XBOX

Xbox News For May 2002

DivX beta Player for Xbox
Posted by Sin-Tex at 1:38 AM

News Source XboxHacker BBS

d7o3g4q has released the a DivX player for xbox, it is still in the early stages at present.

So far it only runs video & "not sound".

Here's what it does/doesn't do:

It has no sound support. Sound is coming. This release is just to test the DirectX rendering code.

The frame rate is at maximum. This means that it should play too fast. Fixing this will happen when I put in the code to sync audio/video.

The code only plays Divx ;=) 3.11 video. This will change in the future.

It won't display any error messages. If an error occurs, we won't be seeing any video. (Hopefully this won't happen!


XBox Divx Player (playing The Matrix)
Will play a media file called thematrx.avi bundled in the ISO. It is the original Matrix trailer.

Here's also the win32 version. The source code is almost identical between the two. The win32 version only runs in 16-bit mode so if your desktop isn't in 16-bit mode, you'll need to change it before running it.

Win32 Divx Player

Downloads will be available just asoon as i can get my hands on them, at present d7o3g4q's site is down & the downloads do not work.

Thanks Goes to Runtime & Hyper G for the heads up.

Xbox Mod Chips Article
Posted by Sin-Tex at 19:39 PM

News Source ZD Net News

David Becker a news reporter for CNET.com has writen an article about about the forthcoming xbox mods.

"A Microsoft representative said the company was aware of the mod chips and was looking at legal avenues to block distribution of the chips. "The Xbox team takes the intellectual and copyright property of Microsoft and its partners very seriously," the representative said.

While the main purpose for the mod chips appears to be illegal software copying, they may also be a boon to more high-minded hackers looking to add new software functions such as MP3 playback and emulators to play games written for older systems."

The news article titled "Xbox 'mod chip' delivers stolen goods"
mentions myself & Xbox Emu it also mentions XboxHacker.net

You can check out the full article at one of the places below:

CNET News.com
ZDNET News.com
Yahoo News.com

Here was my little contribution to his report:

Antony "Sin-Tex" Jarrett, creator of the British Xbox hacking site Xbox Emulation, said Xbox enthusiasts such as himself will mainly use the mod chips to play imported games and run homemade software, although the chips will also be a boon to software pirates.

"The Xbox mod chips can be used by homebrew (software) enthusiasts to do great things with the awesome power of the Xbox," said Jarrett. "But the mods also have a downside by allowing piraters to make money from the illegal selling of copied retail games.

"The problem is, both scenes require the same thing: to be able to run (recordable CDs or DVDs) using unsigned code.
At present, this is not possible without the use of Xbox mods."

Down Time
Posted by Sin-Tex at 10:56 AM

Thought i would give people the heads up for a change:

The site will be down for a few hours today at some point while it gets changed onto a faster server, this is very much needed though as the site has been loading slower each day. At my expense i have decided to pay to have it moved to a new faster server on a silver account that is 5x faster.

This should be the last time the site goes down :)

Messiah-X News
Posted by Fett at 10:54 AM

News Source China Messiah

MX will be available ASAP, PCB's are underway and manufacture will done as usual from China. We will post a manufacture wmv. shortly.

In the meantime, only bare chip samples will be shipped for testing, our total time on this X-Box project now goes to 6 days, so we need a little space for in-field testing, production and shipping.

During this time before release, there are proven mod devices available from:
Enigmah
Xtender

Xtender Modchip Price drop
Posted by Fett at 10:43 AM

News Source Xtender Homepage

Some great news from Xtender .The xtender mod chip is now only £30 , $44 and 47 EURO .

PRICEDROP! JUST 30 UKP NOW - We hate competition :) V1.1

XBOX ROM Tweeking Tutorial
Posted by Fett at 9:52 AM

News Source xboxmods.co.uk

Maltloaf has posted a step by step XBOX ROM Tweeking tutorial over on Digital Forums.

Enigmah team have informed me that their DVD Multiregion and DiVX Player upgrades are going very well indeed. They also tell me that the first shipment of final version mods is due any day now.

Visit xboxmods.co.uk for more xbox news.

Visit Digital Forums for the excellent Rom Tweeking Guide.

Enigmah X Update:
Posted by Sin-Tex at 20:34 PM

News Source Enigmah X

Here's the PCB scan of the final design for Enigmah (35mmx20mm)

Beta Enigmah X Chip
Posted by Sin-Tex at 17:44 PM

News Source Xboxmods

Xboxmods have posted a picture of the PLCC beta mod thay got from Enigmah X.



The Final Mod will start shipping today & will be much smaller.

