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Week of November 23, 2008
Maximus 360 Xtractor Reader v2.7
>> Maximus released a new version of his Xtractor Reader:
[QUOTE]
WHAT IS IT:
* Graphical tool to allow read keys from Lite On / Benq Drives
* It supports USB key dumping if using with an 360 Xtractor Tool
* Also contains bonus feature as NO-SLAX ModeB command
* Can work with 360 xtractor tool or other (homemade max323) adapters, even rival tools are welcome
MAIN FEATURES:
- Key reading on Liteon Benq Drives
- key.bin/identify.bin/inquiry.bin file generation
- Allow ORIGINAL / CLONE detection for 360 Xtractor Tool (R.I.P. D.France)
- BONUS FEATURE: Send ModeB command to All Hitachi Drives (even 78/79) NO SLAX REQUIRED
WHAT'S NEW ON 2.7:
* ADDED: Detect button for COM ports so it can locate easier the Virtual com port that windows assigned to the xtractor (if using xtractor usb conection).
* FIXED: Inquiry data returned zero on some sata cards.
[/QUOTE]
Official Site: http://www.maximusgames.net/360xtractor.php (thx to hitman43 for the news)
Download: here
Buy Maximus 360 Xtractor ($36): gocybershopping.com
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(Saturday 29 November 2008 23:20 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
Jasper Motherboard in the Wild: 256MB Internal 'MU', 150W PSU, ...
>> It looks like the first Jasper motherboards (which should have the new 65nm GPU) are now out in the wild!
Moddage posted pictures of his new Jasper 360 on our forums (here and here) and we also received some pictures from The Dude Z. Both are Arcade SKUs made 10-23-2008 Lot #0843X by Team FDOU.
The new power supply is now 150W (25W less than those used with Falcon boards) and the plug has of course been changed so u can't plugin this PSU into an older motherboard.
Other unannounced change ... the onboard flash chip has grown from 16MB to 256MB. Microsoft included internal memory storage, so the Arcade SKU now ships without (external) Memory Unit and the new NXE dash will install fully on the flashchip (rather than requiring a HDD or external MU). But the internal memory can also be used to store gamesave data, XBLA games, videos or whatever ... u can use it asif it was an external MU. As the flash chip is also used for the kernel/keyvault/dash etc there seems to be about 214MB left according to scoldingice on our forums to store your own stuff (this is prior NXE install, if you install NXE it will take most of the space).
I'm guessing the Jasper PRO and Elite SKUs will also come with this internal memory. It's just cheaper for Microsoft to make 1 type of motherboard for all SKUs rather than making a different version for each SKU. Also seems logic in a way ... get the full NXE dash on the internal flash is much 'cleaner' than using HDD/MU for it.
The motherboard design didn't change much ... besides the bigger flash and what's probably the new 65nm GPU, we also see a new south bridge model ... the rest (videochip, CPU, heatsinks, general board layout, ...) seems pretty much similar to falcon boards.
It also appears there are RAM chips on the bottom of the board again (without thermal pads even) ... Microsoft recently switched to RAM chips with double capacity so they could drop the 4 chips on bottom (and only place 4 on the top) ... but apparently they are back (old stock maybe?). However the type of RAM chips they use is not bound to the motherboard revision ... there are falcon boards with RAM chips only on the top and falcon boards with RAM chips on both top and bottom. Same can happen for the jasper boards.
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(Thursday 27 November 2008 21:34 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
Sony 'Way Ahead' on Environmental Issues
>> From edge-online.com:
[QUOTE]
Greenpeace International has told Edge that Sony is a significantly greener videogame company than both Microsoft and Nintendo. And while Microsoft is improving its standards, Nintendo is performing woefully.
Sony: 24/45
Microsoft: 15/45
Nintendo: 4/45
And though Microsoft's score suggests they are not too far from Sony in the broadest sense, the company's score of fifteen points were largely tallied in three areas; precautionary principles, chemicals management and a timeline for phasing out potentially dangerous chemicals. Microsoft scored nine points in these three areas and failed to impress Greenpeace in a number of other areas, yet Sony accumulated its higher total by a focused effort across the spectrum of green measures.
"Microsoft is just getting on board with the environment. They've just hired a sustainability team, and we are seeing movement from Microsoft with its 360 console, but the company had started from a very low base."
Kruszewska does praise Microsoft for making its changes, however, especially in its promise to eliminate PVC BFRs [brominated flame retardants - known for their toxic properties, resistance to degradation in the environment and an ability to 'build' inside humans and animals] by the end of 2010. "But really, they have it so easy because they only make two core hardware products - the 360 and the Zune - they should really be way ahead. But they are coming on board for sure."
