Week of July 21, 2002
Dolby Digital Out selfmade without M$ AV Kit
>> Frankieboy from the XboxHacker forums posted some info on how to Build your own DD 5.1 Output cheaply.
"http://www.thenewps2side.net/wbb....ost3413
here is a link. look at the photos.
coax output is working with 2 wires.
optical output is working with 3 wires.
coax ouput found and tested by modfreak.
optical output created and tested by frankieboy.
don't pay so much for M$ AV kit. a 5 US $ TOTX173 works well for the optical output"
More info at the XboxHacker Forums.
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(Saturday 27 July 2002 16:48 EST) - (Category: (default)) - (Posted by::
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Sony loses Australian copyright case
>> From CNet news.com :
" Sony has suffered a setback in its international fight against "mod chips" that enable its PlayStation video game machines to play illegally copied games.
A federal judge in Australia ruled Friday that mod chips sold for the original PlayStation do not infringe on Sony copyright protections under Australian laws, which are similar to the U.S. Digital Millennium Copyright Act. The decision comes a week after a Canadian man was sentenced to probation and fined $17,000 for selling mod chips and pirated games for Sony's PlayStation 2."
Thanks to CanuckGuy for sending me this news.
""There is nothing in the evidence to suggest that the major purpose or objective of the protective device, from the applicants' perspective, was to ensure that the PlayStation consoles could only play PlayStation games lawfully acquired in Australia or Europe," Sackville wrote in his ruling.
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(Saturday 27 July 2002 10:32 EST) - (Category: (default)) - (Posted by::
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Messiah-X Pictures
>> Lik-Sang sent us some high quality pictures of the Messiah-X :
Buy a Messiah-X here $49 (IN STOCK)
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(Saturday 27 July 2002 01:39 EST) - (Category: (default)) - (Posted by::
)
Xdongle
>> We found this interesting thread on our forums :
" Xdongle
A Software soluction to Muti region on the xbox.
It can be run from the HD useing evo x or from a boot cd.
It will allow muti region on any region Xbox with a fitted dongle.
E.g -
USA dongle Fitted will play Regions 1,2,3,4,0
PAL dongle Fitted will play Regions 1,2,3,4,0
No need to buy sevral dongles for sevral regions.
Beta testing.
we have so far managed to get the PAL version working 99% we have found a few small gliches with the beta Mod chips but are working on this problem.
There will be two versions of the software 1 x NSTC and 1 X PAL depending on wich dongle you have fitted. "
Messiah-X samples
>> Just a post to confirm we received some Messiah-X mods today. I would like to take some pictures but I don't have my digital cam right now.
I'll take some pictures as soon as I get my cam back.
I'll try to test the modchip this weekend.
"A) 11 wire installation
B) All Backups of XBOX games will boot
C) All Import Original XBOX games will boot
D) Universal design that works on all models from all regions (USA / JAP / PAL)
E) Automatic detection and switching of bios versions, no need to configure anything for any console
F) Modified XBE's and custom code can boot
G) Macrovision Disabled on DVD Playback
H) DVD Region reset enabled allowing any region DVD dongle to be used thus allowing multi-DVD region playback support."
The chip is placed on a very professional pcb.
For more information , visit china-messiah
If you wanna buy one , go get one here (lik-sang - worldwide shipping) for $49 (they are IN STOCK!).
XSNES9X beta3
>> XSNES9X beta3 - Super Nintendo (16bit) emulator for Xbox
What's new :
"- Fixed issue with DSP-1 games. Super Mario Kart, Pilotwings etc now run correctly.
- Fixed Jumbled tile/misplaced pixel issue with some games (DKC, Secret of Evermore, Metroid).
- Added preliminary .ini file support. Read the .ini file section below.
- Gamepads can now be configured in the ini file. Read the 'Buttons' section below on how to perfom this.
- Removed unzipped Rom Header extraction code. Was creating more problems than benefiting. Roms will now be displayed by filename only.
- Roms are now sorted properly in the menu."
