|
Week of August 27, 2006
Xecuter 360 Connectivity Kit GiveAway Part1 - Winners
>> Here are the winners of the first part of the Team Xecuter and Xbox-Scene.com Xecuter 360 Connectivity Kit GiveAway.
These are the (forum) nicknames of the 25 winners:
BrutalDeathRaver, Cyrus124, Midget007, pferris, herkulease, zombie13, golgo17, Bi0hazrd, Wireless Geek, MickRick, kopo, Origin, GhostlySnow, TeRm, sensi420, reese, dNh_301, Rusti, fragger, B4tm4n, painkillah1, yungblood20, SO_JAM, Mooner2, jaredlking
If you see your nickname listed above PM me (XanTium) on the forums within 14 days with your full shipping address (that includes name and country - many seem to forget these 2) and I'll prepare the package and ship it to you via registred priority airmail. All prizes will be shipped from within the European Union. Prizes are offered by Team Xecuter.
The winners have been randomly selected. The give away thread has 2562 posts (in guest mode, it's possible registered members or moderator get different post-numbers - I used guest mode so everyone can check). Then I simply used random.org's tool to randomly order numbers between 1-2562 and I took the 25 first in the list as winners.
Get ready for part 2 (another 25 Xecuter 360 Connectivity Kits) coming very soon (next few days)!
Buy Xecuter 360 Connectivity Kit ($25/€25/£17): USA/CAN | Europe | UK | Rest World
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Spread News: PermaLink
| Add us on: Twitter - Facebook - RSS
(Saturday 02 September 2006 22:51 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
Atari7800X v2, Z26X v5
>> Xport released a new version of Atari7800X(info) and Z26X(info) v5.
* Atari7800X - Atari 7800 Emulator for XBox v2
What's new/fixed:
- Fixed palette (Rampage has blue sky now, for example.)
- Cleaned up the game configuration menu.
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
* Z26X - Atari 2600 Emulator for XBox v5
What's new/fixed:
- UI updated to most recent feature set
- Save states implemented (!)
- Rewind support
- ZIP support (this may have already been implemented in a previous version - but I don't see any notes in the README for it.)
- Difficulty settings as specified on "Configure Game" are now obeyed.
- Record/playback works now (because it's based on save states - no save states = no record/playback feature.)
- Added a Color/Black&White control. Go to Controller -] Emulator Definitions and assign "Color/Black&White" to an Emu Button. Then make a Joypad Mapping -] Game Mapping for it.
- Removed the annoying audio "pop" that would happen whenever starting/exiting a game.
- Autodetect palette or force NTSC/PAL palette
- Set phosphor level to reduce native flickering
- DSP sound selection (off, simple average, scaled average)
- Simulate PAL color loss option
- Disable Compare Copy option
- Swap joysticks 1&2 game configuration option, or go to Controller Configuration -] Emulator Definitions and assign "Swap Joysticks" to an Emu Button. Then go to Joypad Mappings -] Game Mappings and assign a mapping to it.
- Each XBox controller now controls the corresponding paddle so full 4-player games of Warlord, for example, are now possible.
- Selectable paddle control methods: Left/Right Triggers (and inverted), Left Thumbstick Left/Right (and inverted), Left Thumbstick Up/Down (and inverted), Right Thumbstick Left/Right (and inverted), Right Thumbstick Up/Down (and inverted)
- Removed paddle sensitivity since it's no longer used. The paddle limits are exactly the limits of the triggers/thumbsticks. The range of motion on the sticks and triggers just doesn't allow for the sensitivity that a real paddle provides. There is no good solution to this, but I think paddles work better now than they did before.
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Official Site: http://xport.xbox-scene.com
Download: n/a (built with XDK)
Discuss this news item on our forums: Atari7800X | Z26X
Spread News: PermaLink
| Add us on: Twitter - Facebook - RSS
(Saturday 02 September 2006 16:29 EST) - (Category: Xbox) - (Posted by::
)
Xecuter X360 USB Final is Ready
>> From team-xecuter.com:
[QUOTE]
It's taken a while but the X360 USB is now finished and ready. We also completed CE certification and RoHS testing and are preparing to ship to resellers as soon as possible. Samples will be shipped to review sites as well as a free batch to use as competition prizes on xbox-scene.com & maxconsole.net
Here some pics to chew on:
[/QUOTE]
Official Site: http://www.team-xecuter.com
Pre-Order X360 USB with free Connectivity Kit v2 ($45/€37/£25): USA/CAN | UK | Europe
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Spread News: PermaLink
| Add us on: Twitter - Facebook - RSS
(Saturday 02 September 2006 12:07 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
Schtrom360Xtract v2.1
>> Schtrom released a new version of Schtrom360Xtract(info), a tool that will allow you to easily dump Xbox/Xbox360 gamedata, extract/patch the Security Sectors and fully prepare the image for burning in 1 step. This new version comes with support to create stealth media discs (xtreme v3.0+):
What's new/fixed (since v2.0):
* now extracts video.iso, pfi.bin and dmi.bin for xtreme 3.0 style images
* also tested with xtreme V3.2
* single extraction of video.iso, pfi.bin, dmi.bin, ss.bin and game.iso supported
* the extraction can be done from original discs, copied discs and image files
* two whole disc extraction methods:
-xtreme 3.0 style (video.iso, pfi.bin, dmi.bin)
-xtreme 2.0 style (blank.iso, no pfi.bin, no dmi.bin)
* injection of video.iso, pfi.bin, dmi.bin, ss.bin and game.iso to an image
* automatic detection of Xbox1 or Xbox360 game discs depending on the size
* stealth checks added for Xbox1 and Xbox360 copied discs and images by acidflash
* DVD-ROM support for USB SH-D162C by acidflash
* It seems to be the best to use blocks of 16 sectors when reading the discs, especially for error corrections on Xbox1 discs this works best