12 Wire Xbox Mod ??
Posted by Sin-Tex at 17:41 PM

News Source China Messiah

We have held off the supply of MX chips for a few days due to optimization work, we can now announce MX for X-Box is finalized with 12 wires only, and is self-configuring for old and new bios versions, no need to set jumpers or wire anything, MX detects and configures itself.
You may be aware that we were late taking on the MX project due to commitments to the USA and Japanese Messiah development, however MX took priority for a few days so we went hard-at the design. USA Messiah WILL be launched in approx. two weeks, we apologize for those that are eagerly waiting.

Test samples of the MX chip are being shipped to resellers this week for feedback purposes, we have yet to encounter any adverse performance, but we are honest in stating that our time of working on the X-Box is less than 4 days, therefore any bugs reported will be ironed as fast as possible so that chips are available by the end of the week to Joe public.

Our schedule is to release the 12-wire version of MX by the end of the week, the device being available from your usual Messiah supply routes worldwide. We will however, be doing a little more work on this project to allow any dongle to play any region DVD film, this will be within the next couple of weeks should we find that its electronically viable without adding too much cost to the mx design, this then will be the final release.

We look forward to continuing to develop for the X-box versions, and set the precedent that other chip designers have to follow as we did with the Messiah for PS2

MX.... no imitation, pure innovation !

Enigmah X Ships Today
Posted by Sin-Tex at 17:37 PM

News Source Enigmah X

"Final design is shipping from China in the next few hours. All resellers and traders will have stocks shortly. It has now been tested by over 100 people to make sure its perfect and the feedback has been amazing.

Development will always continue with this mod. Of course if less wires are possible (on a stable and cost effective platform) we will acheive these goals. If a less wire mod means using a very expensive and hard to source device (LPC, BGA etc) then we will not proceed as this will starve the market of stocks for the sake of protection and/or wire count.

The mod is packed with as many features as you are going to get. The future lies in software development. Our team comprises of not only hardware engineers but XBOX software developers. As you can see by our Enigmah Video Select CD, we are committed to providing you with FREE CD/DVD based tools and applications that will only enhance your XBOX experience.

In development at the moment from the Enigmah Team:

DiVX Player
VCD/SVCD Player
MP3 Player
Linux Shell
Web Browser

All these tools will be free (unless hardware based - but will be provided as a very cheap add-on).

A very happy time for XBOX gamers and developers alike."

Xbox Top 20
Posted by Sin-Tex at 18:15 PM

Xbox Top 20 Back To Normal.

Yes the number one source for all the best Xbox Sites is back to normal working order,
Xbox Haxor has been removed from the sites ranking list.

Xbox-Emulation.co.uk is sitting happily at Number 5 in the rankings,
so thank you to all the visiters who have voted for us.

You can check out the Xbox Top 20 Here

Xbox Top 20
Posted by Sin-Tex at 22:02 PM

Xbox Top 20 is an excellent source for all the great Xbox News sites & more, the site has helped get lots of hits for many good Xbox sites.

However it would appear to me that Xbox Top 20 has been hacked, well not really.

As of a few weeks ago anyone visiting Xbox Top 20 will be redirected to Xbox Haxor: And judging by the fact that you get redirected to Xbox Haxor due to some nasty implimentation of html code "IFRAME" where you are simply meant to submit your sites url location for registering you get redirected. I can only assume it was the owner or some memeber of staff for Xbox Haxor who nastily decided to do this.

What i am interested in is why has the owner of Xbox Top 20 not deleted Xbox Haxor's account ?, the deletion of that account would remove the "IFRAME" html thus allowing the rest of the site to load correctly & not redirect.

For now dont bother visiting Xbox Top 20, as when loading the sites contents it will display the Top 4. Xbox Haxor is currently number 4 & that is as far as you get, because once Xbox Haxors details are loaded you get redirected.

Anyone with more information pls e-mail me at sin-tex@xbox-emulation.co.uk , this news is aimed at anyone who is a registered member at Xbox Top 20 or people who have information on contacting the owner of Xbox Top 20


Sorry for the long winded boring news read, but i just hate to see a good site get messed up.

Xbox Linux Bootloader Article
Posted by Fett at 15:31 PM

News Source Xbox Linux

The xbox linux homepage has updated and posted news of a new article. The article describes the planned design of the Xbox Linux bootloader by Michael Steil.

Also please note that Xbox linux has moved to http://xbox-linux.sourceforge.net/

Xboxmods Site Update
Posted by Fett at 15:01 PM

News Source Xboxmods.co.uk

-I've now tested both Enigmah and Xtender final mods and I have to say they are both great. Boot all games with no problems. Enigmah has the edge over price and with a tidier design, and also show that they know their stuff by releasing their own software for FREE, but thats about it. Well done to both teams !

