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Week of June 18, 2006
Commodore4eva Xtreme FW for Hitachi-LG with Firmware 36 v1.1
>> A version of the Commodore4eva Xtreme FW v1.1 for Hitachi-LG GDR-3120L DVD drive has been released for firmware v36. It's not really mentioned who did the modification to make it work on FW 36, so I'll assume it's another anonymous submission.
The release also includes the previously released FW patches for fimware 46D, 47D and 59 ... but there are no changes here (it's still v1.1 of the xtreme FW), so no need to upgrade.
Firmware v36 is found in pre-launch gift/sample/contest Xbox360s and in many replacement drives ordered from ebay and online shops:
[QUOTE]
Here it is, the long awaited World first Xbox 360 backup firmware modification to boot game backups on all Hitachis!
* 36 version is untested - Mainly for those with "pre-launch" & "ebay" replacement drives.
* 46 version v1.1 - Everything works
* 47 version v1.1 - Everything works
* 59 version v1.1fixed3 - First two had bugs, Third release corrects Flasher - Everything now works
Features:
* Now for all Hitachi drives!
* Boots all Xtreme Xbox 360 backups
* Boots all Xtreme Xbox 1 backups supported by emulator
* Boots all Xbox 360 originals
* Boots all Xbox 1 originals supported by emulator
* Use on Xbox Live at own risk
[/QUOTE]
For more details about this FW release, see the original news item for Commodore4eva's Xtreme FW v1.1 (back then only for FW 46D and 47D, but now also available for FW 59 and 36): here.
If you have a FW 59, make sure you either use this release (36-46-47-59) or the 'fixed3' version of the 46-47-59 release.
Of course ... all at own risk (a small mistake could make your Xbox 360 useless). Also note that the readme says this 36 firmware has not been tested (probably because author doesn't have a drive with the 36 FW and did his worked based on a dump of the 36 FW) - so test at own risk, and if you do ... make sure to report the results!
So now, for the Hitachi-LG GDR-3120L drive, there's only the v32 FW left to-do, at least until a new FW version comes out.
Download: n/a (might be illegal under DMCA/EUCD)
Xbox-Scene FW Install/Usage Guides/Tutorials: here
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
XBMC Skin Editor: New Preview Coming Soon...
>> From |EqUiNoX| on xbmcskineditor.xbox-scene.com:
[QUOTE]
I have been busy working on XBMC Skin Editor(info) and will be releasing a new copy very soon. You wont be able to edit skins yet, but you will see some nice new looking features and enhancements. Until then post any ideas and comments into the forum.
[/QUOTE]
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Microsoft: No Plans for a Price Drop this Fall
>> From Team Xbox Gamerscore Blog:
[QUOTE]
As you're all aware, there have been rumors of a price drop for the Xbox 360 coming along later this year. The official word from folks in the know is that there are currently no plans for a price drop this fall.
If you've been holding off picking one up because you think they'll be cheaper in the future, or they've been hard to find, or because you're too busy catching up on past episodes of Lost, wait no longer!
[/QUOTE]
Read More (PR hype-talk): gamerscoreblog.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Xtreme FW for Hitachi-LG 59 v1.1 *Revision 3* and v32, v36 FW
>> A third revision of the Commodore4eva Xtreme DVD Firmware for Hitachi-LG with firmware 59 v1.1 has been released. Nothing changed for the 46D and 47D FW.
I'm not sure who released this 3rd revision (anonymous?), but it should fix the problems with flashsec (which is the program needed to patch the FW on the drive, but wasn't working correctly on the FW v59).
Problem with flashsec for FW v59 explained by garyopa on xboxhacker.net:
[QUOTE]
WARNING: FLASHSEC47 or FLASHSEC46 does not work on v59.
In v47 firmware a extra part was added bit check of >5A5
"Flashsec" is hard-coded to set the right bit.
But, in v59 firmware all RAM is shifted by 4 bytes so >5A5 is not checked, but the BIT at >5A9 is CHECKed. --< See just moved up by only 4 bytes. Small change but stops the "Flashsec" prog.
Easy for the change to be made by the author of "Flashsec".
[/QUOTE]
What's new/fixed:
* Moved >DD to the right location (rev 1 - by Commodore4eva)
* Fix the error in the DRT Decrypt (rev 2 - by Commodore4eva)
* Flashsec needed a update to work with v59 (rev 3 - by unknown/anonymous)
We also received information from several sources that there are 2 more "early" Hitachi-LG DVD firmwares found in some early produced Xbox 360 consoles. A v32 (drives manufactured around May/June 2005) and v36 (drives manufactured around July/August 2005).
Download: n/a (might be illegal under DMCA/EUCD)
More information about this FW release, see the original news (incl. Rev1&2): here.