Stella Xbox v2
>> Stella Atari 2600 Emulator for XBox v2 :
"This one has been due an update for a long time. This release puts it
in line with my more recent emu releases. Fixes/improvements include:
Sound is fixed
NTSC/PAL should work the same
Sorted listings
Return to dashboard
Search for cheat codes
Reload game list
Configuration from INI file
Resize/reposition game screen"
Build with XDK - no download.
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(Thursday 25 July 2002 18:57 EST) - (Category: (default)) - (Posted by::
)
New X-ecuter picture
>> Here's a new exclusive high-quality picture of the x-ecuter :
click image for full view
Buy X-ecuter Now $49 - WorldWide
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(Thursday 25 July 2002 17:07 EST) - (Category: (default)) - (Posted by::
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Gnuboy XBox v4
>> Gnuboy Gameboy/Gameboy Color Emulator for XBox v4
"What's New:
Save States
All the other UI stuff to bring it in line with the other emus
The GNUBOY.INI file can now be written automatically from inside the emulator.
To configure Gnuboy, press the Left Thumbstick. This will let you select the font height and the menu text offset.
*This will also let you resize and reposition the game screen to whatever you want*
You can make the gamescreen as big or as small as you like and reposition it anywhere.
When you make your changes, it will rewrite the GNUBOY.INI file (if it was loaded from the XBox hard drive) If you are running the emulator from a CD/DVD media, you'll have to construct your own GNUBOY.INI file and write it to the root directory."
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(Thursday 25 July 2002 03:11 EST) - (Category: (default)) - (Posted by::
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More X-ecuter pictures
>> The guys from TechnoDevices posted some pictures of the x-ecuter sample pcb :
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(Thursday 25 July 2002 00:03 EST) - (Category: (default)) - (Posted by::
)
X-ecuter new picture
>> X-ecuter released a new , bigger picture of the X-ecuter modchip.
They also posted some news (from x-ecuter.com) :
"Excpected shipping date: Between July 29th and August 2nd.
This is the FIRST & ONLY mod in the world available with 100% of the features on one device.
No other mod has the no-patch hack, no reset on eject hack and hdd patch all on one device.
Save $$$$ on installation costs - easiest DIY mod on the market - no need to search for solder points or take out the motherboard.
Every feature that can be unlocked via the bios is now complete. So no need for any flashing of your bios or updates.
All tools and fun stuff will now be software based like the evolution-x and boXplorer.
We've had a sneak peak at some "internal" tools which are being finished and you guys will just love them.
Note: to some losers posting about how we lied about this mod: We said it used a special tool - this is it. So what if you have to blob some solder in a few seconds - and it uses 1 wire as we stated. The bios is 100% complete - don't forget the ONLY bios that is. If you wanna flash your own homebrew - go for it - but there are those that want an easy to fit mod that does EVERYTHING available. But i'm sure those that dont wanna solder 29 wires or even 12 wires or take out their motherboard or have to flash their own tool costing $25 more than an x-ecuter, or having to pay someone $50 for installation will be real pleased about this mod.
You can buy x-ecuter from lik-sang (worldwide shipping) for $49
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(Wednesday 24 July 2002 23:37 EST) - (Category: (default)) - (Posted by::
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cxbx 0.2.2
>> I saw this on xboxhacker.net :
"I have released cxbx 0.2.2 today. This release is a significant improvement over previous releases, because there is now a nice little GUI. You can open .xbe files, view the image header, dump the .xbe header, save back as .xbe, and convert to .exe.
In the future there will be more advanced .xbe editing features, including the option to extract sections, modify the certificate, etc."
For more information & download , surf here.
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(Wednesday 24 July 2002 23:12 EST) - (Category: (default)) - (Posted by::
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DGen v3
>> Already a new DGen update :
"What's New:
Replaced MZ80 engine with RAZE Z80 engine. This fixes sound timing problems
in games like Aladdin."
