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Week of March 5, 2006
XboxMediaCenter 'My Programs' or 'My Games'
>> From Team-XBMC:
[QUOTE]
We been discussion this internally for quite a while now, should we or should we not to re-name "My Programs" to "My Games" or not. All that would change for the end-user is when he/she starts the Xbox they will see "My Games" instead of "My Programs", the layout/structure under there would still be exactly the same. Some of us feel that "My Games" is more intuitive for end-users, and user-friendly to first-time users. While others feel that it's more logical to have to like on a PC; games goes under programs. (Power-users will of course still be able to edit strings.xml for their language to say what ever they like in any case)
We would very much like to know what the public thinks about this.
Best regards / Team-XBMC
[/QUOTE]
Go vote now xboxmediaplayer.de.
Xenium Gold is Out!
>> From teamxodus.com:
[QUOTE]
Team Xodus is happy to announce that initial stocks of our new Xenium(info) Gold chip are now shipping to resellers. Priority of our first batch will go toward fulfilling back orders which are quite considerable. We are doing everything in our power to get to up to full supply as soon as we can.
Once again we would like to thank all of you for your loyalty and patience during this transitional period.
[/QUOTE]
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Microsoft Responds to Foil on Xbox 360 GPU Heatsink
>> Microsoft has issued a reply via the GamerScore Blog (ran by Xbox employees) to the story about the foil found on some heatsink GPUs:
[QUOTE]
The video and photos posted by German blog GameStore24.de show thermal interface pads that are not installed incorrectly. They are installed per specification. This foil eliminates the need of a protective liner, which simplifies the final assembly process and minimizes shipping concerns and contamination issues.
Just a reminder that opening the Xbox 360 case voids the warranty. If your console is malfunctioning, call Xbox customer support. They can diagnose whether the system is malfunctioning, and will arrange for repair/replacement if necessary.
The manufacturing team pointed me to the exact part we used. More information on the material can be found here. Here is the way they describe the part, in case any of you want to buy more...(my emphasis):
THERMFLOW T558 provides the high performance properties typical of free-film phase change materials with the added benefit of easy removal. MULTIPHASE thermal interface pads are phase-change materials specially formulated for use in high performance devices requiring minimum thermal resistance for maximum thermal performance and component reliability. It provides the high performance of typical phase change materials with the added benefit of improved thermal stability over conventional phase change pads. It is a 0.005 inch (0.13mm) thick, inherently adhesive film that softens at device operating temperatures resulting in "grease-like" performance. T558 has been coated on one side of a conformal metal foil carrier. It is easily attached onto a heat sink or heat spreader, leaving the metal foil surface exposed. This foil eliminates the need of a protective liner, which simplifies the final assembly process and minimizes shipping concerns and contamination issues.
The original specification is included here. The Xbox 360 uses T558. Note the "gray/silver foil."
[/QUOTE]
The guys over at kotaku.com also got a reply from Microsoft about this matter. It says the same as above including the usual marketing talk that there is no systemic issue, that the return rate is below the CE industry average of 3-5% and that all problems are being handled on a case-by-case basis.
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Xlink Kaid Mac OS X Universal
>> From teamxlink.co.uk:
[QUOTE]
Thanks to the hard work of kuwan and MeanMF we are please to announce the immediate availability of XLink kaid OS X Universal. This allows both Intel-based Mac's as well as PPC-based systems to run a common version of the kaid engine for access to the Kai(info) Game Tunnel System.
Download: kaid-7.0.0.7-osx-universal.zip
For more information and to download the Amaryllis or gKaiUI Interface to the kaid engine, please see our downloads page.
[/QUOTE]
Official Site: http://www.teamxlink.co.uk
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
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(Friday 10 March 2006 18:06 EST) - (Category: Xbox_Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
(USA) Free Xbox Live Weekend Confirmed
>> From planetxbox360.com:
[QUOTE]
Microsoft today announced the first Free Xbox Live Gold Weekend, presented courtesy of Verizon. From March 31 through April 2, Xbox 360 gamers are invited to connect to Xbox Live and enjoy an action-packed weekend of multiplayer gaming in a community of 2 million players, free of charge.