Xbox-Scene FW Install/Usage Guides/Tutorials: here
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Gentoox Progress Update
>> From ShALLaX on gentoox.shallax.com:
[QUOTE]
The next releases will just be maintenance releases to get everything back up to date... maybe after that I'll start on improving stuff!
The boring part is over! Everything has been recompiled and updated.
Now to carry out fixes. These fixes will make maintaining your Gentoox installation far easier than before (notably you wont need to be as careful with etc-update):
* The dreaded checkroot/checkfs bug has been fixed for this release. This means you do not need to delete updates when running etc-update!
* The ethernet scripts have been updated to the latest versions (which automatically support fallback). This means you do not need to delete updates when running etc-update!
* GDM started as it should be (/etc/init.d/xdm)
* local.start and local.stop emptied - all tasks originally performed by these files moved to other init scripts
[/QUOTE]
Official Site: http://gentoox.shallax.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Mimesis v3 in Final Beta
>> From projectmimesis.com:
[QUOTE]
The latest in the line of Mimesis(info) revisions, version 3, is in the final stages of beta testing now. We are very pleased with how the re-write has turned out. Almost none of the code from previous Mimesis versions has been used in version 3 and thanks to a lot of very generous projects in the Xbox community, Mimesis now has more features than ever. Team Avalaunch(info) was kind enough to donate some IRC code to get the update feature off of the ground and we learned so much by pouring over the extensive source of open source projects like XBMC and neXgen(info). As most of you know, Mimesis has been a learning experience for both Ramzi and myself since the beginning, and version 3 is no exception; we learned tons.
Version 3 should be released very soon, given that our beta testers can get all of the testing done and do not find too many bugs. We are also spending some time getting new content online and working to ensure that the new features are taken full advantage of after the release.
Here are a few things to look forward to in the latest version:
CHG: Completely re-written skin engine
CHG: New and improved download queue system
CHG: Game launch feature now works and is configurable
CHG: The storage path is now configurable
CHG: Fixed button sensitivity issues
ADD: Offline content management
ADD: Automatic Mimesis upgrade feature (using irc and ftp)
ADD: Inherit the network settings from your dashboard
ADD: Connection watching thread
ADD: Config setting for writing debug lines to a log file
ADD: Config setting for on-screen debug output
ADD: Managing non Mimesis content
ADD: Support for UDATA packages (ex: gametypes)
ADD: Config setting for which skin to use
ADD: Embedded xbe icon
ADD: Support for the DVD remote
ADD: Server syncing process introduced to lessen load times
ADD: Support for IGR
ADD: Settings screen
ADD: Help screen
ADD: New rendering engine with prompt dialogs
ADD: Filter content by type
Below is a teaser of the new default skin to be released with this version. To see some more preview shots you can visit the screenshots page.
[/QUOTE]
Official Site: http://www.projectmimesis.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Commodore4eva Xtreme FW for Hitachi 46D and 47D and 59 v1.1 *Revision 2*
>> Commodore4eva (already known for the modified DVD firmwares he released for the Xbox1 Samsung drive, Toshiba-Samung TS-H943, Hitachi-LG GDR-3120L 47D and Hitachi-LG GDR-3120L 46D) just released the modified DVD firmware (FW) for the Hitachi-LG GDR-3120L drive with FW 59. This release also includes the previously released firmwares for Hitachi-LG GDR-3120L 47D and 46D.
Commodore4eva also said he will release a 'Xtreme0800 firmware' for the Hitachi-LG drive that will allow you to dump the security sector (SS) of original discs with this drive too (currently only possible with the Toshiba-Samung TS-H943 drive).
To find out what brand of DVD drive you have click here for the 'tray check'.
If you have a Hitachi-LG drive and you want to check your FW version, you'll have to open your Xbox 360 (void warranty) and check the label on top of the DVD drive (see red circle below - that's a 46D drive).
For more information about how to install and use the modifed DVD firmwares (so you can make safety-backups and protect your expensive originals from scratching), check out our collection of Xbox 360 DVD firmware guides and tutorials (install fimrware, pot tweak dvd drive, backup/restore FW, burning, SS patching and extracting, dual boots, ...). Use it all at own risk of course - a simple mistake might very well completely break your $400 Xbox 360.
Also important to note ... make sure that when you patch the drive with this FW it's 100% successful. If not try again - do not shut down PC or Xbox 360 till it's 100% successful!
And just like with the other firmwares you will have to burn your games on dual-layer DVD+DL discs (even if image is below 4.7gb ... this is because of security checks on layer0) and you'll have to use raw/unedited images patched with the Security Sector (SS - that can only be extracted from originals by the TS-H943 drive at this moment) and of the same region as your console (or if game is regionfree that's fine too of course).
From Commodore4eva (c4e) on xboxhacker.net:
[QUOTE]
Xtreme firmware for Hitachi 46D and 47D and 59 Xbox 360 V1.1
Here it is, the long awaited World first Xbox 360 backup firmware modification to boot game backups on all Hitachis!
