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Week of July 23, 2006
Fractal360 - Universal Xbox 360 DVD Firmware PatchMod
>> From Team Fractal:
[QUOTE]
The Fractal 360. A universal, comprehensive and efficient solution which will be sure to push the boundaries within this mod category.
With over five years of PCB manufacturing to our credit, our 360 mod is physically designed just as greatly as it is perceived.
The launch date of the Fractal360 has been set for the 20th of August 2006
We are delighted to release preliminary information on what we believe to be the ultimate universal 360 DVD firmware chip
Fractal 360 specs :
* Reduced number of wires to solder
* On the fly patching! Your on-board firmware will stay unchanged
* Fully compatible with actual Security sectors without need to reburn games
* Media fix for hitachi readers (increased media compatibility)
* Security sectors and game ripping on both hitachi and samsung readers
* Fully automatic disable feature for original game boot
This is an non exhaustive list of features.
The full features list will be announced in 2 weeks, so stay tuned
[/QUOTE]
Official Site: http://www.fractalteam.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Gentoox Loader v6.05, Sparkle v3.0, Resctoox v5.0, Home v6.0, Pro v4.0
>> ShALLaX updated all his Gentoox releases:
[QUOTE]
Okay, so I've finally committed myself to using ReiserFS. I have been working on new releases of everything (except MCE for now).
I've been messing around with XFS, JFS, EXT3 and ReiserFS. Performance seems pretty similar between XFS, JFS and EXT3 when using default settings. However, ReiserFS seems to use much less processor power when used on a loopback device. I have discovered using the "notail" and "noatime" options for ReiserFS get rid of the risk of crashing... the problem is that using "notail" means that ReiserFS can no longer pack files tail-to-tail, which is used to improve space usage efficiency (at a cost of slower performance and greater CPU utilisation). I think it was this greater CPU utilisation that caused it to kernel panic. Instead of Home taking ~2.3GB, it now takes ~2.7GB with exactly the same files, but it feels FAR more responsive than with EXT3.
* Gentoox Loader(info) v6.05 - Done, tested, released.
What's new/fixed:
- Pressing left now redraws the screen (avoids garbled text).
- Sync'ed a few files with Cromwell(info)-proper.
- Compiled with GCC 3.4.6.
Download: here
* Gentoox Sparkle(info) v3.0 - Done, tested, released.
What's new/fixed:
* Switched to reiserfs support ONLY.
Download: here
* Resctoox(info) v5.0 - Done, tested, released.
Download: here
* Gentoox Home(info) v6.0 - Done, tested, released.
What's new/fixed:
+ Gentoox Loader v6.05
+ Updated software as of 25th-Jul-2006.
+ Fully synced with magic as of 25th-Jul-2006.
+ ReiserFS filesystem.
+ Sparkle 3.0
Download: here
Manual/Readme: here
* Gentoox Pro(info) v4.0 - Done, tested, released.
What's new/fixed:
+ Gentoox Loader v6.05
+ Updated software as of 26th-Jul-2006.
+ Fully synced with magic as of 26th-Jul-2006.
+ ReiserFS filesystem.
+ Sparkle 3.0
Download: here
Manual/Readme: here
[/QUOTE]
Official Site: http://gentoox.shallax.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
XCM High Speed Air Cooler Add-On Fan Installation Instructions
W.I.P. GaryOPA Xtreme v2.0 Hitachi-LG Firmware
>> O.P.A. (GaryOPA) posted some details about their upcoming (not yet released) v2.0 Hitachi-LG firmware package:
[QUOTE]
Everyone has been waiting and complaining, about no Security Sector Extraction on the Hitachi drives.
First "Spectrum4eva" made a F900 firmware for the v47 drives, but this firmware was buggy.
Then "Commorade4eve" made the Xtreme v2.0 for Toshiba/Samsung so one firmware was both playing and SS extraction.
Then "Birdy" try to make a F900 Merged (Xtreme v2.0) for the v46 drives, but this firmware and flasher is buggy.
Here at O.P.A. we have been working on solving this once and for all, but my email and PM box's are flooded with everyone asking when is it going to happen, where is the ENABLE0800 or F900 or SS extract for all the Hitachi drives.
This is not easy work, and I been busy doing other things, but here is a short progress report:
#1: Code has been finished and tested on v47 drive, working good.
#2: Final porting over to other drives is in progress.
#3: To be completed is the testing on all the other six drives.
Package will be released ASAP, once testing is completed!
Just hold your breath a little longer!
[/QUOTE]
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
TeamXbox: Xbox Portable Explored
>> From teamxbox.com:
[QUOTE]
Over the last couple weeks, there has been much talk about Microsoft's forthcoming portable media player, a.k.a. Zune or as many like to call it (and with a bit of luck for Microsoft), the iPod killer. But before the buzzword for Microsoft's media player began, there were rumors of a portable Xbox. Dean Takahashi- the author of both "Opening the Xbox" and "The Xbox 360 Uncloacked"- even claimed that the software giant was indeed working on a handheld game player, sometimes called "Xboy" or "Xpod".