* On error every sector of the failed block (2048 Byte * 16 sectors) is read again before the sector is filled with zeros, this seems to give the similar results as isobuster
* Many functions have been rewritten, now we have functions like MySendCDB to send a variable length command to the device
* I used a lot more MFC CStrings, cause the code get's more readable than with c style strcpy and strcat
* MyExtractSectors is a very huge function, cause we can gain a lot of time in comparison to calling MySendCDB every loop and init all the structs
* The most functions now accept file or device handles, so we don't need to open/close devices and files all the day
* Before the video.iso extraction the cd tray must be ejected and loaded on the original Xbox drive, this is only necessary if the game data is already visible at video extraction start
* The pfi.bin and dmi.bin extracted on the original Xbox drive with xtreme 3.0 has a "four byte left shift" compared to the SH-D162C, so on extraction on the Samsung drive I implemented this shift, thanks to kreon who helped me with the last 4 missing bytes on the samsung and c4e for his immediate response in the forums
* Differences between an SH-D162C xtreme 3 and an Xbox xtreme 3 image:
0xFD8FA00: 69 bytes challenge/response data missing in the security sector of the samsung
* Warning: if you compare Xbox1 images extracted on SH-D162C and TS-H943A you get different results even with isobuster, the SH-D162C seems to have a better error correction and can read sectors the Ts-H943A can't read
* Now I also try to support copied disks, they are checked for valid pfi, dmi and ss data, first I try to extract the data in the usual way (cdb), if this fails I read the sectors where the data resides on a copy, thanks for acidflash and Redline99 for help on checking for valid bytes
9 after extraction every file is checked on valid size
Official Site: n/a, by Schtrom on xboxhacker.net
Download: here
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Spread News: PermaLink
| Add us on: Twitter - Facebook - RSS
(Friday 01 September 2006 23:57 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
Xbox 360 Accessories - Concept Drawings
>> From Wildchicken's Blog (Microsoft's User Experience lead within the Entertainment Experience Group):
[QUOTE]
We're coming out with some great accessories for the Xbox 360, and here's some exclusive concept drawings of the Xbox 360 Wireless Racing Wheel, Xbox Live Vision Camera, and Xbox 360 Wireless Headset. It's really cool to see these things go from pure concept to real product - I've learned a ton over the past few years and it's awesome to have the opportunity to play in the hardware/software space. You can thank John, our Xbox industrial designer-at-large for these pictures, and you can only see them here!
[/QUOTE]
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Spread News: PermaLink
| Add us on: Twitter - Facebook - RSS
(Friday 01 September 2006 22:54 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
PCSXBox v16
>> Xport released a new version of PCSXBox(info) - a PlayStation emulator for Xbox.
What's new/fixed:
* Save state loading caused crashes under certain circumstances. This has been fixed.
* Defaulted "Auto load most recent save state" to off since this seems to be causing lots of problems. If this is not disabled automatically for you, I suggest making sure it's always off unless you know what you're doing.
Official Site: http://xport.xbox-scene.com
Download: n/a (built with XDK)
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Sleazy Circuit City Ripping Off Xbox 360 Customers
>> From kotaku.com:
[QUOTE]
How bad does Circuit City want your money? So much so that the retailer is willing to "instal" backward compatibility on your Xbox 360. Reader Brad snapped a photo of this sign at Circuit City in Newport Beach, California, which reads:
 Want to play your original xbox games on your new Xbox 360? Backward compatibility on the Xbox 360 is done through software* Let Circuit City install it for you For just $28.99
Not sure where to start with this scam to fleece unsuspecting customers, but "Fuck you Circuit City" will do for now. This unscrupulous retailer is trying to convince customers, who sadly do not know better, that this is a service they need--much like extended warranties and aftercare. Backward compatibility isn't even something that Circuit City can really install! I guess they can, but it updates over Xbox Live. And if you don't have an internet connection, Microsoft will happily send you the backward compatibility software, which users can easily install themselves.
[/QUOTE]
Read More: kotaku.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Spread News: PermaLink
| Add us on: Twitter - Facebook - RSS
(Friday 01 September 2006 12:27 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
(UK) Confident Microsoft targets 1m milestone
>> From mcvuk.com:
[QUOTE]
The Xbox 360 will hit 1m sales in the UK comfortably before Christmas - and, whatever promotions might appear on the High Street, Microsoft has no plans to initiate a formal price drop.
That was the message from Microsoft's VP for EMEA and home entertainment Chris Lewis, as he discussed the current state of the next-gen market with MCV.
So far 1.3m Xbox 360 machines have been sold in PAL territories under the guidance of Lewis, with global sales at five million.
He expects the 10m global target to be hit by Christmas, with his territories commanding an increased proportion of sales and the UK leading the way.
[/QUOTE]
Read More: mcvuk.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Spread News: PermaLink
| Add us on: Twitter - Facebook - RSS
(Friday 01 September 2006 10:38 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
X360SAM v0.4
>> eXOBeX released a new version of X360SAM(info) - a DOS-based flasher/key-copier for Toshiba-Samsung TS-H943 drives:
[QUOTE]
Another release, another feature added. This time: disk error checking!