59 version has not been tested on physical drive, neither has flashsec47 or memdump on this version of the drive!
I am working on an Xtreme0800 firmware for each Hitachi to enable you to dump ss/backup your game originals and will release when done.
Features:
* Now for all Hitachi drives!
* Boots all Xtreme Xbox 360 backups
* Boots all Xtreme Xbox 1 backups supported by emulator
* Boots all Xbox 360 originals
* Boots all Xbox 1 originals supported by emulator
* Use on Xbox Live at own risk
Technical details:
* Security sectors are read in this order:
* Reads Xbox 360 security sector from PSN 04FB1F (Layer 0)
* Reads Xbox 1 security sector from PSN 605FF (Layer 0)
* Reads Xbox 360 security sector from PSN FD021E (Layer 1)
* Flashes sector 9003e000 (Master Checksum)
* Flashes sector 90035000 (Security Sector Read)
* Flashes sector 9001c000 (Drive Response Table Decrypt)
* Flashes sector 90003000 (Custom Code)
* Flashes sector 90027000 (Challenge Response)
Flashing your drive:
Xtreme.bat automatically makes a backup of your dvd drive firmware called orig.bin and renames existing orig.bin nine times.
Plug SATA cable from DVD drive to PC. Power cable drive still connected to Xbox 360
Ensure Hitachi drive is in mode b either by two wire trick or slax linux boot cd
Go to Windows
Run Xtreme.bat batch file from a dos prompt specifing drive letter eg "xtreme.bat g"
Pause has been added after each flash, just press any key to continue.
All done!
Run Restore.bat to revert to original firmware eg "restore.bat g"
Media detection on Hitachi:
Due to the Hitachi drives detection of Book-type DVD-Rom dual layer media taking longer than other types of media (you will hear click click noise, security sector read routine has not be executed at this stage!) this can cause the Xbox360 dashboard
to timeout causing open tray prompt. This is normal operation for the Hitachi drive and has nothing to do with the security sector
read routine or any of the Xtreme firmware patches. Use the HDTV switch/HDD trick to soft reset the console (this doesnt reset the dvd drive) eliminating the timeout issue.
Unreconized disc/dirty disc error is due to incompatible media/burner/SS for use with Hitachi. Best results are found using Verbatim media and Pioneer burner.
Thanks to everyone at Xboxhacker.net for all their discussions. Thanks go to Seventhson for flashsec and memdump and Loser for firmcrypt, without these tools this would not be possible.
Thanks also to #FW on IRC for support/discussion.
Commodore4Eva
[/QUOTE]
*UPDATE* Commodore4Eva released 2 revisions of this new 59 FW. So make sure you get the second revision if you wanna try this hack.
What's new/fixed:
* moved dd up a couple of bytes (rev 1)
* fixed bug in drive decrypt (rev 2)
News-Source: xboxhacker.net forums
Download: n/a (might be illegal under DMCA/EUCD)
Xbox-Scene FW Install/Usage Guides/Tutorials: here
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Is Bill Gates learning from the mod community?
>> From arstechnica.com:
[QUOTE]
A lot of interesting data came out of Ars Technica's interview with Matt Lee, a Microsoft software developer in the Xbox division. The nice thing about Matt Lee was that when the interview was over, he answered some questions in the discussion. A lot of it was clarifying points he made in the main article, but then he shared this story with us:
"...allow me to share a related story. A little over a year ago, one of the people in my group modded an Xbox, installed Avalaunch(info), and put all sorts of Xbox mod scene apps on the box, like XboxMediaCenter(info), RSS readers, etc, along with some "backup" games. He brought this box along to a meeting with Bill Gates. Bill saw a demo of this, was quite impressed, and asked something along the lines of "How can we engage this community?" - instead of saying something like "How can we squash this?" It's long been on the back of everyone's minds in the Xbox group - how can we get students and hobbyists involved without disrupting the console business model? The good news is that it's still on the radar, we'll see what happens in the future."
[/QUOTE]
Read More: arstechnica.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
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(Thursday 22 June 2006 19:37 EST) - (Category: Xbox_Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
X06 Dated In Barcelona
>> From gamasutra.com:
[QUOTE]
Officials from Microsoft have announced that the X06 video game trade and media annual event will take place on September 27th and 28th this year, in Barcelona, Spain.
Apart from 2004, the X0 events have occurred annually in Europe, since the launch of the original Xbox, and have frequently been used for high profile announcements such as the European pricing details for the Xbox in 2001, the acquisition of Rare in 2002 and the launch line-up of the Xbox 360 in 2005.
Microsoft are also promising major announcements for X06, although there has been no hint as to their nature, beyond the implication that several previously unseen games will be shown for the first time. Unusually, X06 takes place just a week after the Tokyo Game Show, although the closeness of the two events is likely coincidence, but may help with announcement co-ordination.
