsistency. Task switch interrupt was previously using an inconsistent delay, causing unreliable performance
* Replaced red borders left on default skin
* New default skin exclusive to Xenium GOLD
Legend:
+ Addition
- Bug fix
* Change
What is this new product called?
XENIUM GOLD of course!
Will go on pre-order in the next few days. Hurry and order yours now.
BEAT THE GOLD RUSH!!!
[/QUOTE]
Official Site: http://www.teamxodus.com
Japan Xbox 360 HW sales Week 2: 8623 units sold or 1.39ptc share
>> In the first week (as the console was released the 10th in Japan it was only for sale 2 days) Microsoft sold between 41817 (M-Create) and 62135 (Enterbrain) units (depending on which research firm you believe) that was about 28-39% of the stock on the shelves.
Gamasutra.com now brings us the numbers from M-Create for the 2nd week (December 12-18th):
[QUOTE]
The Xbox 360's second week on the charts, though, has been even more disappointing than the first, with the console, showing 8,623 units sold, failing to outsell even the GameCube. This is a performance so far in Japan beneath even the low standards of the original Xbox's launch - in large part thanks to the continued non-appearance of Dead or Alive 4 or any other prominent Japanese-developed titles.
The PlayStation 2 was the third best selling console this week in Japan, with a 8.92 percent market share and 55,342 units sold. The Game Boy Advance family of consoles was next with a 5.48 percent overall share (Game Boy Advance SP: 19,098, Game Boy Micro: 14,432, Game Boy Advance: 416), followed by the GameCube at 2.88 percent and 17,849 units sold. Despite plenty of stock the Xbox 360, as mentioned, could manage only a 1.39 percent market share and 8,623 units sold, beating only the original Xbox on 0.03 percent and 182 units sold.
[/QUOTE]
Read More: gamasutra.com
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(Friday 23 December 2005 12:20 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
No WPA2 Support for Xbox 360 Wireless Adapter?
>> We received this email from rSYN:
[QUOTE]
The Xbox 360 wireless adapter does NOT support WPA2 even thought it says it all over the packaging, manual [see: page 10] and website. I'm pissed and set up a website.
http://nowpa2.bravehost.com/
I have audio from the Xbox connectivity project manager up there too where he says WPA2 is not supported. At this point, it can work by lowering security to WPA but that sucks. People are paying rolls-royce prices for a pinto!
*Update* The packaging does NOT state which security modes are supported. It only says it supports a/b/g.
[/QUOTE]
Check it out on: http://nowpa2.bravehost.com/ (original URL (down due traffic) geocities.com)
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(Friday 23 December 2005 08:00 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
Gentoox Loader with HTTP client!
>> From ShALLaX on gentoox.shallax.com:
[QUOTE]
After an hour of hacking (even I'm amazed it only took an hour!) I have managed to get a very basic TCP/IP client/server system working in Gentoox Loader(info). For now, its unreleased and does nothing more than send out a "GET / HTTP/1.0" line and read the response (poorly). The inspiration for doing this came from a forum post. The eventual idea is for Gentoox Loader to be able to download an initrd and kernel from a server which will then launch an installer meaning that the installation will be entirely diskless (oooh, ahh!). Anyway, I'll work on this more later. Enjoy this photo as proof of concept:
[/QUOTE]
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
SmartXX v3 Quick Install Guide and Production Pictures
>> Team Smartxx released the v1.6x Quick Install Guide for their new SmartXX(info) v3 modchip. You can download/view it here.
The more detailed guides will follow soon.
They also added new pictures of the SmartXX v3 production line:
(USA) Xbox Live Diamond Card Announced
>> From xbox.com:
[QUOTE]
You're about to experience a whole new level in entertainment. Yes, we're talking about the launch of Xbox 360, but we're also talking about the brand new--and free--Xbox Live Diamond Card, an unprecedented merger of your entertainment activities, online and off. Never heard of it? Well, here's what you're in for:
* Your own card: Did you sign up for a digital gamer card on Xbox.com? Of course you did. Now, how about a real, live, flash-it-to-your-friends card personalized with your gamertag? Ask no more! The Xbox Live Diamond Card is here.
* That's not all: The card does much more. Xbox Live has partnered with your favorite stores, restaurants, and other retailers across the country for discounts and promotions exclusively for Xbox Live Diamond Card program members.