If for any reason X360SAM cannot complete its job (due to a disk read/write\ error or the disk being full) it will delete the part-made file and stop with an error message. It will also now set the DOS ERRORLEVEL according to why it's stopped:
0 = completed successfully
1 = aborted (disk error, required files missing, unwanted files present)
2 = "usage" screen displayed (not enough/too many parameters given)
X360SAM is a small MSDOS application which will take your original Samsung firmware plus a hacked firmware (such as XTREME.BIN) and will create a new hacked firmware containing the correct DVD key. This is done using Sniperkilla's method (copying bytes $4000-$43FF from the original file).
Also included are four batch files:
- SAMREAD.BAT: This will create a folder especially for that Xbox, read the firmware from the drive, storing it in the folder as ORIG.BIN. It will then use X360SAM.EXE to create a hacked version (called HACKED.BIN), storing it in the same folder.
- SAMHACK.BAT: This flashes the HACKED.BIN file (created by SAMREAD.BAT) onto the drive.
- SAMREMOD.BAT: This does the same as SAMREAD.BAT but without re-reading ORIG.BIN from the 360. Useful if you've used X360SAM in the past, but now you want to flash a newer firmware to the same drive.
- SAMORIG.BAT: This flashes the ORIG.BIN file (created by SAMREAD.BAT) back onto the drive.
*USE AT YOUR OWN RISK - DON'T BLAME ME IF ANYTHING GOES WRONG*
[/QUOTE]
Official Site: n/a, by eXOBeX on forums.xbox-scene.com
Download: here
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Spread News: PermaLink
| Add us on: Twitter - Facebook - RSS
(Friday 01 September 2006 01:13 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
PCSXBox v15
>> Xport released a new version of PCSXBox(info) - a PlayStation emulator for Xbox.
What's new/fixed:
- Added "Throttle Method" option to game configuration screen. The original way that throttling was handled in all versions prior to v14 is that once you hit the throttle/FF button once, it would set a flag that would never get cleared, even after you release the throttle/FF button. In v14, I "fixed" this bug, but apparently people liked the bug - so now they have the option of making use of it. It defaults to the way things were before v14.
* Select the core on the game configuration screen. If the core you wish to use is not the current XBE that is running, the appropriate XBE will be launched with the game you selected as the parameter.
The 1.4core XBE must be called "DEFAULT14.XBE"
The 1.5core XBE must be called "DEFAULT.XBE"
The 1.6core XBE must be called "DEFAULT16.XBE"
All of the XBEs must be in the same directory.
* Possibly improved load state. I'm pretty sure that in this version of PCSXBox some variables are set up more correctly than in previous versions when completing a load state. The default is to have this new load state method on by default, but if you find that your saved states no longer load, then turn off the "Use Newer Restore State" option on the game configuration menu.
* Somewhat reduced the frequency/duration of the brief pauses during gameplay.
* Included game configuration option to save the memory card data with the save states.
* New SPU option "Sound Timer". Originally the sound code was executed synchronously with the CPU emulation. Putting it in threaded mode seems to give a few extra FPS on average, so it is the new default. If your games sound different and you want to go back to an original setting, go to your game configuration -> Set SPU Fixes -> Sound Timer Method and set it to "Original" instead of "Threaded".
Official Site: http://xport.xbox-scene.com/
Download: n/a (built with XDK)
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Spread News: PermaLink
| Add us on: Twitter - Facebook - RSS
(Thursday 31 August 2006 20:45 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
Over 50-Million Marketplace downloads served
>> From Major Nelson's Blog (Microsoft's Xbox Live Director of Programming):
[QUOTE]
The Xbox PR team just realesaed some interesting data that I think some of you may find interesting. Check these numbers out!
* The Xbox Live Marketplace just passed 50 million downloads. That is double the 25 million mark from just three months ago.
* In the first week of Madden '07 releasing, Xbox Live members unlocked over 600,000 achivements and hosted more then 2-million hours of Madden gameplay.
* 'Texas Hold 'em' set a one day record as the fastest download item ever on the Marketplace. There were over 100 downloads a minute in the first 24-hours of release.
Other Xbox Live statistics:
* More than 50 million downloads of gaming and entertainment content from Xbox Live Marketplace to date
* Over 2 billion hours spent on Xbox Live by gamers across the globe since the launch of the Xbox Live online gaming network in November 2002
* More than 60 percent of Xbox 360 owners are connected to Xbox Live
* 1,300,000 text and voice messages are sent via Xbox Live every day. Currently totaling half a billion sent messages between the Xbox Live community per year, this figure is set to explode with the launch of the Xbox Live Vision camera on September 19, 2006 in the U.S.
* 65 per cent of all connected consoles already downloading and playing Xbox Live Arcade titles
* Over 8 million downloads of Xbox Live Arcade games following the launch of Xbox 360
* Over 2 billion Microsoft Points sold to date
[/QUOTE]
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Spread News: PermaLink
| Add us on: Twitter - Facebook - RSS
(Thursday 31 August 2006 14:32 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
American Xbox 360 Games Fetch $4.27 In Japan
>> From kotaku.com:
[QUOTE]
Leave it to CheapyD to find new, sealed and dirt-ass cheap 360 titles. A Japanese game shop (AsoBitCity in Akihabara) is selling Kameo, PGR 3, FIFA: Road to the World Cup, Madden 06, King Kong, Tiger Woods 06, Need for Speed Underground and NBA Live 06 for the bargain basement price of 500 yen (US $4.27) a pop. CheapyD points out:
"This is not evidence of the Xbox 360 failing in Japan! These are the North American versions of the games which won't work on a Japanese 360... That's got to be the cheapest price anywhere new or used. And I would know."