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: edge-online.com (3 pages)
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(Thursday 27 November 2008 00:54 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
Will the Xbox 360's lead over the PS3 last?
>> From seattlepi.nwsource.com:
[QUOTE]
For two months in a row now, the Xbox 360 has solidly outsold the PlayStation 3. But in an interview last week, a PlayStation executive said that the Xbox 360's rise was a "blip" attributable to its September price cut and that the consoles would be neck and neck during the holidays.
"We're going to see a very tight race this holiday because of our gaming lineup," said John Koller, Sony's director of hardware marketing. "We're very bullish on holiday sales."
So far this year, sales of the PS3 and the Xbox 360 are essentially tied, with each console maker selling about 2.4 million units. Prior to the price cut, though, the PS3 had the lead, with 2 million unit sales through August to the Xbox 360's 1.7 million.
"You are going to see all consoles do well seasonally," Koller said. "Going into next year that's when proof is going to be."
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: seattlepi.nwsource.com
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(Thursday 27 November 2008 00:50 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
Xbox 360 enjoys biggest European sales week ever
>> From mcvuk.com:
[QUOTE]
Platform holder Microsoft has revealed that it 'recently' enjoyed its biggest ever sales week in Europe - and it's thanking the effects of the economic crisis for the boom.
A press release from the firm reads: "British families are set to spend more quality time together than in the last ten years this Christmas, as the economic downturn drives more families to stay at home and enjoy entertainment together.
"These trends show that providing both a broad experience and value to consumers with Xbox 360 is in line with consumer sentiment. To date, we have sold seven million consoles in Europe and recently enjoyed our biggest sales week ever. Our trend research shows that families are looking for gifts that keep on giving throughout the year.
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: mcvuk.com
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(Wednesday 26 November 2008 14:31 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
Columbia Pictures flicks - mostly - back on 360 Netflix
>> From engadget.com:
[QUOTE]
We never got a satisfactory answer for why they disappeared in the first place, but it seems the majority of the Columbia Pictures' movies on Netflix Instant Watch lists suddenly switched to "not available on Xbox 360" are However Columbia Pictures movies tagged with the "available through Starz Play" logo -- including Bad Boys and Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story -- are still out.
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: engadget.com
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(Wednesday 26 November 2008 00:10 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
Xecuter Connectivity Kit v3 Samples Pictures
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(Wednesday 26 November 2008 00:02 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
Black Friday: Spotlight on Xbox 360 deals
>> From xbox360fanboy.com:
[QUOTE]
The deal mongers have been waiting all year and the shopping addicts have been frothing at the bit for over eleven months for this Friday's shopping mega event. That's right, this Friday is officially Black Friday 2008, the day retailers (traditionally) try to entice shoppers into their stores with low prices, loss leading items and deals galore.
Here at X3F, we know you just want Xbox 360 deals, so that's what we're offering. We've weeded through all the retailer ads and bring you our comprehensive list of all the Xbox 360 Black Friday deals listed by store. We even separated all the Xbox 360 hardware deals into one category for easy deal comparison. Hit the break for a textual overload of Black Friday savings.
[/QUOTE]
Check out all the deals on xbox360fanboy.com.
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(Tuesday 25 November 2008 16:33 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
Xbox 360 unveils a 72 Hour Line Up of Unmissable Entertainment this weekend
>> From the press release:
[QUOTE]
Xbox 360 proudly presents Xtival - a three day non-stop party available to all Xbox 360 owners from midday on 28th-30th November, via Xbox LIVE. Xtival will showcase 72 hours of EXCLUSIVE entertainment, including music, movies and games direct to your living room.
Kicking off the festival on Friday will be renowned British band The Prodigy. Marking a triumphant return to the spotlight, the band are offering an exclusive downloadable HD video of the title track from their new album,"Invaders Must Die", ahead of its official March 2009 release."This is the first time our fans will be able to download exclusive material from the new album, and we are glad to be part of the Xtival weekend," said The Prodigy's Liam Howlett.
Britain's biggest rock n roll band Oasis will be headlining the virtual festival on Saturday 29th November. Fans of the band will be able to download three songs from their No 1 album'Dig Out Your Soul', for Guitar Hero World Tour, available exclusively on Xbox LIVE for a limited time.
Closing the festival on Sunday will be Brit Award Winners Franz Ferdinand, who'll be treating music fans to the video of the first single from their new album, ahead of its January 2009 release.