By now, I don't think the release of a portable Xbox is matter of if Microsoft will, could or should release a gaming handheld. It's just a matter of when. In my opinion, Microsoft is kind of forced to release a handheld console, since both Nintendo and Sony have portable gaming machines already in the market, and what's more, these systems also interact with their respective next-generation elder brothers.
It's because of all these facts that I decided to explore the possibilities of a portable Xbox. Below is what I've discovered thus far...
[/QUOTE]
Read the whole editorial (5 pages) on teamxbox.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
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(Saturday 29 July 2006 00:17 EST) - (Category: Xbox_Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
Massive Could Become Microsoft's Exclusive In-Game Ad Provider
>> From next-gen.biz:
[QUOTE]
Earlier this month, Next-Gen spoke with two of the biggest in-game ad players (Double Fusion and IGA Worldwide) about trends in the in-game ad industry, and what's being done so that the sector meets its full potential.
We also touched on how Microsoft's acquisition of top in-game ad provider Massive may hinder the industry's growth. There is the possibility that Microsoft could deem Massive as the exclusive provider of ads for the Xbox 360, essentially blocking competitors such as Double Fusion and IGA Worldwide from 360-related revenue.
While Nicholas Longano, president of Massive, did offer more than Microsoft's "no comment" response, Longano didn't provide a conclusive answer to the exclusivity question. When asked if Massive would be the only company allowed to bring ads into Xbox 360 games, he said, "At this particular point in time, we're working and we're integrating and applying ourselves across many platforms. We've got a technology that's proven, robust ... It's a solution that works, it's accepted by the publishing world, by advertisers, and it provides a good game experience, and right now, that's really the most important element.
For the overall industry Longano doesn't believe an exclusivity deal would hinder growth.
"I don't see how it could possibly hurt the industry," he said. "I think at the end of the day, the most important element is that we're working with the publishers that are in our network, and representing those titles."
He continued, "The worst thing that can happen [for the industry] is when you have multiple representatives going out there and trying to represent the same content. That's when there's confusion that takes place. ... Confusion slows down the market. Right now, I think that the marketplace, and when I say the marketplace, I'm talking about advertisers, right now they know there's a solution. Massive is a tremendous solution. It's tried, it's tested, it's proven."
[/QUOTE]
Read More: next-gen.biz
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Microsoft: No Plans For Internal HD-DVD 360 Drives
>> The Team Xbox GamerScore Blog already said Microsoft has no plans atm to release an Xbox 360 with internal addon. Today the General Manager of Xbox Japan confirmed it again on totalvideogames.com - but he doesn't exclude the possibility for later either:
[QUOTE]
Speaking to the Mainichi, Takashi Sensui, General Manager Xbox Japan, has suggested that Microsoft currently have no plans to incorporate the forthcoming HD-DVD drive internally within Xbox 360 units, but did suggest that this could be a possibility if consumers show enough demand.
Obviously Microsoft are in a position where they'll wait and see how next-generation DVD pans out before making such a decision; who will win between HD-DVD and Blu-ray; whether such a feature warrants the exorbitant price that Sony are demanding for the PlayStation3 and if gamers are really concerned about such a feature.
[/QUOTE]
Read More: totalvideogames.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
XVBoy v0.2
>> Alg5 released XVBoy, a new Nintendo Virtual Boy emulator port to Xbox:
[QUOTE]
XVBoy is an Xbox port of Red Dragon, a Virtual Boy emulator: the failed attempt from nintendo to make a kind of "virtual reality" game system.
Graphics and controller are emulated. 3D graphics can be emulated with 3D red & blue rendering: it means that you need red & blue glasses.
Original source code was using allegro which is not available on Xbox: some hacks were needed to port it (streching is not implemented)!
 Virtual Boy Wario in 3D rendering
Some instructions:
Put your roms in /roms/ subdirectory. Zip files are allowed.
3D with red/blue system can be activated or deactivated in the menu.
Frame Skip can be adjust from the menu.
While in game, press white button to go to the menu.
To Do:
* Optimise (don't know if i will do it).
* Save ram state
* Implement masked_stretch_blit
Along with this new emulator, here is a xbox porting "how to" with XVBoy as proof of concept: http://alg5.ifrance.com/Xbox_porting/index.htm
This howto is still in ealy beta stage...
[/QUOTE]
Official Site: http://www.darcelf.tk
Download Binaries: n/a (built with XDK) | Download Sources: here
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Birdy Hitachi-LG Friendly Flasher v2.2 R3 7in1
>> Birdy released an update/bugfix to the v2.2 of his Hitachi-LG friendly GUI Flasher firmware package that comes with Xtreme v1.3 FW for all versions and for FW 46 you also get Xtreme FW v2.0 (Xtreme v1.3 merged with F900 (extracting SS)):
[QUOTE]
* flasher.exe access violation solved
Sorry on some computer there was an 'access violation' bug.