[/QUOTE]
Read More: gamasutra.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
TeamXbox Digimask Technology Interview
>> From teamxbox.com:
[QUOTE]
Aside from letting you do video chat, the upcoming Xbox Live Vision camera for Xbox 360 will finally let gamers put their faces on game characters. This opens a whole new world of possibilities when it comes to multiplayer gaming, as now you'll be able to recognize your friends in a game simply because you'll be actually seeing them on screen.
There are already many games that will make use of this facial mapping feature, including and Rainbow Six Vegas, WSOP: Tournament of Champions, and we are just waiting for others to confirm face mapping.
Recently, we had the chance to interview Gary Bracey, the founder and CEO of Digimask, the company that has developed this revolutionary technology. We asked all the questions that you have in mind...
* Will Digimask be a standalone application that can be launched from the Xbox 360 dashboard or will it be a licensed technology running on the background of those titles that make use of it?
* Gary Bracey: Initially, it will run in the background of the titles but there is an ongoing dialogue with the Xbox team about how we can move forward in the future.....
* Although the coolest use of this technology is to see yourself and your friends in the game, our audience is already craving about creating models of famous personalities such as Chuck Norris, Michael Jackson or Jay Leno. Would they have to run to their local store and get a mask or can you import pictures as files?
* Gary Bracey: Hmmm. Well, it's difficult for me to comment on this as there are copyright legalities involved. Needless to say, Digimask can make a 3D head model from any quality photo input..... (!)
Oh also, a number of people have been commenting about the potential for using 'different' body parts for their head. Well, I have to say there are two reasons why this won't be as fun as it sounds:
1) The Digimask tech detects facial features on the photo. If it cannot find eyes, nose, mouth, etc then it will probably fail to generate a head. This is another reason why you should take your photos in a good, even light.
2) Even if it did accept the input, the end result would be so distorted as to render the thing unrecognizable. Believe me, I've tried it! ;)
[/QUOTE]
Read More: teamxbox.com (2 pages)
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Team Xtender XCM 360 SATA to PC USB
>> From teamxtender.com:
[QUOTE]
Team X-tender presents the XCM 360 SATA to PC USB!! Check out its following amazing features:
* Backup Game Saves
Back up all your Xbox 360 Game Saves and media files onto your PC with ease and comfort.
Utilize your Xbox 360 Hard Disc storage space to the max by achieving files onto your PC.
* Portable
XCM 360 SATA do not require the XBOX to be "turned" on while in use. You can detach the Xbox 360 and access the Xbox 360 HD without the Xbox 360 unit. (The XCM 360 SATA has its own independent power source for maximum power stability while file transfer) XCM 360 SATA is the only portable unit of its kind in the market today!!!
* Ease of use
XCM 360 SATA is a "plug and play" device recognized by both your windows OS PC as well as your Xbox 360(TM). XCM 360 SATA supports USB 2.0 for super fast file transfer with speeds up to 480 mbps.
[/QUOTE]
Official Site: http://www.teamxtender.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
SCEA COO Downplays Xbox 360 Lead
>> From next-gen.biz:
[QUOTE]
Jack Tretton (Sony Computer Entertainment America executive VP and co-COO) told TheStreet.com, "At the end of the day, what you do in the first year, and whether you do 6 or 10 million units does not determine whether you're successful or not. We're looking to sell 100 million-plus worldwide. We're looking to sell 50 million plus in North America."
During the course of the interview, Tretton made sure to get a couple straight jabs in on Sony's competitor.
"I think most companies, if they'd lost the billions that Microsoft has lost on the Xbox, would question whether or not they belong in the business," he said. "Obviously, they have a different standard of success."
[/QUOTE]
Read More: next-gen.biz and thestreet.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Xbox Live Arcade Retail Surprise
>> From next-gen.biz:
[QUOTE]
Encouraged by the success of Live Arcade, Microsoft is planning to bring some of its downloadable games to retail.
Xbox chief Peter Moore is pushing to extend the Live Arcade brands to retail, arguing internally that original games like Geometry Wars, retro hits like Smash TV and casual games like Hardwood Hearts will extend Xbox 360's appeal to non-hardcore audiences.
The company is seeking to offer the games to the 'other 50%' of gamers that have not signed up to Xbox Live, while using the titles to showcase the platform as a welcoming destination.
[/QUOTE]
Read More: next-gen.biz
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
XBMC MC360 Skin Beta v0.98565
>> Team BlackBolt released a new version of MC360, an X360 reproduction skin for XboxMediaCenter(info):
[QUOTE]
Ok, we know we are a day or two late on the T3CH release, but we had some issues we needed to deal with first, that aside the skin is ready for another release. Now bare in mind we are still Beta so it means that there still are bugs and issues and with your help on the forums we can fix them and get closer to a 1.0 release of the skin. Once we reach 1.0 thats gonna be when Mc360 says, Microsoft did it good, but we are gonna do it better and we will make this into the greatest UI we can.