But Xtival will also offer more than just music; it offers a whole range of entertainment, HD movies, competitions and gaming tournaments all delivered straight to your Xbox 360 console. Film fans will be treated to exclusive content from 2009's biggest cult movie"The Watchman," with Xbox LIVE Video Store offering 7'Webisodes' from director, Zack Snyder's website, all available for free and in High Definition during Xtival and beyond.
Cancel your plans and block out your diaries - Xtival is your chance to round up all your mates, hang out for 3 days and experience the very best in digital entertainment- all brought to you by Xbox 360.
For more details on Xtival and how to win some fantastic prizes, including the chance to chat with The Prodigy, please visit www.xbox.com/xtival08
[/QUOTE]
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(Tuesday 25 November 2008 14:08 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
iPrep 101 v008 Pro Beta
>> Klutsh released a new version of iPrep 101(info) a .NET application and collection of MSDOS scripts/applications for use in flashing a Samsung TS-H943A or BenQ DVD drives.
What's new/fixed:
* Removed MTKFlash, now exclusive use of DOSFlash.
* Forced use of removeable drives.
* Win32 UI for DVDKey32.
* Ability to generate valid BenQ/Samsung Lite-On Spoof Firmware.
* Includes FirmTool 1.2, DVDKey32 v0.6, DosFlash(info) 1.6.
Official Site: x-projects.org
Download: here
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(Monday 24 November 2008 21:26 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
Microsoft Opens the Flood Gates of Community Game Development in New Regions
>> From the press release:
[QUOTE]
Following the highly-anticipated launch of the Community Games channel as part of the New Xbox Experience on Nov. 19, Microsoft today announced that it will open up the service to even more developers around the world to create their own games for Xbox 360 and share them with millions. Beginning on Dec. 15, independent, student and hobbyist developers in Singapore, Australia and New Zealand will have the opportunity to distribute their titles on the new Xbox LIVE Community Games Channel and potentially share in the profits from their creations.
For developers like team Gambit of Singapore that created the 2008 Dream-Build-Play first place winner "CarneyVale: Showtime," this offers the unique ability to develop games using Microsoft's free XNA development toolset, share them on a console like never before and potentially turn the hobby of game-making into a full-fledged career. An XNA Premium Creators Club Membership, which is only $99 (USD) a year, will allow game makers to participate in the multi-billion-dollar-a-year industry. For Xbox LIVE members, it means more diverse and innovative titles that are only available on Xbox 360.
"If our annual Dream-Build-Play competition taught us one thing, it is that there is such a wealth of creativity and imagination in this region, and all over the world, that should be shared with millions," General Manager of the XNA Boyd Multerer said. "Now even more developers can participate in what we expect to be a worldwide movement to truly democratize game development."
A host of new and creative ideas are already appearing on the Xbox LIVE Community Games Channel, including 3-D fighting experiences like "Colosseum" and games for the entire family like "Word Soup." Community-created games on Xbox LIVE are expected to add hundreds of titles of the Xbox 360 video game library, offering some of the most inventive and unpredictable games ever seen on consoles. By the end of 2008, Xbox 360 owners are expected to have access to the largest, most creatively diverse game library across all next-generation platforms, with more than 1,000 titles spanning Community Games, Xbox LIVE Arcade and retail blockbuster titles.
Singapore, Australia and New Zealand join the growing list of countries including the United States, Canada, England, France, Italy Spain and the Nordic regions that can publish Xbox LIVE Community Games. More detailed information about Community Games and Creators Club Memberships can be found by visiting http://creators.xna.com.
[/QUOTE]
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(Monday 24 November 2008 18:08 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
Xbox 360 HDD Install Space Requirements Database
>> Neogaf.com has a list of the space required to install games on your Xbox 360 HDD with the NXE. Most games seem to required around 5 to 6.8gb of free space.
According to the list there are also a few games that will not install on HDD (error messsage: "Installation of this game is not supported."): Burger King trilogy, Crackdown, Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball 2
and Quake II (included on Quake IV bonus disk).
Check out the full list on Neogaf.com.
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(Monday 24 November 2008 13:39 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
Confirmed: 360 global sales surpass original Xbox
>> From mcvuk.com:
[QUOTE]
Microsoft has told MCV that the Xbox 360 has now topped its predecessor's installed base around the globe.
The company previously noted that it expected to achieve the feat at the end of this month - but it has now confirmed to MCV that 360 has already overtaken the original Xbox's total sales of 25 million.
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: mcvuk.com
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(Monday 24 November 2008 13:29 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
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