This is the solved with this new flasher.
* This 'R3' release corrects some sequences on SCP files and has a better flash routine.
Use this version for new flash.
In this version the flasher has better access to the drive (ring0).
[/QUOTE]
Download: n/a (could be illegal under DMCA/EUCD)
News-Source: xboxhacker.net(1) and xboxhacker.net(2)
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
XCM High Speed Air Cooler Add-on Fan and XCM H.D Cover
>> Team Xtender announced two new XCM products coming for the Xbox 360:
[QUOTE]
* XCM High Speed air cooler add on fan
To Maximize the cooling effect on the Xbox 360,we design the 2nd fan (the XCM add on fan) to work with the XCM high speed air cooler(buy now), after adding this add on fan, the temperature of CPU and GPU of xbox 360 console can be decreased an additional of 3-5 Celsius.the XCM high speed air cooler with add on fan will be the best cooling system for the xbox 360.
Other external fan only exhausts the heat and make the loud noise, XCM high speed air cooler add on fan expels heat to the exhaust fan and the exhaust fan exhausts all the heat out of the console,it is the best efficient air cooler and quiet in working as well.
XCM high speed air cooler is come with the LCD display to show the temperature.
Exhaust fan is a high speed fan which was built in nice blue LED.
XCM add on fan is special designed for xbox 360, which also built in BLUE LEDs for a cool Neon Blue effect
2 temperature sensor wires for heat data feedback
1 set of 360 console opening tool (we made the first 360 opening tool to unpack the 360 console)
* XCM H.D (For Hitachi DVD rom) Cover
Using this DVD cover with XCM 360 crystal case ,you can see through the DVD game,how does it spin and loading, it was designed with 2 parts,the metal part and plastic part,the plastic cover can protect the lens from the dust,the S.D (For Samsung cover will be available after 2 weeks).
[/QUOTE]
Official Site: www.teamxtender.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Xecuter Xbox 360 Connectivity Kits Giveaway Part1
>> Well we received these prizes from Team xecuter a while ago already, so blame me for the delay in starting this give-away. However I have all packages, stamps, bubble paper, registred airmail papers and whatnot ready ... so shipping should go smoothly once I have all the addresses.
We received 50 xecuter xbox 360 connectivity kits (retail value ~1500 USD!) to give-away to you guys.
We'll do that in 2 parts (25 each) ... first one is extremely easy, for the 2nd part you'll have to do something ;)
To participate in this first part all your have to do is reply on this forum thread (with any txt you want, as long as it's not offensive/illegal) - BUT only existing members can participate (registered to our forum on or before July 27th 2006 gmt+2).
Winners will be randomly selected.
For full details and rules: Team xecuter Xbox 360 Connectivity Kits Giveaway, PART 1 (25x)
Xbox 360 Full Skin Sets
>> Divineo.com now has "Sticker" Skins for the Xbox360 case:
[QUOTE]
Cover almost all the Xbox 360: Faceplate, top and bottom.
Customize your Xbox 360 with our skins. Theses skins are high quality, durable, precision-cut pieces of vinyl that can be applied to the Xbox 360. With every skin you get razor sharp photo quality prints on the highest quality glossy vinyl. Apply easily in minutes with high quality results. These vinyl skins last years and removes 100% clean with NO RESIDUE!
Available Skins ($19.99):
* 360 Circles
* 360 Circles BLACK
* Camo Concrete
* Dark Soul Black
* Dark Soul GREEN
* Green Vortex
* Nextgen
* The 360
[/QUOTE]
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Xbox 360 to Make Money at last in Fiscal Year 2008
>> From pcworld.idg.com.au/thestreet.com:
[QUOTE]
Microsoft will see profitability in its Xbox business by its 2008 fiscal year, the company said at its annual Financial Analyst Meeting Thursday.
Robbie Bach, president of Microsoft's Entertainment & Devices Division, said that although the Xbox business will lose money for the second year in a row in fiscal 2007, which began July 1, the loss will not be as big as it was in fiscal 2006, which was a "transitional" year for the company's game console as Microsoft readied its second-generation Xbox 360 product. Fiscal year 2008 for Microsoft begins July 1, 2007.
Wall Street analysts, who made up the bulk of attendees at the conference in Redmond, Washington, have been asking Microsoft executives when they will start to see a return on investment in some of the company's new business segments, such as entertainment and online services. Though Xbox has been a commercial success, it has not delivered a return on the US$3 billion Microsoft has put into it so far.
Bach also made it clear that despite persistent rumors to the contrary, the company is not planning to cut the price of the Xbox. "We're comfortable" with the current pricing, he said. Industry sources say that Sony, maker of the upcoming Playstation 3, faces manufacturing problems that will likely keep the new version of console in short supply when it debuts later in the year.
Given that, Microsoft would rather keep the margin then cut prices to build share.
[/QUOTE]
A bit more about this Financial Analyst Meeting on the Team Xbox GamerScoreBlog:
[QUOTE]
Robbie Bach just finished up his presentation this morning at "FAM," our annual meeting for inancial analysts.