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(Wednesday 24 July 2002 22:54 EST) - (Category: (default)) - (Posted by::
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PC-BioXX released !
>> All PC-BioXX pre-orders (alias OpenXbox) have been shipped monday by the 2 official PC-BioXX resellers (bestplayer.de & elsen.de).
They also released a new flash program : PC BioXX Flasher v1.3
You can download it here
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(Wednesday 24 July 2002 20:28 EST) - (Category: (default)) - (Posted by::
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DGen v2 & eXtremeGB beta 1
>> 2 new emu releases :
DGen v2 (Genesis/Megadrive emulator):
"This release should fix a lot of problems with the core of the emulator. The v1 version was using v0.26a of the StarScream engine. This was later updated by the GENS author to v0.26c to fix a number of bugs. I've implemented this newer StarScream version. Furthermore, there is also an option for using a Musashi 68000 core - which I've also implemented from the most recent release. Both engines play games that v1 could not."
eXtremeGB beta 1 (Gameboy/GBC emulator)
"Features:
*********
44kHz 16-bit sound with optional bass filter for more punch
Optional bilinear filtering
Optional run-in-a-small-window-in-the-middle-of-the-screen
Optional LCD-fakeblur (to make flicker-"transparency" look better)
What's missing (and MAYBE coming in the future)
***********************************************
More video options (2xSAI, Eagle)
Multiplayer (may emulate 2 linked gbs later)
Better compatibility
Control configuration
State Save/load"
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(Wednesday 24 July 2002 02:13 EST) - (Category: (default)) - (Posted by::
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New Modchip : The X-pert
>> Interesting-Devices will release a new "modchip" for Xbox soon called "The X-pert".
It looks like it will be a BioXX/Openxbox clone.
"The X-PERT when connected to your XBox will allow you to use whatever bios you like for your XBox. With the abundance of XBox mod chips out now, once fitted you are stuck with the bios they want you to use. With the X-PERT you can program any bios you wish into it to use, as long as it a Bios designed for an XBox. For example if someone brings out a new bios for running Linux you can simply program the X-PERT with this new Bios through your PCs Com port. If you are a dealer fitting Mod chips to the XBox then you can always use the latest Bios. You can then also offer upgrades to your customers if they do not have a PC etc. Also other Mod Chips for the XBox are based on the Microsoft Bios making them illegal to offer for sale. The X-PERT has no Microsoft code as the Eeprom is initially blank when we supply it and you load your own Bios. If you decide to use the many bios images on the internet to bypass game copy protection then this is up to you but we will in no way condone this or take responsibility for your actions."
More information here
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(Wednesday 24 July 2002 01:50 EST) - (Category: (default)) - (Posted by::
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DEXBE v0.2
>> Team Dextrose released DEXBE v0.2 (extract all information from xbe files)
"* Changed Layout due to Information Overload
* Changed Sections to a Listview for better Overview
+ Added more Header-Data
+ Added PE Info
+ Added IDC Export
+ Added Bitmap Export
+ Added Flag-Entry to Library-List
+ Added option to Patch between Debug <-> Retail
+ Added TLS Data (not 100%)"
Download & information here
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(Wednesday 24 July 2002 01:40 EST) - (Category: (default)) - (Posted by::
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New Homebrew Game
>> XL productions introduces XPong v1.0.
Its just a homebrew Pong game for the xbox. :)
Here are 2 screenshots (Thanks too xbox-emulation.)
Main Screen | Playing
(NOTE: Xbox-Scene will not provide download links due to legal reasons)
Xbox Sales Rising
>> "Two independent research groups confirmed today that the Xbox™ video game system is on a roll. The NPD Group Inc. reported that Xbox posted a stunning sales increase of approximately 131 percent in the United States in the first two months following a $100 price cut in May. In addition, “Project Gotham Racing™” from Microsoft® Games Studios and “Dead or Alive 3™” from Tecmo each have sold more than a million units worldwide. According to the International Development Group, this makes Xbox the first video game system ever to have three million-unit-selling launch titles after just eight months on the market. The numbers put the system on track for another blockbuster holiday season, when gamers will be able to choose from more than 200 Xbox games...."