So I will draw your attention to some of the big changes in this build:
* Personal Settings.
* Card Setups, choose from 1 of 3 types on each blade.
* Download Themes directly from the skin.
* Various Effects in the Skins Animation.
* More navigation and memory optimisation, the skin will respond faster due to animation work.
* Fixed Graphical Error with lighting on Blades.
* FileStacking.xml was not able to view stacked movies unless - GUI option treat as one was enabled.
* Disable Background Animations & Background Visualisations.
* Added Large Thumb under Buttons on the left when in list View, can be turned off in Personal settings.
Plus more.
The Superman Returns Theme will be online later this week too, can't wait to finish this one, its gonna look sweet, really gonna spend my time on this one. so you can download MC360 0.98565 right now by going to the downloads page using the link above and remember you can show your support and donate, every little helps. Thank You.
[/QUOTE]
Official Site: http://blackbolt.x-scene.com
Download: here
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Zsnexbox v1.8
>> Nes6502 released a new version of ZsnexBox(info), a port of the Zsnes Super Nintendo emulator to Xbox on our forums with lots of new and fixed stuff!
What's new/fixed:
* Fixed controllers 3 + 4
* Pressing "B" in the ROM Browser will go to the top of the directory.
* Minor ROM Browser changes
Official Site: n/a, by Nes6502 (official support thread on our forums)
Download: n/a (built with XDK)
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
KDX42 by F360TEAM
>> From foros360.com:
[QUOTE]
KDX42 is the DOS version of KeyDrive Xtractor/Patcher(info) v1.5:
* With KDX42 you can patch the key without boot windows, you only have to use a command for patch the key.
* Only compatible with Samsung hack.
HOW TO USE:
* In boot diskette for hack Samsung drive, copy xtreme.bin or xtreme_proper.bin (renamed to xtreme.bin).
* Dump the firmware.
* write this command: kdx42 <firmwareuhavedumped.bin> xtreme.bin
* KDX42 will patch the key in xtreme.bin file.
* Flash the drive with xtreme.bin file.
[/QUOTE]
Official Site: http://www.foros360.com
Download: here
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Team Underdog Website Launched: NME-360 DVD FW Patch Mod
>> We already talked about this new DVD firmware 'patch' chip for the Xbox 360 last week. Team Underdog now launched the official website for this new product.
From team-underdog.com:
[QUOTE]
We are proud to introduce the first real Modchip for the Xbox360!
The NME-360 enables your XBox360 to play backups of your highly valuable original games. NME-360 is a universal solution for ALL currently available XBox360 Consoles on the market. Forget crazy dual mods with 30+ wires or even bricking your DVD drive by flashing corrupt/wrong firmware files. Your original firmware stays untouched and intact at any time when using the NME-360. There is no need for any firmware-reading or flashing.
Simply install the NME-360 with the special easy to fit pre-wired cables (4 cables for Samsung, 11 wires for Hitachi/LG) and you are done...
NME-360 - the clever solution:
The NME-360 autodetects the inserted media. If the inserted media is a backup NME-360 injects the necessary information to the DVD drive enabling it to boot smoothly ahead! If the media is an original game, or anything else, which doesnt require any further action of the NME-360 then it simply falls asleep so there is no need for an external switch whatsoever. This way it can not be detected online when you play an original onlinegame.
We are now in the stage of finalizing the first batch of NME-360 Chips which is going to be shipped to the distributors in the first week of july.
[/QUOTE]
Official Site: http://www.team-underdog.com
Expected Retail Price: ~40EUR
Thanks to hitman43[ModControl] and gamefreax for the news/link.
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Rumor: New, Cheaper Xbox 360 this Holiday?
>> From joystiq.com (RUMOR! - take this info with a big grain of salt):
[QUOTE]
According to Britxbox.co.uk, a source close to Microsoft has confirmed plans to cut the cost of Xbox 360 as the holidays roll around, and more importantly, just as Sony unleashes the PlayStation 3. The source told Britxbox that the price cut [core below £200 (currently £209), premium £220 (currently £279)] would be the result of a "new" and "cheaper to manufacture" version of Xbox 360, suggesting that the Xbox team is working to redesign elements of the chip set supplied by ATI and IBM to achieve more cost effective production.
[/QUOTE]
Read More: joystiq.com and britxbox.co.uk
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Fully Internal Watercooled Xbox 360 by Dano2k0
>> In exclusivity, we present to you ... another great Xbox 360 mod: an internal watercooled Xbox 360 made by Dano2k0 on our forums. This project is now finished, so here some pictures and info:
It's not the first time we see a watercooled Xbox 360: x-scene forum moderator Xboxexpert made one and we've also seen one from hardocp.com. But unlike to the 2 previous one, this one is fully internal ... it's all inside the Xbox 360 case.