Since it's information we're sharing with the public, the good folks at Microsoft.com have made the webcast available. You can even download Robbie's PowerPoint slides (16MB).
[/QUOTE]
Read More: pcworld.idg.com.au, thestreet.com and gamerscoreblog.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Running Vista Media Center on Xbox 360 - Video
>> If you wonder how the Xbox 360 interface looks like when used as Vista Media Center Extender, the guys over at iandixon.co.uk posted a video using the latest Windows Vista beta build:
[QUOTE]
Last night I played with the extender function of Windows Vista. This is the first time I have got my Xbox 360 working as an extender with Vista.
Using the latest build of Vista (5472) I setup up the Xbox 360 as an extender. The setup was very simple, it seems slicker that the XP version and maybe a little quicker.
Once up and running it looks exactly like Media Center running on Vista, with the new UI and sounds.
I made a little video of Vista Media Center running on my XBOX 360, check out the new mini guide in action as well as the the new sounds:
[/QUOTE]
News-Source: iandixon.spaces.msn.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
HomeMade Xbox 360 DVD Patch Mod in Development
>> Here's some interesting news we received about a homemade Xbox 360 DVD PatchMod:
[QUOTE]
Homemade 360 Modchip:
* Patches ALL Models/FW on-the-fly
* Enable/Disable Feature
* Fast Booting on Samsung & Hitachi
It took me only 3h to make this homebrew [homemade/D.I.Y.] version and it works great on all drives tested. The best way to implement the amount of bytes for a decent hack is to use 11 wires. I got the NME "1 Byte" fewer wires patch method working as it was simple but the actual hack is pretty awful so this is the way to go in my opinion. I have a bunch of new ideas before this goes to RTM.
[/QUOTE]
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Revealed: X06 - New IP is New Bungie Title
>> From spong.com:
[QUOTE]
It was revealed yesterday that a major new IP from Microsoft Game Studios is going to be announced in the near future, with the European Xbox event X06 most likely to be playing host to the news. Fresh information obtained by SPOnG today reveals Bungie will be announcing a brand new IP in the near future, with the X06 announcement likely coming from the Halo-famed studio.
Speaking to a Microsoft source close to the management of the entire Xbox 360 project today, we were told that, "As far as things stand, Halo 3 is the last game [in the series] and it's more than just 'a thing to say' which I know came as a surprise to everyone [at Microsoft Game Studios not involved with the decision-making process] when it was announced. A new game from Bungie, not Halo 4, will be announced soon and pre-production has begun. So if you're looking for what to expect at X06, you should be looking at that."
[/QUOTE]
Read More: spong.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Xbox 360 Scoops Best Gadget Prize by T3
>> From bbc.co.uk:
[QUOTE]
Microsoft's Xbox 360 has been voted the best games console by technology fans.
It fought off competition from Sony's PlayStation Portable (PSP) and Nintendo's DS Lite to scoop the prize.
Five thousand readers of gadget magazine T3 nominated their favourite appliances for the publication's first reader's awards.
Other winners included the iPod 30GB for best MP3 player and the Sony Ericsson W810i for the most sought-after mobile phone.
The laptop prize went to Apple for its MacBook Pro, chosen for the way it "combined both style and performance".
[/QUOTE]
Read More: bbc.co.uk
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Xeno 360 Connectivity Kit High-Res Sample Pictures
>> Here are High-Res pictures of the Xeno Xbox 360 Connectivity Kit Sample we received from extreme-mods.com.
The devices are pretty similar to the Xecuter(info) Connectivity Kit(info), except some PCB/chip differences, the packaging and instead of an extra DVD power/eject cable (for the ODD Adapter) the Xeno kit comes with an SATA cable (for the HDD Adapter).
More Pictures:
* HDD-SATA Adapter (back): low-res | high-res
* ODD Adapter (back): low-res | high-res
* ODD Adapter Quality-Check Close-Up: low-res | high-res
* Xeno 360 Connectivity Kit Package: low-res | high-res
* Xeno 360 Connectivity Kit Package (opened): low-res | high-res
Features:
[QUOTE]
Optical Disc Drive Adapter (ODD):
* Debug mode allowing an ODD to be recognized in Windows/Linux with no special software [Hitachi-LG drive only]
* Status Leds
* Eject Function
HD-SATA Adapter for Xbox 360:
* High quality SATA HDD connection
* Effortlessly transfer files from your 360 hard drive to your PC without opening up the case!