More info at Team Xbox
Canada shutters "mod chip" operation
>> From Cnet :
"Sony announced Monday that Canadian authorities have shut down an operation selling "mod chips" that allow the company's PlayStation 2 game console to play pirated discs.
Federal prosecutors charged Robert Garby of Ottowa with selling illegal mod chips and pirated games through his "Kustum Komputers" business. He pled guilty in Ontario Court of Justice in Ottawa to six counts of criminal code violations and copyright law infringement and was fined $17,000 and sentenced to a year of probation."
"A handful of mod chips for Microsoft's Xbox game machine have gone into circulation in the past few months, with hackers counting on the chips to allow them to run home brew software such as MP3 players and the Linux operating system. Microsoft representatives have said the company is considering legal action against mod chip makers, but the company has offered no details of any prosecution efforts."
Check the whole article here
Thanks to Sirsmokealot for sending me the news.
DGen Genesis Emulator for XBox v1
>> A new emulator has been ported to Xbox : DGen.
It's a Genesis/Megadrive Emulator
From nfo:
"Certain games are flaky and can really screw up the emulator to the point where it won't run any games correctly anymore. Instead of rebooting, I've added an option to reload the emulator XBE file. To do this, press the Left-Thumb and Right-Thumb analog joysticks as if they were buttons. I've verified this to work off the HD. It should work off a CD, but I have not tried it.
Also - if you load up a game and it does nothing but give you a black screen, you should reload the emulator XBE. If you don't you'll probably soon have to do a hard reboot of the XBox because the XBE will lock up tight. Again, this is due to some flakiness in the emulator."
X-ecuter picture
>> Finally they released a picture of the X-ecuter modchip!
Like expected there are 9 "connectionpoints".
It looks like they use a pcb with holes and you just have to solder throught those holes (fill hole with some solder) to install the pcb.
There is 1 wire. (it's pretty hard to see : it's on the bottom right & wire is green).
Maybe some people will be disappointed that it's no 1 solderpoint solution (altho it was reported several times that a 1 connectionpoint solution was impossible on xbox. Also note that x-ecuter never said their mod would have only 1 solderpoint , they always said 1 wire) , but anyway it's still the most complete & easiest to install modchip for xbox.
Buy X-ecuter for $49
X-ecuter FAQ
>> From x-ecuter.com :
"Q: How can the mod work with just 1 wire ?
A: Easy. X-ecuter uses a specially designed PCB which is soldered direct to the mainboard - takes 30 seconds.
Q: Surely I can just use one of the public bios' released ?
A: Yes you can. However X-ecuter is the only bios with ALL features on one device. Plus its cheap and easy to install. There are always those
that will flash there own bios - but there are also always those that want to use the latest mod, and this is it.
Q: Can you flash the onboard bios using Evolution-X software and with an X-ecuter installed ?
A: Yes you can.
Q: So basically what you are saying is that this mod takes 5 minutes to fit, and has ALL the features of Enigmah & Evolution-X on one mod ?
A: Absolutley.
Q: Will X-ecuter be working on any new features ?
A: We have an add-on mod in development right now. We can't say what it is yet - but oh yes you'll love it :)
Q: Well isn't this mod just the Evo-x bios ?
A: Of course not - if it was it wouldn't have all the features on one kernel would it ?
Q: I've been hearing stories about you guys being bullshit - care to comment ?
A: The mod uses 1 wire, it takes seconds to install, its cheap, it works. Where's the bullshit ?"
X-ecuter & Messiah-X pre-orders
X-ecuter Update
>> From x-ecuter.com :
"After successful trials and testing with our team of beta testers, we can announce that the X-ecuter will be available before 29th July.
This is the ONLY mod available with 100% of the features on one device.
Forget silly clones like messiah-x and pandora - you may as well just use an enigmah or xtender for $10 as the features are the same
No other mod has the no-patch hack, no reset on eject hack and hdd patch all on one device.