The Verizon-sponsored Free Xbox Live Gold Weekend will feature 72 hours of nonstop events, constituting the largest programming effort of online Xbox multiplayer games ever. Events will include the following:
* A 72-hour multiplayer schedule of the most exciting games on Xbox 360
* Xbox Live Arcade leaderboard tournaments
* Xbox Live Play and Win contests
* Xbox Live veterans hosting new gamers on Xbox Live
[/QUOTE]
Read More: planetxbox360.com and the official pressrelease.
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
The Xbox Team about the Xbox360 Development Environment
>> From the Xbox Development Team Blog:
[QUOTE]
By now, you have probably seen many interviews in the gaming press that laud the environment Xbox development kits provide for building games: many studios such as id software now use it as their primary development environment for their next generation projects.
Microsoft brings a lot to the table in the area of software engineering. The standard development environment at Microsoft has evolved since Visual Studio was started, to the point where it is relatively easy to retarget the environment to another platform. The Xbox development environment resembles the Windows environment pretty closely. We start with Visual Studio and add custom things such as our own compiler, build tools, debugger plugins, etc. A lot of our separate content tools also provide integration into Visual Studio as well as other build systems to provide our developers with the flexibility they need to make games. In fact, this has been so critical to our success, the XNA initiative is ramping up to make developers' lives even easier.
The software on the development kits we have internally and that we give to our partners is a little different from the software you have on your console at home. It has a lot of code to help with debugging many components of the system. We also have the ability to use an Xbox-specific version of the kernel debugger you find on Windows.
We build the Xbox system software the same way much other software is built at Microsoft. A new version of the system software is built every day, which keeps turnaround time on bugs and issues down. We update the development environment we give to our development partners every month (the so-called Xbox Development Kit, or XDK). Finally, we update the software consumers' consoles have every once in a while, which is mostly determined by upcoming features, fixes to user issues, etc.
[/QUOTE]
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Xbox 360 Overheating Caused by Protective Foil on Heatsink? *Updated*
>> Arakon from the german modding community modcontrol.com informed us about a new discovery they made with assistance from the guys at gamestore24.de and konsole24.de.
They checked on 2 independantly bought Xbox 360 consoles and found that the protective layer on the GPU heatsink's heat transfer pad didn't get removed.
On the left you see the CPU heatsink and how the thermal compound should normally look like. On the right you see the ATI GPU heatsink and people who are used to assemble PCs themself known this isn't how it should look like. It's not just a thick layer of compound ... there's actaully a protective foil on top of the thermal compound.
On the left a close-up of the protective layer/foil on top of the heat transfer pad. On the right the protective foil has been removed and placed next to the heat pad. This protective layer is probably placed by the manifacturer of the heatsink and is used to protect the heat transfer pad from dust, but should normally be removed just prior installing the heatsink on the GPU. The way it's installed now by MS the GPU chip makes contact with the protection foil instead of the heat transfer pad. This can of course cause cooling issues for the graphics chip as for optimal cooling performance there should just be a thin layer of thermal pad between the GPU chip and heatsink.
*UPDATE* Several people on our forums say that this 'Indium' foil has probably been placed there intentionally, is part of the thermal pad and should not be removed. Apparently similar foil is used some OEM PCs, P4 and some PC GPU chips. While it looks like most people agree that normal thermal paste/compound without such a layer usually works better, one of the advantage of such a layer is that a heatsink can easily be re-installed without re-applying thermal paste after you removed it. You can follow the discussion about it here.
Watch video (in german too, but it clearly shows the protective foil as they remove it): here[youtube.com] | here[xbox-scene.com] | here[konsole24.de] (16MB)
News/Pictures/Video courtesy gamestore24.de, konsole24.de and modcontrol.com.
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
March's LIVE UPDATE 'killing' Xbox360's?
>> At this point I couldn't say for any certainty that the March Update is having any real adverse affects on anyones consoles. However, some people on the Xbox.com forums are having alot of grief after updating to the March Patch.
I've personally updated.. many of my units, and all my friends have too. (with no adverse affects) However, that's not to say that the update isn't bugged in some fashion. (Each update has caused people an equal amount of grief so far..)
Those who don't frequent LIVE often, might want to put off updating if they don't need a LIVE feature, at least until Microsoft/Xbox people confirm or deny the issue exists. Personally, the update worked for me and everyone I play with on LIVE.