* Free SATA-SATA cable
[/QUOTE]
Buy Now (~$19): extreme-mods.com | divineo.com | divineo.cn
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
New MC360 Beta 0.98657 Available
>> From Team Blackbolt:
[QUOTE]
Its been a slow week for XBMC and MC360 production, it must be this heat we are having all over the world thanks to global warming, but we decided to release a build anyway for those folks who want the very latest of everything. This build is very latest from the MC360 development tree and is a total work in progress, so if you find any bugs please report them here, in the appropriate forum. Within the readme for the build is a changelog of all changes since the last build on July 10th. Apart from bug fixes and other small behind the scenes things, the main things to notice in this build are the new Login Screens for the profiles and the new buttons on the Shutdown blade which is accessed by pressing the Right Thumbstick in, much like PM3. So go to the downloads section and click MC360 for XBMC to download the latest version and get it installed. Remember we always appreciate support in any form, whether it be a friendly google ad click or a donation via the paypal donate button found all over this page, its end of the month, so payday and I know you guys out there would love to help us out! Untill our next release which should hopefully include the new things I talked about in previous updates, peace out.
Don't forget, coming this weekend is the Superman Returns full theme for MC360, expect that at the back end of the weekend, because as always we all have lives that get in the way of working on MC360 and so I will have to use what time I have at the weekend to add the finishing touches to the theme set. It has been a while coming, but it will finally be here, it will finally Return...so cheesy. Laters.
[/QUOTE]
Official Site: http://blackbolt.x-scene.com
Download: here
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Xbox 360 Piracy Spreading Fast In China
>> From gamasutra.com:
[QUOTE]
As part of Gamasutra's visit to Shanghai for this week's ChinaJoy game exhibition, we've discovered that Xbox 360 game piracy appears to be spreading notably in the country, with at least one vendor offering Xbox 360 titles such as Hitman: Blood Money for around 30 Chinese yuan ($3.50).
This development has occurred after an incident in March 2006, in which hackers managed to flash changes to the BIOS on the Xbox 360's Optical Disc Drive which allowed non-authenticated (copied) games to be played. Further information on the hack surfaced in late May, when other parties appear to have released a public version of the exploit, and Microsoft's Gamerscore Blog published an official response to the problem.
But, judging by the shrinkwrapped copies of Xbox 360 titles available publically in the country, Microsoft's much-vaunted security system has been definitively bypassed for physical media-based Xbox 360 games - with stores or individuals in Shanghai presumably offering to flash the Xbox 360's disc drive BIOS for a fee.
As for the large selection of Xbox 360 games available, a recent Chinese-language article at Sina.com pictures some of the titles readily available at game vendors throughout China, also including Ninety-Nine Nights, Fight Night Round 3, and Project Gotham Racing 3.
[/QUOTE]
Read More: gamasutra.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
MS Denies 360 Price Drop
>> From computerandvideogames.com:
[QUOTE]
Rumours have swirled out of the Taiwanese OEM market this morning that Microsoft is planning a huge $100 price drop on the Xbox 360 this Christmas, as a direct response to the launch of Sony's PlayStation 3.
Microsoft Taiwan has apparently moved swiftly to scotch the rumours, with spokeswoman Freda Lee saying "We do not have plans to lower the price of the Xbox 360 before the end of the year." However, seasoned MS watchers should be taking both sides' statements with more than a pinch of salt. On the one hand, the OEM rumours would seem to be just that - rumours - as there's no way the Redmond giant would commit to any definitive price drop this early in the piece.
Yet on the other hand, MS Taiwan 'protests too much we think' to misquote the bard. It's more than conceivable, indeed some would say extremely likely, that MS will drop its Xbox 360 price in response to the Sony launch, especially in eastern markets where the 360 has failed to make significant inroads into the games-playing public's affections.
[/QUOTE]
Read More: computerandvideogames.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Birdy Hitachi-LG friendly Flasher v2.2 7in1 Xtreme v1.3 and v2.0 - New options
>> Birdy released v2.2 of his Hitachi-LG friendly GUI Flasher firmware package with several new features like customizable firmware, repatch, restore without original and more...
It comes with Xtreme v1.3 FW for all versions and for FW 46 you also get Xtreme FW v2.0 (which is Xtreme v1.3 merged with F900 (to extract security sectors) in 1 FW):
[QUOTE]
Birdy Hitachi friendly Flasher with Xtreme v1.3 (All versions) - v2.0 (46)
RELEASE INFO:
Friendly Flasher (Windows application) for Hitachi drives
Includes Xtreme hack v1.3 for All versions and v2.0 for 46 versions
NEW FEATURES:
- Support all firmware version
- Geremia tweak -> version 1.3
- Greeting windows, you know what version of firmware your flashing
- Upgrade a firmware over an existing xtreme
- Reverse patch without original.bin
- Customizable firmware: you can select the tweak you need: tray tweak, f900, geremia, etc... (see screenshot)
- New functions in SCP.
- You can repatch a allready patched firmware (if you change a option)
- Extra tool include: scpcreator. !!This tool is for hacker only!!, it help to create a new scp file for new firmware revision. You select an original firmware, your modified firmware and than it generate a SCP file auto. No need to use scpcreator to flash your drive!!