The hardware mod features:
* Both CPU (Zern GPU block) and GPU (Koolance GPU-180-H06 block) watercooled with internal Tank-o-Matic mini reservoir, 12v thermaltake pump and DD fill port on the plexi window.
* 90mm radiator grill mounted to the plexiglass with 4 thin fans
* Passive heatsinks on many internal chips
* Tinted plexiglass on one side of the case
* Custom cut DVD window
* Custom painted case
* Blue and UV LEDs all around the case with external switch to disable/enable.
* Blue ring-of-light, silver power button
You can follow the full W.I.P. worklog and lots of pictures of this project here.
Here are some words from Dano2k0 about his project:
[QUOTE]
Firstly I would like to say the reason for starting this project was due to a few reasons. After doing previous watercooled projects etc which were mainly PC projects, I always fancied giving it a go on the 360. I saw others perform watercooled modifications but I wasn't ever very impressed due to them having big external units sat at the side. It had been talked about in the past about having a complete internal watercooling system and everyone doubted it would ever be possible due to the lack of space. This is when i got the idea of pulling off the impossible, and it hit my requirements perfect, a completly portable solution with the cooling needs i was after, in the exact same original sized case.
It has prooven to be quite a challenge doing a complete interal watercooling build with such space restrictions, the whole project was well thought through before being started, and as can be seen through the progress photos it shows quite clearly the steps I took so it may be possible for some people to replicate a simillar modification as the parts are mentioned in my thread.
Also for help making this modification possible I would like to thank phenoptix who is on eBay, he supplied me with all the LED's I needed including the ones for the ROL board, I know people over here are finding it difficult to locate these at reasonable cost and ive had a few questions on this already so i felt this may be worth mentioning.
I'd also like to thank everyone in the X-Scene community for all the positive comments which made the whole modification worth the while.
[/QUOTE]
The mod will also be featured in the Official Xbox Magazine in the UK next month (maybe worldwide?) and it's soon (not announced when yet) to be shown in the unofficial X360 magazine in the UK also.
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Xtreme Hitachi-LG 46D FW restore.bat Small Fix
>> Geebee reports in the latest version of his Hitachi-LG tutorial about a small error/typo in the restore.bat (used to restore your modified FW back to the original one) in the Commodore4eva Xtreme FW for Hitachi-LG with FW 46D.
There are calls for "flashsec46_win" in the restore.bat of the FW 46D release, but you'll get errors there's no such file. Instead the file that should be called is "flashsec_win".
So to fix this just open restore.bat in notepad and change all occurences of "flashsec46_win" to "flashsec_win". (don't just rename flashsec46_win.exe to flashsec_win.exe, xtreme.bat (flashing, backup) is also using this file)
The restore.bat file in the FW 47D release works correctly (it calls to "flashsec47_win" and file is named "flashsec47_win.exe", so that's OK).
Geebee also said that the default xtreme.bat file in the latest Commodore4eva Xtreme release now includes pauses after flashsec commands (which causes less flash errors) and improved the orig.bin backup procedure.
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
XBMC Translator v0.1
>> From xboxmediacenter.com:
[QUOTE]
Hi all you Translators out there,
This tool is exclusively made for you. ;) Since I (Bobbin007) am one of the maintainers of the german language file, I thought it would be time to simplify the whole process of updating a language file a little. After a lot of pondering and hacking, I proudly present the first version of my XBMC translator. Hope this tool will be useful as it is now, but as always I'm open for suggestions.
Feature list:
* create new translations
* keep track of untranslated strings
* keep track of changed strings
* search function to find strings easily
* edit language specific settings, like codepages and date/time format
* the language file is saved with utf-8 encoding
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Official Site: XBMC forums
Download: here
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Xecuter ODD to USB Adapter Update2
>> From team-xecuter.com:
[QUOTE]
We have now succesfully tested reading AND writing firmware to the HITACHI drive from Windows using our ODD (Optical Disc Drive) to USB Adapter.
Now we are working on the Toshiba/Samsung Drive its proving a little trickier. If anyone can get hold of an updated datasheet for the mediatek chipset on that drive let us know as it will speed things up a little.
[/QUOTE]
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Xbox360 Controller Upgrade Likely?
>> Spong.com is kinda taking a big leap here, but who knows:
[QUOTE]
It looks as though the Xbox 360 will be seeing an upgraded controller in the not too distant future, as Immersion Technologies shows its revised rumble feature to press for the first time.
Microsoft is now a major shareholder in Immersion (around the 20% mark following follow-up investment on the $20 million original settlement, $6 million in share options and $9 million loan) and it does seem a cert that fresh technologies revealed by the company, originally founded on haptic devices in the medical field, will find their way into Xbox 360 or future Xbox controllers.