* It gets even better: Xbox Live isn't going to sit still, either. We'll continue to bring you new partners and more opportunities to use your Diamond Card.
* The best part: The Xbox Live Diamond Card is free! It's our big thank you to our most loyal Xbox Live subscribers.
The Details
Who's partnering with Xbox Live to bring you special Diamond card offers? How about Ticketmaster, Cambridge Soundworks, Timberland, McDonald's, and hundreds more? Thought that would get your attention.
[/QUOTE]
Official Site: http://www.xboxlivediamond.com
Read More: xbox.com, 1up.com.
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(Thursday 22 December 2005 21:42 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
How Xbox Happened
>> Next-Gen.biz posted an interesting chapter from the book 'Smartbomb ' today about how the project of the (original) Xbox started:
[QUOTE]
In the late 1990s, Bill Gates was becoming increasingly frustrated by Sony's success in the videogames market, and his company's lack of movement into America's living rooms.
Two years before the Xbox's launch, Bill Gates and his top executives retreated to Puget Sound to discuss Microsoft's business model.
A seismic shift was under way. The late nineties was a time of a burgeoning new consensus among media pundits and high-tech industry folks that the consumer world would turn its eye from desktop computers toward "information appliances."
Yet Microsoft's business model was still almost entirely PC-centric. Gates was very clear in his instructions to the executives gathered around him--Microsoft was not going to end up being just another corporate software maker.
[/QUOTE]
Read More: next-gen.biz
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
11 Design Mistakes of the Xbox 360
>> From firingsquad.com:
[QUOTE]
After a month with the Xbox 360, I'm ready to talk about all the mistakes that the Microsoft Xbox 360 team made in developing their console. The feedback is designed to be constructive.
Mistake #1: Overheating CPU or GPU
Mistake #2: No MSN Music
Mistake #3: No HDMI support
Mistake #4: 20GB is too small
Mistake #5: Microtransaction Security
Mistake #6: No Web Browser
Mistake #7: No WMV-HD DVD Playback
Mistake #8: No MPEG-4 AVI playback (i.e. XviD, etc)
Mistake #9: No System-Wide Video Calibration
Mistake #10: Poor DVD Playback Quality
Mistake #11: No pressure sensitive face buttons
[/QUOTE]
Read the whole 9-pages article on firingsquad.com (news via slashdot.org)
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(Thursday 22 December 2005 17:49 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
Team Xodus Special News Bulletin
>> From teamxodus.com:
[QUOTE]
Xenium(info) is celebrating its second birthday this week. We have a special surprise in store for you (not 360 related). A HUGE announcement will be made in a few hours. For those of you who cannot wait. Here is a little teaser: "we got the Midas touch."
[/QUOTE]
Midas Touch?:
"(King) Midas was a character in Greek mythology, who is mostly recognized for his ability to turn anything he touched into gold.
Historically it is known that Midas was king of Phrygia in the 8th century BC."
Taunting owner drops Xbox 360 out of moving car
>> From joystiq.com:
[QUOTE]
Here's a video of an Xbox 360 flying out of the window of a moving SUV. Even more surprisingly, the SUV is driving past a line of people queuing up to buy Xbox 360s at a Best Buy.
According to the poster of the video, some teenagers "thought it was funny to drive by and show off their Xbox 360 to everyone in line." Well apparently the idiot taunting the people in the line didn't have a good grip, as he "accidentally dropped the console" whilst waving it out the window. A few seconds after they drop the console, you can see the submitter's buddy run off with the Xbox, closely followed by the screaming driver! Comedy. Gold.
[/QUOTE]
Download Video: youtube.com (yes, it's probably staged, but just fun to watch)
Read More: joystiq.com, digg.com
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(Thursday 22 December 2005 15:52 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
(Japan) Wrestle Kingdom Pulled From Retail
>> Yesterday we finally got a bit of good news for the Xbox 360 in Japan, but today it goes ugly again. From xbox360.ign.com:
[QUOTE]
The Xbox 360's first wrestling title, Wrestle Kingdom, arrived at Japanese retail early Thursday morning. Within a couple of hours, the game had disappeared from shelves. A sudden burst of popularity in Xbox 360 software? No, just a case of bad testing.