FEATURES:
- Auto-Detect Hitachi Drive connected to Windows and its firmware version
- Can restore / flash with user friendly interface
- Auto Retry if flashing or restoring fails
- Auto Verify if Flash / Restore went sucessfully
- Xtreme Hack 1.3 contains all the goodies mentioned on previous releases (see releases from birdy , geremia and garyopa)
[/QUOTE]
Download: n/a (could be illegal under DMCA/EUCD)
News-Source: xboxhacker.net
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
XplorerImageConvertor (XIC) v1.0
>> From 360gamesaves.com:
[QUOTE]
We've noticed lately that a few people are uploading Datel Xchange360 Format save files to our database. Since these images are not compatible with Xplorer360(info) we bring you XIC. This little tool will input Datel's .z36 images and convert them to Xplorer360 compatible .bin's.
Note: Xchange360 merely creates a full backup of your memory unit. The .z36 images are just that. Once converted and the image opened within Xplorer360 you may extract the needed files from the image and place them to your device or simply restore the .bin to your memory unit.
[/QUOTE]
Official Site: http://www.360gamesaves.com
Download: here
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
EA will Charge us for Watching an Xbox 360 Trailer!
>> From xbox360fanboy.com:
[QUOTE]
Hey guess what? If you're an idiot that can't stand to wait for even a shred of Madden 07, you can grab a pay-per-view preview of the game starting August 4th. That's right, a behind the scenes marketing video -- the kind that most companies freely distribute on the Internet -- will be available on your TV for a mere 20 dollars American. EA and ESPN should be reviled for this, and rightfully so. The sad thing is that this will make money for EA. There are people stupid enough to pay EA to advertise a product they were already planning on buying.
[/QUOTE]
Read More: xbox360fanboy.com and thegamefeed.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
XboxMediaCenter (XBMC) 2006-07-25 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.
Noteworthy, XML and Script changes in this build:
* changed: Moved the paplayer chain to fully use floating point (speedup and possible quality boosts)
* changed: cleanup and simplification of renderer and field rendering.
* changed: improved the profiles support somewhat. xbmc is now fully multiuser capable. http://www.xbmc.xbox-scene.com/wiki/index.php?title=Profiles.
* added: 'go to root' in context menu of media windows.
For the full changelog since the 2006-07-16 T3CH CVS release click 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
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GaryOPA Xtreme v1.3 Hitachi-LG Firmware 7in1
>> GaryOPA released an updated version of their Hitachi-LG firmware package with the Dashboard Timeout Fix for all FW versions and improved flashing/restoring. An Xtreme v1.3 merged with F900 (SS extracting) of the GaryOPA package for all FW versions should be coming soon:
[QUOTE]
GaryOPA - Xtreme v1.3 firmware - Hitachi 7in1 - v32/v36/v40/v46/v47/v58/v59
CURRENT PACKAGE: "XTRM-HITACHI-7IN1-V1_3.RAR" - 07/25/2006 - 998,366bytes
* ALL NEW Xtreme v1.3 firmware for all versions of Hitachi Drives
- Complete fast booting of backups, just like the Samsung drive!
- Thanks to "Geremia" for the answer to "media detect"
- Removed the "Birdy" double-tap EJECT trick (not needed anymore)
- Still in place the "Birdy" Mode B tweak for Windows usage
* EVEN MORE IMPROVED FLASHing
- Fail-Safe flashing system - Almost no chance of BRICKed drives!
* GREATLY IMPROVED RESTORing - Can restore drive with NO BACKUP!
* Birdy is hard at work on the "Security Sector Extraction"
- Birdy has released a test package for the v46 drives
- Many small problems with the GETSS program by "Specturm4eva"
* Update to be released this week for complete Security Sector Reading
- After we have tested it fully on the all working Hitachi drives.
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Official Site: n/a (release by GaryOPA)
Download: n/a (might be illegal under DMCA/EUCD)
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Birdy Hitachi-LG friendly Flasher v2.1 7in1 with Xtreme v2.0 and Geremia Patch
>> Birdy released v2.1 of his Hitachi-LG friendly GUI Flasher firmware package with the new Xtreme FW v2.0 (which is Xtreme v1.2 with F900 (for extracting SS of original discs) merged in 1 FW - currently only available for FW 46):
[QUOTE]
This is the birdypack 2.1 with:
Birdyflasher 7in1 version (Hitachi-LG 32 36 40 46 47 58 and 59)
For the version 46 it include the xtreme 2.0 (xtreme 1.2 and F900 merged)
The F900 core is actived only in modeB.
Also includes the Geremia Dashboard Timeout Patch.
This pack include the ScpCreator: You select an original firmware, an modified and it create a patch and reverse scp file auto.
The Xtreme v2.0 is stable (1 week without problem but untested with getss because I have trouble with it)
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Download: n/a (could be illegal under DMCA/EUCD)
News-Source: xboxhacker.net
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Joystiq interviews XBLA's Ross Erickson
>> From joystiq.com:
[QUOTE]
Hate your job? You're about to hate it a whole lot more. We discovered why Ross Erickson, as the Worldwide Games Portfolio Manager for Xbox Live Arcade, has one of the greatest jobs on the planet. We chatted for a couple (untranscribed) minutes about his time at the Salt Lake Games Group (his boss was actually Tex Murphy) before getting into questions about the merits of the portfolio strategy, the value of the indie game scene, his game collection and, of course, what he actually does for a living.