Pictures and installation diagrams will be available at the end of the week.
Every feature that can be unlocked via the bios is now complete. So no need for any flashing of your bios or updates.
All tools and fun stuff will now be software based like the evolution-x and boXplorer.
We've had a sneak peak at some "internal" tools which are being finished and you guys will just love them."
You can pre-order your X-ecuter modchip for just $49 from lik-sang (official X-ecuter reseller)
XBConnect 1.3
>> I saw this on Xboxhacker.net :
XBConnect 1.3 has been released
"1.3i has been released. I have reverted to the network packet driver that 1.2a used. This should solve any network issues and 'unable to find xbox' problems. The server list is now re-sizeable and other minor interface issues fixed."
More information & download here.
DEXBE v0.1
>> Team Dextrose released a new tool called DEXBE.
"This tool unveils almost all secrets of your .xbe-files. Just load in your file and check out the info. You can use the tool to extract all information you want. This is an early version which will be improved soon. Take a look at the readme inside the zip too...."
For more information & download : visit the Team Dextrose Homepage.
boXplorer development
>> T'ulkas , the boXplorer developer , confirmed on our forums that the copy/rename/delete/move file capabilities are now under development.
" I can now reveal that the file operations has gone from "under serious consideration" to "under development".
Expect boXplorer to become a full featured file manager soon"
NEOPOP NGPC port for XBox v1
>> NEOPOP NGPC has been ported to Xbox.
It's a NeoGeo Pocket Color emulator.
Aquaduct : Xbox online with Mac OS X
>> I think it's already out for sometime , but anyway here it is :
"Aquaduct is an Xbox tunneling application for Mac OS X. Using Aquaduct, you can play Xbox System Link-compatible games over the Internet."
For more information & download : The Aquaduct Homepage
EvolutionX wallpaper
>> RuDe DuDe made this cool wallpaper for us , feel free to download it :-)
click the image for a 1024x768 high quality version
Messiah-X
>> Techtrix tested the Messiah-X Final.
"We have now received our sample Messiah-X and last night we set about installing it.
The installation went without a hitch and the unit booted our backups first time.
The chip only needs 11 wires to be soldered to simple solder pads on the underside of the mother board."
Click here for more information.
China-messiah sent us some Messiah-X modchips , we should receive them soon.
boXplorer
>> This looks like a nice new xbox release (hasn't been tested yet) :
"boXplorer (prounced "box plorer") is a file browser for Xbox which allows you to directly browse files and folders on the Xbox harddisk and DVD drive.
boXplorer can also view Xbox video media files (*.WMV) and launch other application or games (*.XBE files).
boXplorer can be booted from a DVD/CD or added to your Xbox harddrive and launched from there.
boXplorer is a great addition to Evolution X dashboard (on either harddrive or DVD/CD) since it provides browsing capabilites which Evolution X currently lacks.
boXplorer currently does not contain any copy/rename/delete/move file capabilities, but this is under serious consideration for a future release :)
I hope you'll like this tool :)
IMPORTANT :
This is a BETA release of boXplorer and has been tested on a PAL Xbox with a fittet Enigmah-X chip and works fine, but the program *may* contains bugs so please use with caution.
And please read the Q & A below before installing this software !!!"
Here are the boXplorer FAQ's (from readme.txt) :
"Q : What is boxExplorer ?
A : A small program you run on your Xbox which enables you to browse the Xbox harddrive and DVD drive
A : Why use boXplorer when we all can browse thru FTP with Evolution X ?
Q : FTP with Evolution X is great but it requires you to have your Xbox connected to a PC and fiddling with IP addresses which may turn some people off.
But if you need an easy, fast and afe way to browse the hardrive directly on the, Xbox boXplorer is the way ;)
Q : Can I use boXplorer as an dashboard replacement ?
A : NO DON'T EVEN TRY! But why would you anyway ? Use Evolution X or keep the standard one !