Apparently, the game in its current form has trouble properly determining the amount of free space on the Xbox 360 hard disk, keeping some players from saving. The problem isn't actually a 100% thing, and if you have been able to successfully save, you'll be able to play using the save file without problem. In addition, if you chose to use a Memory Unit, you won't have any trouble with saving.
[/QUOTE]
Read More: xbox360.ign.com
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(Thursday 22 December 2005 12:53 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
Microsoft says 360 'on track' to meet forecasts
>> From gamesindustry.biz:
[QUOTE]
Xbox 360 has been in agonisingly short supply since the console's November 22nd launch, but GameSpot reports that some of the remaining pre-orders are now being filled.
Microsoft UK declined to comment as to whether it's a situation reflected on this side of the Atlantic. "Xbox does not announce details of shipments, but I can tell you that we're on track to meet our 90 day forecast of 2.75 to 3.0 million units," a spokesperson told GamesIndustry.biz this lunchtime.
The US line is that Microsoft is "working around the clock to deliver as many Xbox 360 consoles as humanly possible".
[/QUOTE]
Read More: gamesindustry.biz
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
DOA4 Kiosks Make Japanese Take a Look at Xbox360
>> From Kotaku.com:
[QUOTE]
Rest easy, Microsoft. Earlier this week, Akiba's Sofmap got playable Dead or Alive 4 kiosks, and things start to look a little less grim for the 360 in Japan. Kasumi boobies to the rescue!
[/QUOTE]
Read More: kotaku.com, akibablog4.on.arena.ne.jp
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(Thursday 22 December 2005 00:22 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
KernelBasher Possible Adware Warning
>> From x-projects.org:
[QUOTE]
Having just run a full virus scan on my system using avast 4.6, it gave the following report for KernelbasherV1.1.zip:
Virus has been detected!
File Name: Setup.exe
FileID: 4
Virus Description: Win32:Adware-gen. [Adw]
Please run a full virus scan of your system, this was never intended. I hope this is just a error by the Avast scanning engine.
UPDATE: I have tracked the source of the virus trigger to the installer package.
You can now download a new installer (KernelBasher(info) v1.2) this does not produce any virus warnings.
[/QUOTE]
Win32:Adware-gen. (Avast) / Adware-WinAd (McAfee) info: nai.com.
Official Site: http://www.x-projects.org
Download KernelBasher v1.2: here
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(Wednesday 21 December 2005 23:40 EST) - (Category: Xbox) - (Posted by::
)
dvd2xbox v0.7.2
>> WiSo released a new version of dvd2xbox(info).
What's new/fixed:
* added: possibility for more than 1 samba share in dvd2xbox.xml (Feature Request FT543)
* added: XBMC autodetection feature. dvd2xbox detects XBMC ftp server and vice versa
* added: virtual keyboard to SMB copy to change destination directory (Feature Request FT580)
* added: ACL delete/move/skip disabled per default. Can be controlled via the settings menu
* added: function to replace xbox game videos (bik,sfd,wmv,xmv) by blank files. Disabled per default, can be enabled via the settings menu (Feature Request FT450, blank videos are in the dummyfiles folder)
* added: implemented DVD/CD detection in another thread
* added: dialog which warns in copy mode if no disc is inserted or disc is still being detected
* added: copy retry and read retry functions
* fixed a bug in the failed copy retry function which could crash dvd2xbox in certain cases
* fixed a bug in the deletion function which could crash dvd2xbox when there's more than one file or directory selected
* skinning engine: added vspace tag to menu and browser item to define the vertical pixel distance. If omitted the font height is used (Feature Request FT543)
* skinning engine: added widthpx for the browser and menu items
* skinning engine: added possibility to show "scrolling arrows" for file manager, disc drive dialog and game manager
* skinning engine: fixed dialog "no games found" not shown in game browser
* skinning engine: fixed a bug where the highlighted bar seems to be always behind the text when using fast scrolling
* updated Project Mayhem III skin to the newest version
* removed the old dvd2xbox theme because it is not longer supported
Official Site: http://dvd2xbox.xbox-scene.com
Download Binaries: n/a (built with XDK)
Download Sourcecode: here
News-Source/Full Readme: xbins.org
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(Wednesday 21 December 2005 14:36 EST) - (Category: Xbox) - (Posted by::
)
XChanger v2.5 Modchip
>> Team XChanger announced a new version of their 4th generation XChanger v2 modchip:
[QUOTE]
The new X-Changer V2.5 XBox modchip is the successor of the popular XChanger 2.0. The flash memory size is now 1024K and will allow to store bios files up to a size of 512K. The new Operating is now more feature packed.