[/QUOTE]
Read More: kotaku.com and cheapassgamer.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Spread News: PermaLink
| Add us on: Twitter - Facebook - RSS
(Thursday 31 August 2006 12:51 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
(EU) No Xbox 360 Shortages this Xmas - Microsoft EU Boss
>> From gamesindustry.biz:
[QUOTE]
With PlayStation 3's November global rollout set to be hampered by a severe hardware shortfall, Microsoft Europe boss Chris Lewis has turned up the heat in the next-generation stand-off, boldly pledging that there will be "no shortages anywhere in the region over Christmas" for Xbox 360.
Lewis's comments came in an interview with GI.biz's sister site, Eurogamer TV, at last week's Leipzig Games Convention. When asked if he was confident of having enough hardware to meet demand over the peak period, Lewis replied: "Very confident. We were pretty tight after this last Christmas, [but] we tripled production; we put plenty of inventory in the air rather than using the water because it was important to get the stock to the right places at the right time."
"I'm very confident that we have the production capacity to suit our ambitions. And there will be no stock shortages anywhere in the region over this Christmas period, I can assure you of that."
[/QUOTE]
Read More: gamesindustry.biz
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Spread News: PermaLink
| Add us on: Twitter - Facebook - RSS
(Thursday 31 August 2006 10:36 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
Toshiba-Samsung 360 Auto Flasher v3.2
>> Ryanmp31 released a new version of the Toshiba-Samsung TS-H943 firmware USB-stick package, now using Commodore4eva's TS-H943 Xtreme v3.2 FW:
[QUOTE]
This tool makes a bootable USB key including all the files needed to backup, flash and recover your Samsung Xbox360 Firmware, all in one simple automatic process!
* UPDATED FOR C4E's V3.2 FIRMWARE
* ONLY CURRENTLY AVAILABLE FOR ORIGINAL SAMSUNG MS25 FIRMWARE
!!DO NOT USE THIS VERSION WITH ANY OTHER VERSION OF ORIGINAL SAMSUNG FIRMWARE (MS25B OR MS28)!!
* Stub added to allow full dos compatability
* No more PPF patching needed for FW 0800 (SS extraction) as this v3.2 firmware has that function built in!!
Technical Info:
Prior to making any changes to your original firmware, this program automatically creates a backup of your original firmware called 'orig.bak'. This is just FYI for those of you who are new to this or were looking for this in previous versions (although all previous versions did the same as well, it just wasn't listed in the readme). Also, the number one reason for this autopatcher is ease, and number two is the fact that it doesn't touch your firmware's unique key region ($4000-$43ff). Instead, this program patches all the necessary values around your key to turn your original MS25 firmware into c4e's Xtreme31.
PS- Incase anyone is wondering why we re-invented the wheel...again (x4), the kdx dos based key patcher has proven to be very unreliable and the TS Auto Flasher v3.1 was out of date. The patcher included is based on the xtreme_legal_patcher. It patches the firmware to the newest c4e v3.2 hack, without messing with any of the key's. No more botched firmwares and headache's for those of you trying to figure out 'what went wrong'
[/QUOTE]
Official Site: n/a, by Ryanmp31 on xboxhacker.net
Download: n/a (might be illegal under DMCA/EUCD)
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Spread News: PermaLink
| Add us on: Twitter - Facebook - RSS
(Thursday 31 August 2006 00:36 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
Modified Xbox Shows Promise for Stroke Rehabilitation
>> From the press release:
[QUOTE]
Engineers at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, have modified a popular home video game system to assist stroke patients with hand exercises, producing a technology costing less than $600 that may one day rival systems 10 times as expensive.
The Rutgers hand rehabilitation system is an example of virtual rehabilitation, which combines virtual reality - computer-generated interactive visual environments in which users control actions in a lifelike way - with traditional therapy techniques. Virtual rehabilitation gives therapists new tools to do their jobs more effectively and engages patients who may otherwise lack interest or motivation to complete normal exercise regimens.
"Virtual reality is showing significant promise for promoting faster and more complete rehabilitation, but the cost of many systems is still prohibitive for widespread deployment in outpatient clinics or patients' homes," said Grigore Burdea, professor of electrical and computer engineering and a noted inventor of virtual rehabilitation technology. "While it's essential to keep pursuing breakthrough technologies that will initially be costly, it's just as important that we find ways to make innovative treatments accessible to the many patients who need them."
Rutgers' low-cost hand rehabilitation system is based on the commercially available Microsoft Xbox video game and Essential Reality P5 gaming glove that detects finger and wrist motions to manipulate on-screen images. The engineers made minor modifications to the equipment and created software that delivers two types of finger flexing exercises needed to help recover hand functions in stroke patients.
The engineers noted that the gaming glove they use doesn't have the accuracy and resolution of gloves designed specifically for rehabilitation, nor can it measure exact joint movement or provide force feedback. But such systems may be attractive for clinics that can't afford more expensive equipment and could open the door for supplemental home training with remote monitoring by a clinician over an Internet connection.
[/QUOTE]
Read the whole press release here
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
XNA Game Studio Express Public Beta Released
>> From the press release:
[QUOTE]
Microsoft today released the public beta of XNA Game Studio Express, the pioneering technology designed to open up game development to new audiences, including hobbyists, students and independent developers, in the hopes of injecting a shot of creativity into the electronic entertainment industry.