According to reports surfacing, the new rumble unit was shown inside a standard Xbox controller and operated a modified version of Star Wars(info): Jedi Knight II for PC, a perfect game for highlighting the rumbler's various capabilities. The first thing you should note is that Immersion's latest creation uses only one motor rather than two, geared to spin an undisclosed number of weights. This makes it lighter on power as well as providing reduced weight. Immersion showed the pad in Lightsaber mode to outline the subtlety it can achieve when mimicking movement. The pad was also used to fire a rocket, with feedback active as the projectile tailed away and in machine-gun setup, all of which was well received.
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Read More: spong.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Commodore4eva Xtreme FW for Hitachi-LG 46D and 47D Xbox 360 v1.1, 59 Soon
>> Commodore4eva (already known for the modified DVD firmwares he released for the Xbox1 Samsung drive, Toshiba-Samung TS-H943 and Hitachi-LG GDR-3120L 47D) just released the modified DVD firmware (FW) for the Hitachi-LG GDR-3120L drive with FW 46D. This release also includes the previously released Commodore4eva Xtreme Firmware for Hitachi-LG GDR-3120L 47D v1.1. Commodore4eva also says he will release a version for the Hitachi-LG drive with FW 59 very soon (it's finished, just needs some testing prior release).
To find out what brand of DVD drive you have click here for the 'tray check'.
If you have a Hitachi-LG drive and you want to check your FW version, you'll have to open your Xbox 360 (void warranty) and check the label on top of the DVD drive (see red circle below - that's a 46D drive).
For more information about how to install and use the modifed DVD firmwares (so you can make safety-backups and protecting your expensive originals from scratching), check out our collection of Xbox 360 DVD firmware guides and tutorials (install fimrware, pot tweak dvd drive, backup/restore FW, burning, SS patching and extracting, dual boots, ...). Use it all at own risk of course - a simple mistake might very well completely break your $400 Xbox 360.
Also important to note ... make sure that when you patch the drive with this FW it's 100% successful. If not try again - do not shut down PC or Xbox 360 till it's 100% successful!
And just like with the other firmwares you will have to burn your games on dual-layer DVD+DL discs (even if image is below 4.7gb ... this is because of security checks on layer0) and you'll have to use raw/unedited images patched with the Security Sector (SS - that can only be extracted from originals by the TS-H943 drive at this moment) and of the same region as your console (or if game is regionfree that's fine too of course).
From Commodore4eva on xboxhacker.net forums:
[QUOTE]
Xtreme firmware for Hitachi 46D and 47D Xbox 360 V1.1
Here it is, the long awaited World first Xbox 360 backup firmware modification to boot game backups on both Hitachis!
46 version has not been tested on physical drive, just use restore.bat if any issues arise and I will respond with any bug fixes if needed!
Features:
* Now for 46D Hitachi drives!
* Boots all Xtreme Xbox 360 backups
* Boots all Xtreme Xbox 1 backups supported by emulator
* Boots all Xbox 360 originals
* Boots all Xbox 1 originals supported by emulator
* Use on Xbox Live at own risk
Technical details:
* Security sectors are read in this order:
* Reads Xbox 360 security sector from PSN 04FB1F (Layer 0)
* Reads Xbox 1 security sector from PSN 605FF (Layer 0)
* Reads Xbox 360 security sector from PSN FD021E (Layer 1)
* Flashes sector 9003e000 (Master Checksum)
* Flashes sector 90035000 (Security Sector Read)
* Flashes sector 9001c000 (Drive Response Table Decrypt)
* Flashes sector 90003000 (Custom Code)
* Flashes sector 90027000 (Challenge Response)
Flashing your drive:
Xtreme.bat automatically makes a backup of your dvd drive firmware called orig.bin and renames existing orig.bin nine times.
Plug SATA cable from DVD drive to PC. Power cable drive still connected to Xbox 360.
Ensure Hitachi drive is in mode b either by two wire trick or slax linux boot cd.
Go to Windows.
Run Xtreme.bat batch file from a dos prompt specifing drive letter eg "xtreme.bat g".
Pause has been added after each flash, just press any key to continue.
All done!.
Run Restore.bat to revert to original firmware eg "restore.bat g".
Media detection on Hitachi:
Due to the Hitachi drives detection of Book-type DVD-Rom dual layer media taking longer than other types of media (you will hear click click noise, security sector read routine has not be executed at this stage!) this can cause the Xbox360 dashboard to timeout causing open tray prompt. This is normal operation for the Hitachi drive and has nothing to do with the security sector read routine or any of the Xtreme firmware patches. Use the HDTV switch/HDD trick to soft reset the console (this doesnt reset the dvd drive) eliminating the timeout issue.
Unreconized disc/dirty disc error is due to incompatible media/burner/SS for use with Hitachi. Best results are found using Verbatim media and Pioneer burner.
Hitachi drive version 59 has been completed and will release once verification of flashsec/memdump working with this drive.