Some new features:
* 1024K onboard Memory
* 2 software selectable biosbanks ( 1x 256K , 1x 512K)
* Network upgrade for the XC OS
* Skinable bootmenu
* New stable CPLD with optimized firmware
[/QUOTE]
Official Site: http://www.teamxchanger.com
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(Wednesday 21 December 2005 12:24 EST) - (Category: Xbox) - (Posted by::
)
X-DSL v0.5
>> A new version of X-DSL, a small (about 42MBs) but fully functional Xbox linux distro based on 'Damn Small Linux', has been released.
From friedgold on forums.xbox-scene.com:
[QUOTE]
It's based on DSL 2.1RC2. There been a lot of changes made to Damn Small Linux which are now incorperated in X-DSL:
* Updated Firefox
* A choice of window managers: JWM and fluxbox
* FLwriter replaced with Ted
* Added GtkFind utility
* New system monitor (Torsmo)
* Many more updates / tweaks
On the Xbox side I've been busy too:
* When booting with the cheatcode lang=xbox X-DSL will read the user settings from the EEPROM and try and setup the locale (timezone, keymap, etc) appropriately.
* If DHCP broadcast fails X-DSL will use the Xbox network settings stored in the Disk Config Area. This means that the internet in X-DSL should 'just work' without any configuration for the majority of people.
* Improvements to the xpad mouse emulation: can move diagnally with the d-pad, the right analog stick can be used to scroll up/down.
* If you boot with the cheatcode joyd you can now use back/start on any xpad to cycle workspaces, white/black to cycle through apps and both triggers + back + start to shutdown.
* Updated to raincoat to 0.11
* Updated xvkbd to 2.7a
* Update xbedump with better error handling
* Removed tool to show IP Address (can use system stats instead)
[/QUOTE]
Official Site: http://www.x-dsl.org
Download: here
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(Wednesday 21 December 2005 00:09 EST) - (Category: Xbox) - (Posted by::
)
Anchorage - Would-be Xbox 360 scalpers are robbed
>> From Anchorage Daily News:
[QUOTE] After waiting nine hours in line, a group of five boys and young men entered the store as soon as it opened and purchased their limit: one per customer. The young men tried to make a little extra holiday cash after emerging from the store.
They offered to part with two of their Xboxs to folks in line. For $600, said police spokesman Paul Honeman.
No one agreed. So the five, ages 14 to 24, piled into a van and drove to McDonald's on Lake Otis Parkway near Abbott Road for breakfast. They left the 14-year-old in the car with the Xboxs.
Someone who also wanted an Xbox and who apparently saw them trying to sell the consoles outside Best Buy followed them to McDonald's, Honeman said.
A man who was described as bald and wearing bluejeans and a blue hooded sweatshirt walked up to the van, opened its sliding door and pulled a gun out, police said. The man ordered the teen to open the van's rear door. Another man, described as having dark curly hair, opened the door and took four of the Xboxs.
The teen hid the fifth unit under his feet and managed to keep it, Honeman said.
The thieves drove off in a dark SUV. Police believe a third person was involved.[/QUOTE]
Full Story: Anchorage Daily News
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(Tuesday 20 December 2005 18:48 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
More 360's, Future Shop Canada on the 24th, Best Buy US after the 22nd
>> In Canada.. FutureShop.ca
In the US, BestBuy's as yet unreleased flyer has been circulate, and according to www.kotaku.com...
[QUOTE]
According to the flier, the 360s will arrive sometime this week (we heard Dec. 22) and will be put on sale the day after it arrives. Store managers have been warned not to put out any signs and not to hold the inventory any longer than necessary to staff adequately for the sale.
On the day of the sale the manager on duty has to do door duty. He or she has to ask every customer as them come in "What brings you in today?" at which point if the customer replies "The Xbox 360" they get a ticket to the fabled land of high def gaming. What? No secret handshake?
Once you get the ticket an employee walks you to the "controlled sales area" where the employee will try to get you to buy everything in the store.
[/QUOTE]
Full Story at www.kotaku.com
Thanks to NuFan for the link.
