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Week of April 28, 2002
More about today's releases
>> Let's clear up a few things :
-ONLY a devbox can boot these games. A normal xbox can not boot any of these games (yet).
-You don't need dual layer DVD's (DVD9) to burn these games. DVD-R (some brands) or better DVD-RW will do. (or CD-RW will also work if iso size is under 80min)
-The NEO-X will NOT boot these games either (officially) , althought rumors on irc say it will.
-There are alot of rumors about a new ModChip that will allow you to direct boot backups. A movie has been circulating on the net showing a DVD-R game that boots on a normal xbox powered by this new modchip.
The information is UNCONFIRMED and the movie *could* be fake.
-Xbox-scene does NOT promote, condone, or support piracy. We just give you the information "as is".
List of the first 32 Xbox releases
>> Nightcaster_XBOX-ProjectX
Project_Gotham_Racing_XBOX-ProjectX
Mad_Dash_Racing_XBOX-ProjectX
Bloodwake_XBOX-ProjectX
Blood_Omen_2_XBOX-ProjectX
Max_Payne_XBOX-ProjectX
Batman_Vengeance_XBOX-ProjectX
NBA_Inside_Drive_2002_XBOX-ProjextX
Burnout_XBOX-ProjectX ProjectX
Spider_Man_XBOX-ProjectX
Tony_Hawk_Pro_Skater_2x_XBOX-ProjectX
NHL_2002_XBOX-ProjectX ProjectX
Dead_or_Alive_3_XBOX-ProjectX ProjectX
Jet_Set_Radio_Future_XBOX-ProjectX
NBA_Live_2002_XBOX-ProjectX ProjectX
Silent_Hill_2_Restless_Dreams_XBOX-PROJECTX
Azurik_Rise_of_Perathia_XBOX-ProjectX ProjectX
UFC_Tap_Out_XBOX-ProjectX
Gun_Valkyrie_XBOX-ProjectX
Tony_Hawk_Pro_Skater_3_XBOX-ProjectX
NASCAR_Thunder_2002_XBOX-ProjectX ProjectX
Fuzion_Frenzy_XBOX-ProjectX
Oddworld_Munchs_Oddysee_XBOX-ProjectX
WWF_Raw_XBOX-ProjectX
SSX_Tricky_XBOX-ProjectX
Cel_Damage_XBOX-ProjectX
Halo_XBOX-ProjectX
Amped_Freestyle_Snowboarding_XBOX-Project
Dave_Mirra_Freestyle_BMX_2_XBOX-ProjectX
Arctic_Thunder_XBOX-ProjectX
Shrek_XBOX-ProjectX
4x4_Evo_2_XBOX-ProjectX
Check the scene release-page for more ...
First Xbox Releases !!
>> Yep ProjectX did it.
They released over 30 xbox games. Those releases will boot fine on a devbox , but won't work on a normal xbox.
Here's a c&p of the nfo :
"We tested this game on a developer XBOX, and it works. Since there is no mod chip yet, we have no idea if this release will work on retail XBOXes when/if a mod comes out. However, now that there is a release, a modchip developer will be inclined to get our releases to work, so we think a future mod will work with this release.
If a game is small enough to be burned to a CD, you can burn it to either a CD or DVD, at your option, using the same ISO file.
The Xbox does not use media checks like the PS2.
When burning to a CD, if your CD burning program has an option, choose "MODE1/2048", exactly as if you were burning a PC CD-ROM.
We recommend PrimoDVD for burning Xbox for both CD and DVD, but all CD writing software besides Clone CD should work fine.
From our experience, the retail Xbox can only read DVD-RWs and CD-RWs, so if you want to be sure that these will work with a future mod, we recommend burning them to Rewritable discs. We have heard reports of the retail Xbox reading some types of DVD-R discs, but we have been unable to verify this. "
NEO-X news
>> The neo-x modchip is almost finished by NEOTechnologies.
Both macrovision & games regioncheck are succesfully disabled and right now they are trying to remove the DVDmovie regioncheck.
The NEO-X will be demonstrated on the Pirahna stand at Bowlers Computer Fair in Manchester on Saturday 4th May. (yes , that's today)
So for all our UK Xfans , it's worth to go take a look ... and don't hesitate to send us a report of what you saw ;)
XBox US sales down
>> Now that the EU/AUS sales are finally higher , xbox sales are dropping in the US.
Cirrus Logic, the company that provides Xbox with DVD controllers, announced a slowdown in the sales of the Xbox that will affect their upcoming quarters results.