Hopefully, if there is a real issue, it gets addressed sooner as opposed to later.
For the full story, check the ongoing thread on Xbox.com Forums
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
XMugen-linux Beta v0.2 *updated v0.3*
>> Darcelf/Alg5 released a new version of M.U.G.E.N for Xbox - it's not a port but instead it's a linux distro reduced to it's minimum in order to launch M.U.G.E.N for linux on Xbox.
*UPDATE* Legueux informed us v0.3 has been released aswell.
What's new/fixed:
* Mugen can be installed in E,F or G drive partition. But bzImage, ird-loop.gz and linuxboot.cfg should still be on E.
* Esc key is mapped to back.
* Swap file support has been added, so it should be more stable.
* Better/fixed support for 2nd controller so you can play with 2 players.
Official Site: http://www.darcelf.tk
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Origami officially unveiled
>> From gamespot.com:
[QUOTE]
Well today, Microsoft confirmed widespread reports that the Origami Project was indeed an "Ultra-Mobile PC" (UMPC), not a portable version of the Xbox, as some had thought. Touting it as "A new category of mobile devices for consumers and businesses alike," the Washington-based software colossus unveiled the first UMPC models at the Cebit technology expo in Hannover, Germany.
Initially, three hardware partners--Asus, Founder, and Samsung--will manufacture UMPCs. The general form factor will weigh in around at two pounds, and will have built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth functionality. Each will come with an internal hard drive of between 30 and 60 GB, and sport a seven-inch touch-sensitive WGA screen.
Microsoft also makes much of the fact that UMPCs offer "a new way to play" games. "Enjoy PC and Internet games in new ways with touch, stylus, or hardware controls," boasts the UMPC site. However, the only game the site displays appears to be one of the puzzle games embedded into Windows XP, which UMPCs run the tablet PC variant of. No mention is made of a graphics processing unit (GPU) or what kind of games the first batch of UMPCs can handle.
Inquires sent to Microsoft about the various UMPCs' gaming capabilities were unanswered as of press time. But given that budget-priced, GPU-less Windows XP laptops from several years ago can run less graphically demanding games such as Civilization III, it is well within the realm of possibility that even basic UMPCs can as well.
[/QUOTE]
Read More: gamespot.com and microsoft.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
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(Thursday 09 March 2006 12:46 EST) - (Category: GamingGeneral) - (Posted by::
)
The Blue Laser Wars: Episode II - Blu-ray Disc
>> Last week we mentioned the first part of this article with details about CD, DVD and HD-DVD technology. TeamXbox now released the 2nd part of their 'Blue Laser Wars' article with lots of technical info and details, about the Blu-ray format:
[QUOTE]
Summarize
* Blu-ray Disc has a higher storage capacity per layer than HD DVD.
* Blu-ray Disc has a higher transfer rate and recording speed that HD DVD as the result of using a higher value of NA.
-At 10,000 rpm rotation speed results in a 12X Blu-ray Disc drive while that is equal to 9X HD DVD.
-Therefore, HD DVD is required to rotate at higher speeds to reach the same transfer rates of Blu-ray Disc.
* Blu-ray Disc media has a different internal structure than HD DVD and DVD. Thickness is the same for the discs, but different for the layers inside.
* As a result, hybrid discs are easier to develop on Blu-ray Disc because of the format's 0.1mm thickness for the data layer. A single side Blu-ray Disc could incorporate a dual layer DVD-9 (8.5GB) disc, but in the case of HD DVD, that requires a double side disc.
* HD DVD media is less expensive to manufacture than Blu-ray Disc because it doesn't require significant changes to existing production lines.
[/QUOTE]
Check out the full article on teamxbox.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Toshiba Samsung DVD Drive and Warning Sticker
>> Two brands of DVD drives have been found in the Xbox 360 so far. There's the Hitachi-LG GDR-3120L and in some newer manufactured consoles people have found Toshiba-Samsung TS-H943 drives (which are reported to be much quieter).
Llamma.com posted a nice picture where both drives, with open tray, are placed next to eachother so you can easily find out which drive you have without opening your Xbox 360 case (just compare the shape of the DVD tray).