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(Tuesday 20 December 2005 17:49 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
Spong: First Xbox 360 Modchip 'Within Weeks' ?
>> This news/rumor is coming from Spong.com so take it with a grain of salt:
[QUOTE]
From what we have been able to gather, the first mod-chips for the 360 will be available within a month. Speaking to us under terms of anonymity, one source close to the research and development of some well known current-generation chips said, "We've been seeing partial success from some corners [in China] though nothing that could go on sale yet." This paints a dark picture of the console industry and the aggressive blight it suffers. "Everyone is working on a full-functioning 'do everything' chip that will take apart the 360 and let users do what they will, though we expect a first-generation bypass device that will allow back-ups within weeks. The first on the market is likely to be complex and might not be particularly good, though that's just a stopgap before real chips become available."
There is some hope for Microsoft however, "Everyone is finding it difficult [to make the chips work correctly] as Microsoft's security is the best we've seen to date for a disc-system. If it weren't for the fact that DVD is used, it's likely that further development wouldn't have been worth anyone's time."
[/QUOTE]
Read More: Spong.com.
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(Tuesday 20 December 2005 15:27 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
Halo 2 Mod: The Valley
>> HaloGAMA (Gamers and Modders Association) released a new Halo 2 map mod:
[QUOTE]
Well here is another new mod by green, this one is absoultly amazing.
Featues Coag in a new valley type theme, with lots of trees, and with one hell of a skin.
[/QUOTE]
Official Site: http://www.halogama.com/
Download/Discussion: halomods.com
Xbox 360 Shortage Not Due Low Chip Yields?
>> From Dean Takahashi on mercurynews.com:
[QUOTE]
I visited Redmond, Wash., this week to talk to a few folks for my book.
Microsoft is disappointed that it can't get more units of the Xbox 360 into the market. Various folks tell me it isn't a problem with chip yields. I think it's more of a systems issue, when the boxes come together. They're working on getting more units out.
More likely, they will start catching up with demand for consoles starting in January. NPD Group estimated that Microsoft sold about 326,000 units of consoles in the U.S. and that it sold 1.3 million games. Microsoft said those estimates were a little low but wouldn't say the exact number.
[/QUOTE]
Read More: mercurynews.com (news via xbox360fanboy.com)
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(Tuesday 20 December 2005 00:38 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
Xbox Modders Charged with Copyright Crime
>> From CNET:
[QUOTE]
Two owners of a Los Angeles game store and a third man face a up to five years in prison on charges filed Monday in a federal copyright infringement case for selling modified Xbox game consoles, prosecutors said. The modifications allowed the machines to play pirated video games, they said.
The three men are being accused of "conspiring to traffic in a technology used to circumvent a copyright protection system and conspiring to commit criminal copyright infringement," in violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California.
During the investigation, undercover agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement paid $265 to have a modification chip, a hard drive and 77 pirated games installed on an Xbox, according to the criminal complaint.
[/QUOTE]
Read More: CNET, redherring.com.
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
J. Allard Talks about Xbox 360 Launch with Edge
>> Here's an interview with J. Allard, Microsoft's Corporate Vice President and Chief XNA Architect, by edge-online.co.uk (originally published in Edge Magazine):
[QUOTE]
* Edge: Now that the machine is in production and on your desk, how well does it fulfil your original vision?
* Allard: I think it's pretty much spot on. I spoke with someone who was very involved in the planning about three years ago - he came over for about five minutes to drop something off and ended up spending three hours looking at all the capabilities of the machine, and he said, "Son of a gun, if you guys didn't do 95 per cent of the original vision of the machine!" And I looked at him and said, "Well, what was the other five per cent, what did we drop?" and he said, "I don't know. I couldn't find it!"
[/QUOTE]
Read the whole interview on edge-online.co.uk (news via slashdot.org)
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(Monday 19 December 2005 18:20 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
Final Fantasy XI Online Beta Available Exclusively through OX360M
>> Rumors surfaced last week already that the UK Official Xbox360 Magazine would contain a 'Final Fantasy XI Online Beta' disc (Japanese get it free with their Xbox 360 console). This news is now confirmed and it's not only for UK. From teamxbox.com:
[QUOTE]
Square Enix Ltd. and Future, the international special-interest media company are delighted to announce a deal that sees the next issue of Xbox 360: The Official Xbox Magazine exclusively covermounting the FINAL FANTASY XI Beta version for Xbox 360.