Novice game creators can download the tool today from http://msdn.microsoft.com/xna to develop games for Windows XP and Windows Vista, at no charge. The games built on Windows can be migrated to the Xbox 360 console system starting this holiday season as part of the XNA Creators Club subscription for $99 a year, or a four-month trial cost of $49, opening up retail console game development to anyone for the first time.
Since the announcement of XNA Game Studio Express' upcoming availability on August 14, the public response has been overwhelming - more than 100 schools have requested information on how they can incorporate XNA Game Studio Express into their curricula and the breakthrough news has generated millions of hits on Internet search engines.
As one of nearly 20 leading universities worldwide incorporating XNA Game Studio Express into their curricula, including Southern Methodist University's Guildhall and the University of Southern California's GamePipe, Microsoft announced additional support from DigiPen Institute of Technology in Redmond, Washington, a leader in the field of digital interactive entertainment education. Through its ProjectFUN software running on XNA Game Studio Express and summer workshops starting in 2007, DigiPen will bring Xbox 360 console game development for the first time ever to thousands of children ages 10 through 16.
"XNA Game Studio Express is an incredibly accessible tool for making games for Microsoft's game platforms and will provide our university students with modern tools and console development experience," said Claude Comair, founder and chairman of the board at DigiPen Institute of Technology. "And now with our ProjectFun for XNA Game Studio Express, we're eager to extend our educational offerings on Windows and Xbox 360 to include young children."
In conjunction with today's release of the XNA Game Studio Express beta, XNA partner GarageGames will begin enrollment for its Torque X beta program which can be accessed via http://msdn.microsoft.com/xna. Torque X includes both Torque Game Builder and a version of the Torque Shader Engine which have both been developed in conjunction with XNA Game Studio Express, allowing budding game developers to use drag and drop tools to easily create great games. The final version of Torque X will be released this holiday.
The final version of XNA Game Studio Express and the XNA Creators Club for building and distributing games on the Xbox 360 will launch simultaneously this holiday. XNA Game Studio Professional will be available in spring 2007.
[/QUOTE]
Official Site: http://msdn.microsoft.com/xna
Download: here
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Spread News: PermaLink
| Add us on: Twitter - Facebook - RSS
(Wednesday 30 August 2006 14:12 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
New Possible XCM 360 Controller Shell Colors
>> Team Xtender recently released the XCM Chrome Wired/Wireless Controller Replacement Shells. Today they show us new possible colors of the XCM 360 Controller Shell. Team Xtender/XCM didn't decide if they will release these new colors yet, depends on what you guys think of it.
Official Site: http://www.teamxtender.com
Buy XCM Chrome Wireless Shells ($27): Blue | Green | Red | Yellow
Buy XCM Chrome Wired Shells ($25): Blue | Green | Red | Yellow
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Spread News: PermaLink
| Add us on: Twitter - Facebook - RSS
(Wednesday 30 August 2006 13:18 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
X360sam v0.3 *updated*
>> eXOBeX released a new version of X360SAM(info) - a DOS-based flasher/key-copier for Toshiba-Samsung TS-H943 drives:
[QUOTE]
Version 0.3 is out
It's a bit more colourful than the previous version, but that's not why it's released.
This one's FASTER. If you're running it from a floppy disk, you should find that the 1,024 drive head moves it used to require have been reduced to just SEVEN.
X360SAM 0.3 (build 06.08.29) by eXOBeX
X360SAM is a small MSDOS application which will take your original Samsung
firmware plus a hacked firmware (such as XTREME.BIN) and will create a new
hacked firmware containing the correct DVD key. This is done using Sniperkilla's method (copying bytes $4000-$43FF from the original file).
Also included are three batch files:-
* SAMREAD.BAT
This will create a folder especially for that Xbox, read the firmware from the drive, storing it in the folder as ORIG.BIN. It will then use X360SAM.EXE to create a hacked version (called HACKED.BIN), storing it in the same folder.
* SAMHACK.BAT
This flashes the HACKED.BIN file (created by SAMREAD.BAT) onto the drive.
* SAMORIG.BAT
This flashes the ORIG.BIN file (created by SAMREAD.BAT) back onto the drive.
!UPDATE! X360SAM now comes with FOUR batch files. The fourth one is SAMREMOD.BAT.
This does the same as SAMREAD.BAT but without re-reading ORIG.BIN from the 360.
Useful if you've used X360SAM in the past (and therefore already have an ORIG.BIN for that particular 360), but now you want to flash a newer firmware to the same drive - one based on XTREME32.BIN, for example.
USE AT YOUR OWN RISK - DON'T BLAME ME IF ANYTHING GOES WRONG
VERSION HISTORY:
* 0.3 - Read/write block size increased to reduce operating time on floppy
drives, logo added, SAMREAD.BAT altered to accommodate XTREME32.BIN
* 0.2 - Key area increased in size from $4000-$41FF to $4000-$43FF
(release delayed, hence support for XTREME30.BIN which came out later)
* 0.1 - Initial release
[/QUOTE]
Official Site: n/a, by eXOBeX on forums.xbox-scene.com
Download (updated v0.3): here
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Spread News: PermaLink
| Add us on: Twitter - Facebook - RSS
(Wednesday 30 August 2006 00:57 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
XNA releases are coming!