It also looks like Microsoft added a new warning note on the DVD tray. You probably remember the disc scratching issue that was caused when moving the console from horizontal to vertical position with a disc inside. The note now warns users for this: "Do not move console with disc in tray."
Below is a picture of the new warning sticker courtesy llamma.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
XBConnect Creates a Mimesis Section
>> From projectmimesis.com:
[QUOTE]
Today I got wind of a recent addition to the XBConnect(info) Halo 2 section. After what apears to be numerous requests for a Mimesis(info) section on thier servers, they have finally given Mimesis users thier very own playground. For Halo 2 that is.
I wonder if anyone has mentioned the other games our app supports? Oh ya, and for the record... no, I did not make that icon.
[/QUOTE]
Official Site: http://www.projectmimesis.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
FBA-xxx Pro v1.11a
>> + T + released a new version of FBA-xxx Pro. What's new/fixed:
* Fixed inverted CPS buttons 5 and 6.
* Fixed inverted CPS PPP and KKK controls.
* Other fixes to controller config. (should be perfect now)
* Fixed sf2ce default dipswitch settings.
Official Thread: 1emulation.com
Download: n/a (built with XDK)
Full Readme: xbins.org
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
MekaX v1
>> Xport released a port of MEKA to Xbox. It's a Sega Master System / Game Gear / SG-1000 / SC-3000 / SF-7000 / MK3 emulator.
Features:
* Emulates Sega Master System/Game Gear/SG-1000/SC-3000/SF-7000/MK3
* Excellent compatibility - ported from Meka
* ZIP support
* Loads of hardware/software filters and video options to tweak
* Cheat system - Search/Create your own cheat codes (see notes)
* Favorites list
* Save states
* Light gun support (see notes)
* Fast forward/throttle
* Resizable game screen
* Text file viewer
* ISO9660, Relax, Samba support
* Take in-game screenshots and display them on the game selection list
* Record/Playback feature - record your gameplay in the emu and then play it back again. Record up to 10 minutes of gameplay.
* Every single in-game command is fully customizable on any of the four joypad controllers.
* Map any emulator or UI command to a single button or a combination of two buttons. (e.g. RTrigger+LTrigger = Save State)
* Autofire capabilities for any emulator button on any controller
* One-button combos (define a series of emulator commands to be played back when you press a user-definable XBox controller combination.) (E.g. Press RTrigger+LTrigger to execute the command string A,B,A,B,Up,Down,Left,Right)
* Traverse any directory on any drive ( Continue selecting the parent directory entry on the file selection list to get the drive selection list. Selectable drives are C, D, E, F, R, X, Y, Z, RLX, and SMB. R is the CDROM drive. SMB is your samba share, RLX is your relax share. Press Y from any file-listing screen to go up one directory level.
* All UI commands (save state, load state, screenshot, etc) can be invoked from the Options/Pause menu as well as in-game via your customized joypad mappings.
* All the other standard features found in XPort ports.
Official Site: http://xport.xbox-scene.com
Download: n/a (built with XDK)
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
MCEBrowser v2.0 - Windows MCE Browser Plugin
>> MCEBrowser is a plugin for Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition which allows you surf the internet using a Media Center remote control like the Xbox 360 (in case you missed: we previously talked about the first version of MCEBrowser). The Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 operating system is required to use this software.
What's new/fixed:
* Browse to home page or favorites
* Navigate favorites subfolders
* Enter a URL to browse to
* Scroll around within web pages
* Highlight and select links within web pages to navigate
* Form support - fill out edit boxes, combo boxes, list boxes, select buttons, etc.
* Mouse and keyboard support
* Zoom in and out for 10-foot style surfing
* Compatible with Media Center Extender devices
* Multilanguage support (English, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, German, Spanish, Dutch)
Official Site: http://www.anpark.com
Download: here
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
NeoGenesis v20
>> Xport released a new version of NeoGenesis(info) a Sega Genesis / Megadrive / 32X / SegaCD / MegaCD emulator for Xbox.
What's new/fixed:
* Core: Some improvement to sector cacheing when playing real Sega CDs (see notes)
* GUI: Added "Soften Display" to video settings configuration options
* GUI: "Sort Directories to top" was not working 100% correctly with items that start with a non-alphabetic character - fixed
Official Site: http://xport.xbox-scene.com
Download: n/a (built with XDK)
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Xbox 360 CPU Datasheet v1.5
FBA-xxx Pro v1.11
>> + T + released a new version of FBA-xxx Pro(info). What's new/fixed:
* Fixed inverted CPS buttons 5 and 6.