Xbox Sales higher in Australia/Europe
>> PlanetXbox reports :
When the price of the Xbox was slashed in Europe and Australia many speculated that this would help lackluster sales and foreshadow a price war. While the latter hasn’t occurred yet the former has. According to Quiter and News.AU, Xbox sales in Australia have been given a serious shot in the arm as a result of the price drop. Phil Burnham, research director at Inform, sales reached record high sales last week with over 12,681 units sold, a number that’s by far an improvement over the 9,124 units sold during launch week, the 912 units sold last week, the 1,472 the week before and the 1551 units the week before that. Burnham did note that sales from last week were largely affected by the price drop announcement made halfway through the week.
More amazing than the drastic surge in sales was the announcement that Xbox, for the first time in weeks, outsold PlayStation 2 in Australia. Burnham commented again by stating that PlayStation 2 sales had dropped down to 3,779 as a result of the $30 entertainment package coming to an end. Sales of software also were affected by the price drop with over 14,000 titles sold during the week. Burnham attributed these figures to the fact that most consumers purchased at least one game per Xbox unit. During the week the top sellers in Australia were Halo, Project Gotham Racing, Grand Theft Auto 3 (PlayStation 2), Metal Gear Solid 2 (PlayStation 2) and Dead or Alive 3.
Microsoft Debates Japan Xbox Price Cut
>> GamePro reports :
Microsoft chief financial officer John Connors told Japanese news source Nikkei Net that sales of their Xbox system in Japan are far below expectations and the company might be forced to implement a price cut for the console in the near future.
In the Nikkei Net interview, Connors blames the Xbox's troubles in Europe and Japan on bad timing. "Even though the system launched after the Christmas season, we still expected aggressive sales in the regions," he said. "The lack of software quantity in Europe was also a factor." Asked what Microsoft will do to prop up sales, Connors was frank: "We have to expand the number of systems out there in order to create an attractive development platform, even if that means lowering the retail price."
While Microsoft has sold over a million Xboxes in America, hardware and software sales have been much slower overseas. Japanese distributors still haven't sold the 200,000 systems Microsoft shipped for launch day, and sales in Europe sped up only after a price cut two weeks ago put the system on the same price point as Sony's PlayStation 2.
E3: The Largest Ever
>> PlanetXbox reports :
Each year the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) becomes larger with more developers, publishers and visitors. This year the “more” theme is taken to a whole new level with the announcement that over 1,000 never-before-seen games will be shown off. Furthermore, in a survey released by the Interactive Digital Software Association (IDSA) it was revealed that three-quarters of all products shown by 80 percent of the 400 exhibitors will be in stores before the end of the year.
More interesting was that the survey continued to say that 49 percent of new and upcoming videogames scheduled for showing at E3 support videogame consoles. These numbers break down to 39 percent of new titles being on PC, 17.5 percent for handheld consoles, 7.8 percent of the games are online only and 3.4 percent are for cell phones or PDAs.
The survey went on to state that games at the convention have been broken down into categories, each with their own percentages. According to the survey, action games represent the largest chunk with 28.4 percent. Sports/driving follows action with 16.7 percent, adventure games take 12.1 percent, children games 10.9 percent, RPG’s 8.3 percent, strategy 7.3 percent, educational games 6 percent and simulation games take up a surprisingly low number at 3.2 percent.
Everything was wrapped up by the announcement that all unreleased games will be shown in a special feature program called “First Looks”.
Build your own VGA adaptor.
>> kgasper has posted a pdf of his VGA PCB layout , so you can build your own *real* vga adaptor (with NO quality loss).
Check out the XboxHacker Forum.
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(Wednesday 01 May 2002 05:20 EST) - (Category: (default)) - (Posted by::
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Microsoft interested in ITV Digital?
>> TheRegister reports :
Microsoft has refused to comment on weekend reports that it is interested in buying failed digital TV broadcaster ITV Digital.
Yesterday's Observer said that the giant software company was one of a number of parties which has requested an information pack from administrators Deloitte & Touche.
It's believed that Microsoft - which already has stakes in UK cablecos, NTL and Telewest - is one of a number of consortia interested in the digital TV service.
No one at Microsoft was prepared to comment on what it regarded as "rumour and speculation".
ITV Digital went into administration earlier this month after failing to renegotiate a £178 million contract with the Football League.