>> From David Weller's Blog (Community Manager at Microsoft's Game Technology Group):
[QUOTE]
So, I'm busy getting things fixed up on the XNA Developer Center (on the staging server, not the live site) for tomorrows big release. There's a few things you can do to ease the pain of downloading XNA Game Studio Express if you haven't already:
* Download and install Visual C# Express
* Download and install the latest DirectX SDK
If you don't do these things in advance, XNA GSE will refuse to install, and you don't want that, do you? :-)
And don't forget: XNA Game Studio Express will ONLY run on Windows XP SP2. If you have Windows Vista, you're gonna be an unhappy camper for now (I had to remove Windows Vista from one of my machines so I could run it :( )
[/QUOTE]
Also keep in mind that the beta version of XNA Game Studio Express that will be released later today will only produce builds for Windows. To run the code on Xbox360 you'll have to wait for the final v1.0 coming somewhere this holiday season.
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Spread News: PermaLink
| Add us on: Twitter - Facebook - RSS
(Wednesday 30 August 2006 00:48 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
Hack360 v3.2 Toshiba-Samsung [USB] English Version
>> Flash78 released v3.2 of his FW flashing tool that allows you to patch the Toshiba-Samsung TS-H943 firmware with PPF patches. The tool can also be used from a bootable USB key.
This new version is now available in english, comes with the latest Commodore4eva Xtreme FW in PPF-format (v3.2 - all older C4E FWs also available) and added compatibility for MS25-april and MS28 TS-H943 drives:
[QUOTE]
The new version can easily flash Samsung drives with Xtreme Firmware (You can select all xtreme firmwares version to flash samsung drive). See readme.htm to install program in pendrive.
[/QUOTE]
Official Site: n/a, by Flash78 on xboxhacker.net
Download: n/a (might be illegal under DMCA/EUCD)
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Xtreme Firmware v3.2 for TS-H943 Xbox 360
>> Commodore4eva released a new version of his Xtreme Firmware for the Toshiba-Samsung TS-H943 DVD drive with improved Media Speed Patch:
[QUOTE]
Xtreme firmware 3.2 for TS-H943 Xbox 360
World first Media Stealth One Firmware Only Xbox 360 backup and extraction firmware modification!
R.I.P. Poochini - A mans best friend!
Features:
* (v3.2) Improved Media speed patch, forced full speed on all media types!
* (v3.1) Added Booktype overwrite patch (bitsetting to Dvdrom no longer required)
* (v3.1) Added Media speed patch (drive treats backup disc speed rating same as original)
* (v3.1) Fixed DVD Movie backup/Xbox 1 backup read bug.
* (v3.0) Stealth Media implemeted into firmware. Backups now appear exactly as original disk regardless of which disk check command used by Xbox 360
* (v3.0) Enable0800 mode supports extraction of raw PFI (Physical Format Information) and raw DMI (Disk Manufacturing Information)
* (v3.0) Support for loading of extracted PFI and DMI from disk
* (v3.0) Non-Stealth Backups automatically enhanced with embeded PFI for Xbox 360 and Xbox 1
* (v3.0) Included new Video.iso for Xbox 360 and Xbox 1 backups, now the same as originals
* (v3.0) Security placeholders/bad sectors for 360 backups are outside both valid psn ranges so they cannot be read/checked by 360 host
* (v2.0) Extraction part of firmware enabled with Enable0800 DVD. ISO included.
* (v2.0) In Enable0800 mode, allows drive to function natively under Windows without any hardware conversion/adaptors
* (v1.0) Boots all Xtreme Xbox 360 backups
* (v1.0) Boots all Xtreme Xbox 1 backups
* (v1.0) Boots all Xbox 360 originals
* (v1.0) Boots all Xbox 1 originals on Xbox 360
* (v1.0) Use on Xbox Live at own risk
[/QUOTE]
Official Site: n/a, by Commodore4eva on xboxhacker.net
Download: n/a (might be illegal under DMCA/EUCD)
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Xbox 360 Toppers to Get Cheaper
>> From gamesnews.virgin.net:
[QUOTE]
Microsoft have announced plans to make some of their most popular games cheaper ahead of the release of rival next-generation consoles.
The games giant has confirmed the launch of the Xbox 360 Classics range - a series of older top-selling games that will have their price lowered from around 49.99 GBP to 19.99 GBP.
The first two games in the series will be 'Kameo' and 'Perfect Dark Zero' and both will be re-released with the lower price this October.
[/QUOTE]
Read More: gamesnews.virgin.net
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Xbox 360 external HD-DVD drives will not be available in Asia
>> From digitimes.com:
[QUOTE]
Microsoft plans to launch external HD-DVD drives for Xbox 360 consoles in North America, around the end of this year, but the drive will be not be made available in Asia, according to Microsoft Taiwan.
This is because the external HD-DVD drive is designed to play back movies pre-recorded on HD-DVD blue-laser discs, and the supply of HD-DVD movies in Asia is not sufficient to support the sale of such hardware, for the time being at least, Microsoft Taiwan pointed out.
[/QUOTE]
Read More: digitimes.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
PCSXBox v14
>> Xport released a new version of PCSXBox(info) - a PlayStation emulator for Xbox.
What's new/fixed:
* Brought up to date with core UI features
* Multiple XBEs for PCSX cores:
+1.4 : PCSXBox version 1
+1.5 : PCSXBox versions 2-13
+1.6 : new as of version 14
* Selectable SPU cores:
+1.6 : PCSXBox versions 1-11
+1.9 : PCSXBox versions 12-13
* Selectable GPU cores:
+1.12 : PCSXBox versions 1-7
+1.15 : PCSXBox versions 8-11
+1.16 : PCSXBox versions 12-13
* Bugfix recMTC2: Medievil works now in the recompiler instead of just the CPU interpreter mode (possibly other games as well). Medievil actually always worked if you enabled "Use CPU interpreter" from the CPU fixes menu, but it was unbearably slow. Set Frameskip and Framelimit off and set the SPU settings to the fastest possible. It's still far from fullspeed, but it's playable now.