Q : What is Evolution X/xISO/Enigmah/whatever ?
A : If you don't know, maybe you shouldn't be messing around with this program ?
Q : I can't copy/delete/move/rename files with boXplorer ?
A : This version does not support this, however this may be supported in a future release.
Q : I'm nervous about my Xbox, is boXplorer safe to use ?
A : Yes, it should be completely safe to use since it doesn't write to any files or tries to modify the hardisk content in any way. But if you want to install boXplorer on the harddrive, please be carefull how you install it with Evolution X. Otherwise simply burn it on a DVD/CD and boot it from there :)
Q : When running boXplorer I can't FTP my Xbox ?
A : boXplorer does not contain FTP capabilities, use Evolution X to FTP your Xbox.
Q : Can I browse folders/files on my PC with boXplorer ?
A : No. You can ONLY browse your Xbox harddisk and DVD drive.
Q : Can I browse the internet with boXplorer ?
A : Nooooooo..... why did you have to ask ?!?!?!?!
Q : Can I add my own background/colors to boXplorer ?
A: No, not right now. Maybe I will make support for customization in the future.
Q : When I eject the DVD drive to browse a game DVD, my Xbox resets ?
A: This is normal on some Xbox mod-chips (I'm not an expert here) so if you want to browse a game DVD, insert the game DVD before launching boXplorer on the harddisk using Evolution X of course :)
Q : I'm new at this Xbox hacking stuff... how do I get started ?
A : Check out the sites about the Xbox hacking scene and if you plan on copying stuff to your Xbox hardrive using Evolution X yourself, please be VERY carefull and remember to backup your Xbox harddrive before you start.
If you screw up and your Xbox and it won't work properly, don't blame me !
Q : Have you anything to do with Evolution X ?
A : No, I don't even know the guys except from the scene forums and by their aliases.
Q : I can't get boXplorer to work on my Xbox ?
A : You need a chipped or otherwise modded Xbox which can use "unsigned code". boXplorer had been testet on a PAL Xbox with a Enigmah-X (final) chip, but it should work fine on other chips and US/NTSC Xbox consoles also.
Q : Can I get the source code anywhere ?
A: No, at least not right now. Maybe I will release the source in the future.
Q : Is xboXplorer legal ?
A: No, boXplorer was developed using Microsoft's Xbox Developer Kit (XDK) which is only legal to use for authorized and licenced Xbox developers. So by building my program with the XDK, my program contains MS XDK copyrighted code. I'm only a private person using this project to learn a bit about Xbox development.
Q : When is the next version coming out ?
A : I don't know... I REALLY don't... but soon I hope :)
Q : Where can I find the latest version of boXplorer ?
A : Hard to say since it's basicly illigal... but try Usenet or IRC.
Q : Who are you ?
A : That's for me to know, T'ulkas is not my real name since I wish remain anonymous.
Q : How can I contact you with suggestions and such ?
A : Well you can't directly, but look out for me on the forums that are on the leading Xbox scene sites.
Q : What is Xbox ?
A : A pretty nice videogame console from Microsoft !
Q : What's the meaning of life ?
A : A chair, go figure..."
HU-GO! PCE Emulator port for XBox v2
>> A new version of the PC engine emulator has been released.
"What's New:
- Save state
- Can selectively turn off each of the 6 sound channels. This will make certain games with that "rumbly" noise sound much better.
- Correctly sized screen for all games
- Full screen ( well, as big as can be while maintaining aspect ratio )
- Toggle bkg-write flipping. Useful on certain games like AirZonk where the background flashes like a strobelight
- Menu bar (whoop-de-doo)
- Game lists sorted alphabetically"
Again no download link ... 'cause build with MS SDK.
Quake3 and Return To Castle Wolfenstein
>> ADebar of the xboxhacker.net forums announced in this thread that people are working on a "unofficial" port of Quake3 & Return To Castle Wolfenstein to Xbox.
It will be very interesting to see how these will be ported and what will be the difference with the official RTCW port.