* You mentioned the file sizes being limited to about 50MBs. Is there any decision in the works to increase that size based on the upcoming larger memory units?
* We're always evaluating this. Certainly those memory units are not available yet. And when they become available we'll reevaluate. We're constantly evaluating this not on just the size of the memory unit available, but in terms of what the quality bar is that we're asking for from developers. This is a very feedback driven loop as well, between the developer community and us. We hear loud and clear what their feelings are. For some games, 50MB is an enormous amount of space for doing a great title. Other types of games that are considered, that may be a little bit of a squeeze in some cases. At this time and for the foreseeable future we're sticking to our position that 50MBs is what defines an Arcade title so that portability between system and system can work and so that those users who do not have a hard drive, don't think there's many of them, but for those that don't have a storage solution for getting their games onto their system. It's also an example of the mentality of the impulse nature of Arcade. These are not huge demos that take a long, long time to download. You're not sitting around and waiting for more than one or two minutes tops, you're jumping in and playing the game, checking it out and it's all about promoting this impulsive nature of what you do in an arcade anyway.
* Peter Moore said there was going to be 160 games on the console by the holidays. Unless there's some huge amount of 360 titles we don't know about, a lot of those games are going to be Arcade games. You've announced 21-30 games by the fall. Do you think you're going to be able to hit the once a week until the end of the year.
* It's a daily issue for us to continue working with the developers as they move towards their final milestones. We certainly have enough games in the pipeline - more than enough, in fact - to achieve that goal on a weekly basis. We're not announcing anything in terms of what's beyond Pac-Man at this point; there are enough games in the pipeline to last for a very, very long time.
* As far as lowest common denominator goes, there's been mention of cross platform compatibility in Live Anywhere titles. Is that the kind of thing that you guys are working on now, getting games that will have two standards or three versions ready to run?
* The Live Anywhere vision as presented by Bill Gates at E3 is that, it's visionary, and it presents a variety of directions we can go with this. In Arcade, over the longer term, we're certainly looking at how certain game mechanics and game types lend themselves to bringing games that are potentially cross platform playable, certainly the idea of achievements and systems that Bill presented at E3. An Arcade title in that respect is no different than a 360 title as far as seeing how my achievements are lining up against my friends over a mobile phone or any of the other scenarios he presented. In that respect an Arcade title and a full retail title are really no different as it pertains to a Live Anywhere scenario. It's early on this and we're going through the phases of discovering how this should be put together and how all the plumbing and the back ends should work. It's certainly something that is being considered across the board. It's not something we'll be rolling out in the next few months, but it's certainly something we're thinking of for Arcade.
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Read More: joystiq.com
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Hitachi-LG Xtreme FW Dashboard Timeout Solved
>> From Geremia on xboxhacker.net:
[QUOTE]
Just started to learn asm 4days ago, here is my first work... well, work... it's just a little patch but it was very hard and funny for me to start from zero, read panasonic pdfs, configure idapro, compile mn103 plugin by gropeaz, djhuevo script (thanks)...and find the area (0x9DC 0x9DD 0x9DE....are ... what?!?! just internal ram/cache?!?) where the phisical format information is cashed, then skipping some checks about them.
I would have patch the phisical format information in memory, but i don't know where to inject the code (too early, too late...)
I've to study a lot more.
This solves the problem of dashboard timeout when DVD+R DL bitsetted is inserted.
Problem is not about cheap media or laser pot, is not in reading at all, is only about media check routines, so skipping some checks does the trick.
About not bitsetted media, I've only 1 crap not-bitsetted DVD+R DL found in trashcan, it doesn't read the SS, maybe it works for you.
For now, the ppf patch for 47 firmware, sector 34000, so untouched sector by c4e firmware, you can patch it over any existing fw (at the moment).
Apply the ppf patch to the un-encrypted firmware v47, then encrypt and flash sector 90034000.
something like: flashsec47_win K patched-e.bin 90034000 1000
[/QUOTE]
Download: n/a (could be illegal under DMCA/EUCD)
News-Source: xboxhacker.net
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Confirmed: AMD To Acquire ATI for 5.4 billion USD
>> From gamasutra.com:
[QUOTE]
Officials from computer processor manufacturer Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) have confirmed rumors that the company will acquire graphics chip maker ATI Technologies in a cash and stock deal worth $5.4 billion.
The company indicated that the acquisition had been made in order to increase its presence in the commercial and mobile computing segments, as well as the consumer electronics market. The company now plans to market "customer-centric platforms" in 2007 using integrated technologies from both companies.
Although rumored since May of this year analysts had questioned the financial and strategic wisdom of AMD acquiring ATI outright. Additionally, the move could have important repercussions for the games industry, with the question of continued ATI support for Intel chipsets currently unclear. The ramifications for ATI rival NVidia's support for AMD chipsets is also now in question. The acquisition though is not expected to have any effect on the use of ATI technology in the Xbox 360 and Wii - both of which use IBM PowerPC processors.