* Fixed inverted CPS PPP and KKK controls.
* Other fixes to controller config. (should be perfect now)
* Fixed sf2ce default dipswitch settings.
Official Thread: 1emulation.com
Download: n/a (built with XDK)
Full Readme: xbins.org
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
XboxMediaCenter feature-freeze and bug-bash: XBMC 2.0.0
>> From xboxmediacenter.com:
[QUOTE]
Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls. We are happy to announce that we have once again put the official XBMC CVS into a feature freeze and thus our third official public bug-bash has begun. This is the first step in the process of getting ready for another 'stable' point release of XboxMediaCenter(info). The CVS feature freeze means that in order to minimize new bugs, no major features will be introduced into the CVS until after the source code for the point release has been finalised. This feature freeze will also give skinners and translators a chance to catch up as XBMC's skin-structure has also been locked down. Skinners and users alike should note that skins made for earlier versions than 2.0.0 will no longer be supported, and that out-of-date translations will not be released with the 2.0.0 point release. We should all do our best to find and fix most bugs before the release date for 2.0.0 can be set. This means that we now need your help more than ever with finding new bugs and reporting those bugs in a proper and detailed manner. We of course also extend a welcome to other developers; please help us solve these bugs and submit fixes for them. Only with your help can we get an XBMC 2.0.0 point release ready in a timely fashion, but please understand that all the members of Team-XBMC are non-paid volunteers, so we cannot set a definitive deadline at this stage. We will however do our best to have the first release candidate ready within a reasonable timeframe.
PS! Also new since the last point release is the XBMC online-manual. What makes the manual special is the "WIKI" format which means that anyone of you can help update it at any time! We appreciate all help with updating the manual to cover everything XBMC 2.0.0 has to offer.
XboxMediaCenter forums-discussion: XBMC feature-freeze and bug-bash topic thread (link)
[/QUOTE]
Official Site: http://www.xboxmediacenter.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Microsoft reaches patent milestone
>> From gamesindustry.biz:
[QUOTE]
Microsoft has been granted its 5000th US patent for a new technology, specially designed for inclusion in Xbox 360 games, that will enable people from around the globe to join online games as spectator.
The milestone patent relates to a host of technologies that mirror the experience of viewing a sporting event broadcast, enabling people to tune in to online videogames and enjoy the gaming experience in real-time as a spectator rather than a player.
Featuring highlights, instant replays, and unique spectator controlled views of the action within a game or event, the technology enables the viewer to control one or more virtual cameras to select desired viewpoints, or an automated camera control to frame the action and perform specific cuts to best convey the story and action.
[/QUOTE]
Read More: gamesindustry.biz and microsoft.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
XboxMediaCenter (XBMC) 2006-03-06 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.
Here's the added/updated stuff from the changelog since the 2006-02-26 CVS release:
* added: <number> tag to label control (for display of numbers)
* added: Skin.SetBool and Skin.Reset <onclick> functions.
* updated: tinyxml to version 2.4.3
* added: "Clear Default" to the root bookmark context menu
* added: System.XboxNickname infolabel
* added: seperate track formatting options for the music now playing window. (found in settings->music->playlist)
* updated: completely rewritten party mode manager, new features:
- play on a folder queues up all the items at the top of the playlist and starts playing
- queue on a folder queues up all the items beneath the current song or the last user queued song
- limited song history for the last 25 randomly picked songs
* added: ListItem.Genre, ListItem.Director, ListItem.Year, ListItem.Title now work for Videos.
* added: delete single bookmark in video osd.
* added: overlay to indicate that a movie is watched in database views (overlaywatched.png). you can now choose.
* added: Controlgroup focus is now saved on window exit.
* added: Control.IsVisible(id) visibility condition.
* added: A little more exception handling to a couple of program database functions.
* added: Multiple <onclick> tags are allowed in button controls. You can also use keymap actions in <onclick> tags as well. Actions are executed in the order given.
* added: Window.Next(id) and Window.Previous(id) conditionals active during changing of windows.