* ISO9660 support
* Save state selection menu now has timestamp next to each used state.
* Each game gets its own set of memory cards
* Added new game configuration section "Set SPU Fixes"
+XA Sound - disable/enable (disable to speed up performance), default was on
+XA Speed Fix - if XA sound is too fast, try enabling this, default was off
+Reverb - better reverb effects at the expense of performance, default was Best/Slowest
+Interpolations - better sound effects at the expense of performance, default was Gaussian/Good
+Wait for CPU Action - Fixes games like Valkyrie Profile (tested) and Metal Gear Solid (untested)
+IRQ in Decoded Sound Buf - Fixes Crash Team Racing (untested) (Setting Reverb and Interpolations to None/Fastest can give noticeable FPS increases since all prior versions had them set to better/slower values.)
* See notes about Memory Cards
* Rewinding does not work (not that it ever did anyway)
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 Back Compat Expanded to Nearly 300 Titles
>> From John Porcaro (Microsoft's Group Manager in Global Games Marketing) on the GamerScore Blog:
[QUOTE]
We just posted a Backwards Compatibility update, with 39 new titles and 9 updated titles--the largest number of new games updated since the original list of over 200.
It's interesting to note that this is the first time the list includes titles that are not on the market yet for Xbox, with Spy Hunter: Nowhere to Run, The Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning, and Lego star wars II. And of these, Lego star wars II also has an Xbox 360 SKU - another first for the BC list.
The list includes Burnout 3: Takedown, Counter Strike, Dead to Rights, ESPN Major League Baseball, Tom Clancy“s Ghost Recon - Island Thunder, Lego star wars II, Mortal Kombat: Deception, Over the Hedge, Rogue Trooper, Serious Sam, and Spy Hunter: Nowhere to Run. It also includes updates to Half Life 2, The Incredibles: Rise of the Underminer, and several more.
You can play cross-platform between Xbox 360 and the original Xbox over Xbox Live. And with anti-aliasing, these original Xbox games will look better than ever on Xbox 360 running in 720p and 1080i.
The team is continuing to work hard to certify as many original Xbox games to work on Xbox 360 as possible, and we'll be adding to the list. Check Xbox.com/games to see the current list and information on how to get the free software update.
[/QUOTE]
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Spread News: PermaLink
| Add us on: Twitter - Facebook - RSS
(Monday 28 August 2006 18:56 EST) - (Category: Xbox_Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
Lite On Scheduled to Deliver HD DVD Players for Xbox 360
>> From burnworld.net:
[QUOTE]
Lite-On IT Corp. is reported to begin shipping Microsoft stand-alone high-density digital versatile disc (HD DVD) players for Xbox360 game consoles in the first quarter of 2007, Lite-On's another big windfall after landing orders to supply DVD-ROM players for Xbox360s.
The report came shortly after Lite-On openly supported HD DVD camp spearheaded by Toshiba. Microsoft has until now contracted Toshiba to make the game machine's stand-alone HD DVD players. But industry insiders pointed out that Toshiba has intensively solicited support from Lite-On for its HD DVD format in hopes of combing its specialization in slim optical-disc players with Lite-On's profession in half-height DVD players to speed up prevalence of HD DVD format.
[/QUOTE]
Read More: burnworld.net
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
dvd2xbox v0.7.7
>> WiSo released a new version of dvd2xbox(info).
What's new/fixed:
* added SmartXX RGB LED support (thanks to www.modcontrol.com for a sample)
* added possibility to disable the file manager and iso ripping to hdd via dvd2xbox.xml
* updated: IR remote control layer to newest from XBMC
* added a new setting to calibrate the screen
* added soften and flicker filter
* changed: file manager starts now with the root tree of all available devices
* fixed: a bug which could crash dvd2xbox during Video DVD copy
* updated: Samba client library to newest from XBMC
* skinning: added item setrgbled to set the color of the SmartXX RGB led
* updated: PM3 skin (thanks to Jezz_X)
* Note: Don't forget to update your dvd2xbox.xml file.
Official Site: http://dvd2xbox.xbox-scene.com
Download Binaries n/a (built with XDK) | Download Sourcecode: here
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Crytek: Next Gen Consoles Are Too Weak for Crysis
>> From teamxbox.com:
[QUOTE]
Speaking at the Games Convention in Leipzig, Bernd Diemer, senior game designer of Crytek, explained that next-generation consoles don't offer enough computational power to run Crysis, German publication Heise reported.
Although Crysis will support both current and the next version of DirectX, the developer claims that only DirectX 10 allows the game to run as it was intended by the developers because the next-generation DirectX API, which will ship along Windows Vista, allows more effects and more objects to be drawn on the screen with a smaller computational cost for the hardware.
Diemer explained that "next generation consoles like the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3 do not offer the sufficient power" to assure the quality of gameplay Crytek demand for Crysis.
[/QUOTE]
Read More: teamxbox.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Xtreme firmware 3.1 for TS-H943 Xbox 360
>> Commodore4eva has released a new firmware for the TS-H943 drive...
[QUOTE]
Added Booktype overwrite patch (bitsetting to Dvdrom no longer required)
Added Media speed patch (drive treats backup same as original)
Fixed DVD Movie backup/Xbox 1 backup read bug.