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(Tuesday 30 April 2002 17:30 EST) - (Category: (default)) - (Posted by::
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Top European Xbox Games (4/27)
>> 1. Halo: Combat Evolved (Microsoft)
2. 2002 FIFA World Cup (Electronic Arts)
3. Championship Manager: Season 01/02 (Eidos Interactive)
4. Project Gotham Racing (Microsoft)
5. Dead or Alive 3 (Tecmo)
6. Max Payne (Take-Two Interactive)
7. Oddworld: Munch’s Oddysee (Microsoft)
8. Rallisport Challenge (Microsoft)
9. Wreckless (Activision)
10. Burnout (Acclaim)
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(Tuesday 30 April 2002 17:22 EST) - (Category: (default)) - (Posted by::
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Microsoft, Nvidia at war over Xbox
>> TheRegister reports :
Partners Microsoft and Nvidia are at war over the troubled Xbox, for which the latter supplies graphics chipsets.
In this SEC filing, NVidia discloses that Microsoft is seeking damages for violation of the deal. Microsoft - and not Nvidia as reported by some wires today - took the case to arbitration a week ago.
The tattooed encyclopedia says Microsoft wants to pay less than was agreed in the original deal, which tots up to $13 million as of this January. As part of that deal, The Beast paid NVidia $200 million: money that NVidia says it's now spent.
Microsoft cut the price of the console in Europe recently to revive demand, and consequently will face lower margins, or more likely since the box is subsidized, a greater loss than it expected.
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(Tuesday 30 April 2002 01:10 EST) - (Category: (default)) - (Posted by::
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How Microsoft Tried To Buy Nintendo
>> Gamers.com reports :
Following last month's rather shocking revelation that Microsoft had originally tapped Sega to develop the Xbox, it's now been revealed that at one point Microsoft was dealing with Nintendo too. In fact, Microsoft was all but set to outright buy the company.
According to a new book called Opening the Xbox: Inside Microsoft's Plan to Unleash an Entertainment Revolution, Microsoft was at one point all set to plunk down 25 billion for the Japanese game giant. As the book describes, Nintendo's U.S. president Minoru Arakawa wasn't sure what to think when Microsoft made the offer. "I was surprised," Arakawa admitted. "We didn't need the money. I thought it was a joke."
Nontheless, Arakawa and Nintendo of America took the offer seriously and brought discussions to its corporate office in Japan. "Some Nintendo executives seemed interested and the meetings went on through the winter," the book describes. "The parties met six or seven times. Microsoft wanted Nintendo to drop its GameCube console and get behind the Xbox. But Hiroshi Yamauchi, the aging CEO and Nintendo, didn't like the idea. By January 2000, the talks were over."
The two companies parted ways and wished each other luck. "Our ability to remain independent was unquestioned due to our financial status," Nintendo of America executive vice president stated in the book. "And it became clear that our objectives and their objectives were not the same."
So while Microsoft discussions with Sega and Nintendo ultimately both broke down, the games industry sure would be a different place had they led to something. To read more about Microsoft's attempts to partner with both Sega and Nintendo, check out the book.
NEO-X update
>> NEO-X (the Xbox modchip that will let you play import games/DVD's) update :
"We finished tracing the points for the diagrams today and can tell you it will be surprisingly easy. All the points are in one place on the underside of the mainboard so your wires wont be a mess and ALL the points are very easy to solder pre-soldered pads (no soldering to any IC's or components). The mod should be less than 30 wires. Again please bear in mind we are still evaluating our legal position to this import original mod."
ALL the points are same as these :
30 wires is alot , but points like those above are really easy to solder ... now let's just hope there won't be any legal issues.
Controller S Hits the Streets
>> PlanetXbox reports :
Preliminary reports have begun to surface that Microsoft's redesigned "controller S" is available for purchase at some Canadian retailers, the most notable being FutureShop. Gamers eager to get their hands on this newest controller can most likely expect to see the item make its way to additional retailers within the next few days.
Japanese hardware sales
>> This week’s installment of the charts covers the week ending April 21st.
PlayStation 2: 56,500 (Annual: 1,369,000)
Game Boy Advance: 30,300 (Annual: 999,000)
GameCube: 11,400 (Annual: 521,000)
PlayStation: 3,400 (Annual: 89,000)
Xbox: 2,800 (Annual: 171,000)
Game Boy Color: 1,600 (Annual: 39,000)
Wonder Swan Color: 1,300 (Annual: 75,000)
Dreamcast: 600 (Annual: 13,000)
Game Boy: 160 (Annual: 3,000)
Wonder Swan: 150 (Annual: 2,000)
Nintendo 64: 100 (Annual: 3,000)
PocketStation: 8 (Annual: 690)
Xbox sales almost doubled in Japan this week , but stay extremely low.
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