* added: condition attribute to animations, allowing you to turn them off based on a condition.
... rest of changelog (including many fixes): here.
Noteworthy changes in this build:
* Keymap.xml: delete single bookmark in video osd.
* XboxMediaCenter.xml: multi-path change in My Programs.
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
Discussion Forum Thread: forums.xbox-scene.com
Download Binaries: n/a (built with XDK) | Download SourceCode: here
Connect360 v1.7 *updated* v2.0
>> A new version of Connect360(info), the tool to stream your music and images from your Mac OSX to your Xbox 360 console, has been released.
What's new/fixed (v1.7):
* Now works on Intel based Macs
* Fixes AIFF support
!UPDATE! Seems like they just upgraded to v2.0 after we posted this news.
What's new/fixed (v2.0):
* Now works on Intel-based Macs
* Now a preference pane rather than an application, runs in background
* Adds a menu bar status item
* Fixes firewall auto configuration bugs, improves process
* Media library refreshes are now faster and smarter
* Major networking improvements and bug fixes
* Now uses much less memory
* Streaming start speed improvements
* Photo albums, slideshows are now sorted in same order as iPhoto
* Adds improved shoutcast streaming support
* Fixes shoutcast streaming connection not being closed
* Now completely universal
* Other crash fixes
Official Site: http://www.nullriver.com
Download: nullriver.com (free trial, full version $10)
Thanks to Kevkill for the changelog.
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
XBGM# v0.9.0.6
>> KaYa released a new version of XBGM#(info) - a game manager for Xbox using Avalaunch(info) and UnleashX(info) dashboard features:
[QUOTE]
New release XBGM# 0.9.0.6:
* Update Gtk-sharp depedency from 2.0.0.0 to 2.4.0.0.
* Update monoLaunchW to make XBGM# work with mono 1.1.13.x.
* Rewrite Ebuild (thanks to Nicke).
Update FAQ here.
I release only the zip binary package xbgmsharp-0.9.0.6.zip.
XBGM# 0.9.0 is build with Mono 1.1.8.x and Gtk-sharp 1.9
XBGM# 0.9.0.6 is build with Mono 1.1.13.x and Gtk-sharp 2.4
If you have problem running xbgm# read this.
[/QUOTE]
Official Site: http://xbgm.sourceforge.net
Download (zip binary package): here
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Make Your Own Xbox360 Arcade Stick Tutorial
>> From gamersreports.com:
[QUOTE]
GR and purbeast from 360gamesaves.com bring you a great Xbox360 mod project today. Since there is a lack of quality arcade joysticks for the console at this point, we bring you a way to wire up your own! You can use any stick you want, more or less. With DOA4 already out and Street Fighter on the way to the Xbox Live Arcade, you need this mod now more than ever! Enjoy!
[/QUOTE]
Check out the tutorial on gamersreports.com.
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
SIGCHI Meeting Design Process Behind the XBOX 360
>> Some members from the Xbox design team did a session for SIGCHI (a usability interest group in Seattle) on usability and the Xbox 360.
Some notes and pictures of the session have been posted on experienceucd.com. Here's an excerpt:
[QUOTE]
On the original XBOX there were 45 screens that needed to fit on 250MB while on the new design and complexity of the system there were 450 screens. These screens had to fit on 2.5MB. To accomplish this was quite a feat.
The team had narrowed the core design to four interface
The next steps they conducted were usability testing of the four designs. Each of the designs had a flash interface designed and tested in four regions with around 6 participants per region. The top two designs were the top two (loop and concertina). The main reason was ease of use. The overall winner was concertina because of the unique interface coupled with the user feedback on how easy the interface was to navigate. The interface zoomed the user in and out giving them a spatial experience and relationship.
The team also acknowledged the importance of the out of box experience. How the user feels, when purchasing and opening their product . Apple does an outstanding job at this. A great reference was the Japanese do a great job at this with their packaging. You buy a snack that has 25cents worth of product but $2 worth of packaging. They understand the importance of this experience. Would you rather open a brown box with black writing on the side per almost all of consumer electronics or have that experience be just as ritualistic as turning on your TV. I feel like I carry this torch every day at my job, but it isn't just about the end product, but how someone gets there and their experience along the way.
[/QUOTE]
Read More: experienceucd.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
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