[/QUOTE]
Read More: gamasutra.com
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Xbox 360 Enabled Alternative FW for the Samsung SH-D162C drive v0.5
>> About 2 weeks ago we reported that Kreon was working on an DVD firmware for the Samsung SH-D162C PC DVD-ROM drive to allow dumping original Xbox 360 discs and extracting the Secuirty Sectors (SS).
Kreon now released a first version of his firmware for this PC DVD drive. It doesn't have all the features implemented yet (no SS extracting for now), but he's working hard on including this in a future version:
[QUOTE]
XBOX 360 enabled alternative FW for the Samsung SH-D162C drive - V0.5
Well ok...it's not fully completed yet, but I thought it was time to release some of the goodies I've made for the SH-D162C during the last month. The challenge/response functionality ISN'T included in this release, so you will NOT be able to make complete backups of 360 games unless you can obtain the SS from some other source. This said I'm quite certain, that you'll appreciate the other features that have been completed and included in this release.
This is what you get..
* Two types of unlock for XBOX 360 game discs. One for making xtreme style images and one for making wxripper style images. Both types of iso can be made using isobuster. Ripping using wxripper isn't supported for the time being
* A 'lock' function that will cancel any enabled unlock state. This can be very useful for custom applications.
* 'Error skipping' which basically speeds up the error handling of the drive. A complete wxripper style image (including video) can be obtained in 15-16 minutes, when error skipping is enabled. Getting through the critical area of LBA 19408-20479 will take you more than 20 minutes alone, if error skipping is disabled Sad
* Read and decrypt of SS. The SS returned from the drive is complete except for the missing C/R data at offset 0x200. This is very handy since you can compare the SS from the game in the drive to a SS found on the internet. No more coasters due to an incorrect SS.
* A much more streamlined command interface which is good news if you intend to write an application that makes use of the drives extra features.
* The drive will default to unlock state 2 and error skip enabled when a 360 media is inserted. You can in other words use isobuster to obtain a wxripper style image without issuing any commands to the drive Smiley
This is what you'll have to wait for..
* Full challenge/response functionality.
* RPC1 support
I've been working hard on the challenge response part for a couple of weeks now, and I have to admit that there's still a lot of work left to do.
More than 6000 C/R related lines of code have been extracted, and well... I do expect the implementation and debugging to take some time ;)
I don't know when this part will completed, but I can assure you, that I'll be working to complete this as my main priority.
Ripping using Isobuster..
Not much to add here except for the number of LBA to read when using unlock 2 is 3697696 as opposed to 3567872 for unlock 1.
A successful wxripper style image will have a size of 7.572.881.408 bytes, while a successful xtreme style image will have a size of 7.307.001.856 bytes.
To those of you that might be wondering if this release will work with XBOX games... well it probably will... in theory at least. No extensive testing has been made at this point, so I guess you will have to test that part by yourself :)
That's just about it for now. I hope to be back with more goodies soon and that this release will be helpful to you all.
[/QUOTE]
Download: n/a (could be illegal under DMCA/EUCD)
News-Source: xboxhacker.net
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Microsoft official confident of Asian growth for Xbox 360 game console
>> From post-gazette.com:
[QUOTE]
SEOUL, South Korea -- Microsoft Corp. is confident of further expansion in Xbox 360 sales in Asia and sees opportunities in a planned launch in India later this year, the company official in charge of the game console for the region says.
"We've been experiencing some tremendous growth in Asia," said Alan Bowman, general manager of entertainment and devices for Asia Pacific and Greater China. "Asia's going to continue to really contribute to our business on a global level."
Mr. Bowman, speaking in a telephone interview from Sydney last week, Australia, said Microsoft has sold 5 million units of the Xbox 360 worldwide since its initial launch last year, with Asia-Pacific sales accounting for 400,000 units.
Mr. Bowman added that Microsoft continues to study a possible launch in China. It already offers the Xbox 360 in Chinese-speaking Taiwan and Hong Kong.
[/QUOTE]
Read More: post-gazette.com
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FBA-xxx Pro v1.21
>> + T + released a new version of FBA-xxx Pro(info). What's new/fixed:
* Fixed encrypted Neo-Geo games not loading.
* Fixed UI background music and options.
* Fixed problem where incorrect ROMsets were loading even with CRC Check on.
* Corrected some DAT errors.
* NOTE: In order to fix the problem with large NG ROMsets locking up the emu, the rumble feature has been disabled in this build. Loading encrypted ROMs takes alot of memory and it would seem there simply isn't enough for both. FBA-XXX doesn't come up against this problem as the only versions of these games it supports are decrypted. Hopefully this can be resolved in a future build.
Official Site: 1emulation.com forums
Download: n/a (built with XDK)
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Halo Maps v1/v2 now on XLink Kai Evolution VII
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