As the biggest covermount in the five-year history of Xbox magazines, the beta disc will only be available with Future's Xbox 360: The Official Xbox Magazine in the USA, UK, France, Italy and Germany, joining the title's existing monthly coverdisc.
The exclusive disc is completely free for the duration of the beta test and will give fans of the Final Fantasy series and readers of Xbox 360: The Official Xbox Magazine an exciting opportunity to be the first to sample the next-generation version of Final Fantasy XI.
[/QUOTE]
Read More: teamxbox.com
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(Monday 19 December 2005 13:27 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
XboxMediaCenter (XBMC) 2005-12-18 CVS T3CH build
>> T3CH released a new CVS compile of XboxMediaCenter(info).
This T3CH-compile is a BAREBONE package (with just a few thirdparty scripts and with just the default skin) compiled with XDK v5849.
Here's the added stuff from the changelog since the 2005-12-11 CVS release:
* added: HttpApi FileSize and SetResponseFormat commands
* added: SmartXX(info) V3 LCD , RGB&Status LED Support
* added: system.autodetection, XBMC.ActivateWindow(3,autodetection), Skinning indication icon/button to connect to a Autodetected XBOX!
* added: Built in command XBMC.TakeScreenShot thanks to Donno
* added: XBMC.PlayerControl(BigSkipForward), BigSkipBackward, SmallSkipForward and SmallSkipBackward built in functions.
* added: rarred subtitles to manual subtitle selection.
* added: Keyboard SetHeading patch thans to Nuka1195
* added: allowHiddenFocus attribute to visibility tags. See online manual for more info.
... rest of changelog (including many fixes): here.
Keep in mind this is a CVS snapshot of the current development tree. It's not an official (stable) point release. Use only if you know what you are doing.
Official Site: http://www.xboxmediacenter.com / http://sourceforge.net/projects/xbmc
Discussion Forum Thread: forums.xbox-scene.com
Download Binaries: n/a (built with XDK)
Download SourceCode: here
X2 Config Maker .NET v0.5.4
>> Klutsh released a new version of the X2 Config Maker(info) for 'x2 5035 ONLY' - a tool to easily generate the x2config.ini for the X2 5035 Bios. It allows you to easily configure all the X2 bios features:
[QUOTE]
What's New/Fixed:
* NEW: Re-written from the ground up in VB using .NET2 framework.
TODO:
* Eject Light settings.
* Presets save and load.
* x2config.ini loading.
* Preview Logo screen.
* Preview Flubber screen.
NOTES:
a) Known to crash if FTP target machine is not found.
[/QUOTE]
Official Site: http://www.x-projects.org
Download: here
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Halo 2 Mod: Flooded Headlong 2
>> HaloGAMA (Gamers and Modders Association) released a new Halo 2 map mod:
[QUOTE]
Well Green realsed a new mod tonight, following up the previous mod Flooded Headlong, in this one features new skin, trees all over, in a swamp like theme.
[/QUOTE]
Official Site: http://www.halogama.com/
Download/Discussion: halomods.com
Free60: Initial support for big-endian FATX
>> From free60.org:
[QUOTE]
Patch from Frederic Deletang to handle big-endian FATX variant for Xbox 360 is now in the xbox-linux project CVS repository (module `kernel'). Against Linux 2.4.32.
[/QUOTE]
Note/Update: The Xbox 360 HDD has FATX partitions and they seem to be a Big Endian version of the 1st Generation Xbox FATX filesystem. Above news says initial support for this filesystem has been added to the 2.4.32 linux kernel.
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(Sunday 18 December 2005 01:34 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
(USA) Ridge Racer 6 worst-selling game on Xbox 360
>> From punchjump.com:
[QUOTE]
Namco's Ridge Racer 6 is the worst-selling game for Xbox 360 according to sales data from market research firm NPD Group. The sequel sold 9,091 units in the month of November.
By comparison Activision's Call of Duty 2, the top-selling Xbox 360 game in Nov., sold 250,730 units.
In stark contrast, Ridge Racer 6 is the top-selling game in Japan at 29,891 units sold in the first two days of launch.
[/QUOTE]
Read More: punchjump.com.
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(Sunday 18 December 2005 00:47 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
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