Thanks to everyone at Xboxhacker.net for all their discussions. Thanks go to Seventhson for flashsec and memdump and Loser for firmcrypt, without these tools this would not be possible.
Thanks also to #FW on IRC for support/discussion
Commodore4Eva
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News-Source: xboxhacker.net forums
Download: n/a (might be illegal under DMCA/EUCD)
Xbox-Scene FW Install/Usage Guides/Tutorials: here
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
XboxMediaCenter (XBMC) 2006-06-18 CVS T3CH build
>> T3CH released a new CVS compile of XboxMediaCenter(info).
This T3CH-compile is a complete snapshot of what is in CVS at the time the build was compiled, with just a few small additions.
XBMC is in a FEATUREFREEZE at the moment. If you want to report bugs, please do it the PROPER way, see here.
Here's the added/changed stuff from the changelog since the 2006-06-11 T3CH CVS release:
* added: Master lock check on settings subcategories (does not affect settings window).
* added: Dialog().browse to Python. Lets the user navigate with the FileManager.
* added: [ 1504525 ] <onclick> tags fillable using SkinSetting strings, thanks to Nuka1195.
* added: <back>BackSpace</back> to keymap.xml for numeric input dialog to allow backpace with remote.
* changed: Re-enabled settings item on context menus.
* changed: Return to current window on bad passcode entry.
* changed: <hidelabels> is now part of the thumbnailpanel control in the skin.
... 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
Download Binaries: n/a (built with XDK) | Download SourceCode: here
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Game Console Energy Consumption in Standby Mode
>> From dxgaming.com:
[QUOTE]
Electricity "leaks" are no laughing matter today. Cell phones, computers, monitors, DVD players, video game consoles and other electronic products found in every home and office these days are wasting huge amounts of energy.
The leaks occur because many electronic devices can't be fully turned off without pulling the wall plug. While the knob or button may be turned off, in reality, the device may be in any of several standby modes, somewhere between fully off and fully on, wired so that its prongs draw electric current from the wall outlet 24/7.
Let's take a look at how much power video game consoles require while in standby/off mode.
Console | Energy Leakage | kWh Wasted Each Year | Annual Cost
* Playstation 1 | 0.1W | 1.752 kWh | $0.26
* Playstation 2 | 2W | 17.52 kWh | $2.63
* Xbox | 0.2W | 3.50 kWh | $0.53
* Xbox 360 | 2W | 17.52 kWh | $2.63
* Gamecube | 0.2W | 3.50 kWh | $0.53
* Dreamcast | 0.2W | 3.50 kWh | $0.53
In conclusion we would uncomfortably leave our 360 plugged in as the ability to power the console on wirelessly is worth the $2.63 a year cost. The PS2 however offers little to no benefit being left in standby.
[/QUOTE]
Read More: dxgaming.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
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(Sunday 18 June 2006 16:52 EST) - (Category: Xbox_Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
Xecuter 360 Updates: ODD to USB Adapter, Dual FW Mod, Unlocking Kit
>> From team-xecuter.com:
[QUOTE]
We are now happy to see our connectivity kit is on the market and we have completely sold out of our first batch (so thank you to all Xecuter(info) users!!)
Now the Hitachi firmware is out sales are going crazy and we are working hard to get the second batch out to resellers as soon as possible so if you haven't managed to get your hands on one yet please be patient.
Some great news to report, last night we successfully tested the Xecuter ODD to USB adapter. So in the very very near future you will be able to connect your ODD direct to your USB port, completely eleminating all sata problems. This device has been most difficult to fine tune but we are almost there. Reading from windows is working now we are just tweaking the USB drivers for writing functions - watch this space as this will be the #1 360 Firmware Modding Device.
Talking of firmware modding, we have seen the recent spate of dual firmware mods. Pretty shocking designs really, but then again its not the best mod in the world anyway. So we have designed a much higher quality device with a few extra functions and have passed it onto the factory to send out to resellers. Will be very cheap and have a much higher quality build with better functions with regard to enable / disable, write enable / disable, led status, connectivity etc. We will make sure its cheaper than anything else available and as easy to install as possible (even though its still quite difficult - not for the beginner). It's nothing innovative but we figured if some modders were going to use a dual firmware device they may as well use one built by Xecuter so they can be sure of the quality and support.
We have also finished designing and testing the 360 Case Unlocking Kit. It's well designed and much higher quality than anything else you may have seen available. This will be on the market within the next 2 weeks.
Xecuter are dedicated to bringing you well designed tools to make your Xbox 360 modding experience as painless as possible - more to come soon.
On a final note kudos to Commadore4Eva on his firmware hacks. Most of Xecuter are sceners before mod designers and the work is appreciated.
[/QUOTE]
Buy Xecuter Connectivity Kit for Xbox 360:
Divineo USA/CAN | Asia | UK/Europe | Spain | France | Germany | Italy or mrmodchips.co.uk
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
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