Stealth Media implemeted into firmware. Backups now appear exactly as original disk regardless of which disk check command used by Xbox 360
Enable0800 mode supports extraction of raw PFI (Physical Format Information) and raw DMI (Disk Manufacturing Information)
Support for loading of extracted PFI and DMI from disk
Non-Stealth Backups automatically enhanced with embeded PFI for Xbox 360 and Xbox 1
Included new Video.iso for Xbox 360 and Xbox 1 backups, now the same as originals
Security placeholders/bad sectors for 360 backups are outside both valid psn ranges so they cannot be read/checked by 360 host
Extraction part of firmware enabled with Enable0800 DVD. ISO included.
In Enable0800 mode, allows drive to function natively under Windows without any hardware conversion/adaptors
Boots all Xtreme Xbox 360 backups
Boots all Xtreme Xbox 1 backups
Boots all Xbox 360 originals
Boots all Xbox 1 originals on Xbox 360
Use on Xbox Live at own risk
[/QUOTE]
News Source xboxhacker.net
Download: n/a (Might be illegal under EUCD/DMCA)
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Fractal 360 DVD Patchmod Specs Details
>> More details about the Fractal 360 Xbox 360 DVD Patchmod has been released:
[QUOTE]
Fractal 360 specs:
* Only 12 wires to solder for BOTH Hitachi-LG and Toshiba-Samsung DVD drives
* On the fly patching! Your onboard firmware stays untouched.
The F360 intelligently monitors the operation of the original firmware until it detects a disc has been inserted. If the game is an original, the F360 switches off and your behaves like an untouched reader as no patches are applied what so ever in the event of this scenario.
* No need to convert disc images, the F360 is fully compatible with actual security sectors.
* Media Fix for Hitachi drives which optimizes media compatibility - a software applied bitsetting. When a backup disc is inserted, the bitsetting is forced to that of an original disc thus optimizing media compatibility.
* Security sectors and game ripping on both Hitachi and Samsung drives
* Optional installation of a dual coloured LED, a green light signals the current set up has been authenticated to safely go online, whereas a red light indicates a backup is inserted and not safe to go online.
* Fully automatic F360 disable feature for original games. If the drive is able to read a security sector from the original location then the chip detects this and automatically turns it off, achieving maximum user security.
* One universal unit only to work with Toshiba and Samsung drives, the F360 doesn't require two revisions.
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
Pre-Order Fractal 360: divineo.com / divineo.cn / divineo.fr / divineo.it / divineo.se / divineo.de
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
XboxMediaCenter (XBMC) 2006-08-27 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 since the August 22nd T3CH release:
* added: all strings are now localizable. there are about 150 new strings to translate. final call to all translators, have a blast! smile.gif
* added: Flicker Filter Xbe Patcher.
* changed: TTF rendering improved through the use of freetype (see image below)
* Keymap.xml: some fixes to 'Evil B'
For the full changelog since the 2006-08-22 T3CH CVS release click here.
 TTF rendering improved through the use of freetype.
Click image for high quality, full resolution comparison image
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
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Aladdin2 Mod360 DVD Patchmod for Xbox 360
>> Divineo.cn has added a new product that looks like a cheaper ($24) clone of Team Underdog's NME-360 v1.0 'initial edition' DVD Patchmod chips for the Xbox360:
[QUOTE]
Low wire count, 4 (Toshiba-Samsung) or 11 (Hitachi-LG) wires
* one chip for Toshiba-Samsung drive
* one chip for Hitachi - LG drive
Make sure to order the version you need!
Features:
* Auto boot NME360 type backups
* Auto boot backups that is in dual format (xtreme/NME360)
* Auto boot original games
* Mod360 will disable patching if an original game is detected. (perfect for xbox live)
Backups must be in NME360 format, and the book-type of the DVD+R DL can be either DVD+R or DVD-ROM
[/QUOTE]
Official Site: n/a, by "Aladdin 2 team"
Download Diagrams for Hitachi-LG drive or Toshiba-Samsung drive
Buy Now ($24) for Hitachi-LG drive or Toshiba-Samsung drive
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Atari7800X v1
>> Xport released Atari7800X an Atari 7800 Emulator for Xbox.
Features:
* Emulates the Atari 7800
* Excellent compatibility - ported from MESS
* All standard XPort features
* ZIP/Relax/SMB support
* Save states
* Rewind support: This is now a core feature of the XPort UI and will be added to all other ports (eventually) as long as the port supports saving states.
Official Site: http://xport.xbox-scene.com
Download: n/a (built with XDK)
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Xecuter X360 USB - Authorized Stockist Information
>> From team-xecuter.com:
[QUOTE]
We noticed a few sites have started to take pre-orders for the X360 USB - this is not authorized and they do not have any stock so please dont make an order if the product is not in stock.
The only places currently that will take first delivery of stock is www.divineo.com and customers that they supply for the US & Europe & www.mrmodchips.com for the UK market - the date of this will be in the next 2 weeks and the price will vary from $44.95 - $49.95 (depending on location of the store due to shipping/taxes). We can also confirm again that the kit exclusively includes the 360 Connectivity Kit v2 - this will not be on sale seperatley.
Once supply has shipped you will be informed - but for now no store has any stock. Also all stores that are authorized resellers of the new line of X360 products will be listed soon on www.team-xecuter.com/x360usb/
[/QUOTE]
Official Site: http://www.team-xecuter.com/x360usb/
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
XCM 360 Chromed Controller Installation Instructions
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