After chatting with the Enigmah coder - he tells me they are at an advance stage with a DiVX player addon !! sounds like fun :)

Bottom line - homebrew is gonna rule the XBOX !

-Just finished some more testing. It seems that some XBOX DVD Rom units are shit quality. We have a box here that seems to be very selective on what it boots - but on another machine its perfect (using both Enigmah and Xtender). We'll be cracking open the ROM unit later to see if any tweaks can be made. I thought we were beyond this shite after all the pissing around with Playstation lasers hehe ;)

Update: Replaced a ROM unit from another machine which was fine - with the machine that was selective and now boots flawlessly. So yet another POT tweak tutorial coming right up :)

Messiah-X News
Posted by Fett at 15:32 PM

News Source Consolevision

It appears that the Messiah-X is completed .

-29 wires (reducing to under 20 during the next 2 weeks)
-All import games and backups boot on any region console
Macrovision disabled on DVD Playback
-homebrew software will boot
-Use any Region DVD Dongle and remote without region locking

This is good news for the homebrew scene. Thanks to butheaduk from efnet for the news.

Another Iso Reader
Posted by Fett at 20:37 PM

News Source Xbox-Hacker

SV Reverser has forwarded me a copy of his Xbox ISO Explorer utility. Links will be mirrored in the forums as usual, I will update this news post when the file is available.

Xbox Linux News
Posted by Fett at 20:31 PM

News Source Xbox-Linux

The Xbox does not use the ISO9660 or UDF filesystem for its game DVD, but a proprietary and very simple one, called XDVDFS, described elsewhere. The console only boots from media (DVD or CD) that contain a valid XDVDFS filesystem with a (signed) default.xbe file in the root directory.

The question is: Do we need Linux code to deal with XDVDFS? The answer is: No. No, we do not need a Linux filesystem component. And no, we do not need a mkxdvdfs utility.

Linux Filesystem Component
If we had a Linux filesystem driver for XDVDFS, this would permit us to:
mount Xbox game DVDs on a Linux computer
mount Xbox game DVDs on an Xbox running Linux
We need neither. Mounting game DVDs on a computer would make it possible to play around with the DVD contents for hacking purposes, which is not so important, and it would make it easier for pirates to extract the contents to modify them, and we do not want to support this.

On an Xbox running Linux, we cannot run games from within Linux, so it makes little sense to access game DVDs.

Enigmah X Release date 27th May 2002
Posted by Sin-Tex at 19:57 PM

News Source Enigmah X

Pre order yours now from LikSang only $69.00 US Dollars (~47.39 GBP).
Enigmah X Mod Chip: Xbox Emulation Personal Recommendation.

Enigmah X apologise:

"Enough of arguments and stupid rumours. This is the real deal. On sale from 27th May 2002."

"We have to apologise for the delay in the shipping of the Enigmah. But we do have very good reason."

We feel that the whole scene has been rushing to bring out a mod first without the necessary testing and performance enhancing. Several issues bugged us. First of all it was the actual use of any copywrited code. It's always going to be argued that a mod is illegal and that's that. But there is no way you would win any argument if you were using actual code from the console - this would especially be a disaster for resellers of the mod. Secondly the MCP runs at 3 volts - so how could any mod possibly expect to run efficiently and safely for a long period of time on 5 volts? Even though 5v is probably fine as the flash uses this, we feel that a low power consumption would be safe in the long term. We were also very unhappy that certain games required a patch. Even though it is no fault of the mod itself as it was down to the actual rip, it is still an inconvenience to the end user - namely you!"

"So a few days ago we decided to attack the design with a vengeance, and are happy to announce an absolute awesome and complete modchip for the XBOX. Not only have we made this design rock solid, we've added several performance enhancing features to increase the desirability of this product."


Final Features: ?

Only 29 Easy To Solder Wires
All Backups of XBOX games will boot flawlessly
All Import Original XBOX games will boot flawlessly
Boots games from ALL release groups - not just some of them
NEW No-Patch Hack - boots all games without any patches
All online gaming possibilities tested with no spy issues
Compatible with CDR/CDRWDVDR/DVDRW (However DVD should be used for best results)
Can use ANY cheap unbranded general purpose DVDR media
Universal design that works on all models from all regions (USA/JAP/PAL)
All wiring points are VERY easy - no IC's to solder to - all presoldered pads.
Modified XBE's and custom code can boot (This is a HUGE feature - as you'll all see soon)
Macrovision Disabled (NO Extra Wires)
DVD Reset Enabled (Use multiple DVD Playback Kits for Multiregion Enhancement)
Enigmah will support by releasing our own software (e.g. Video Mode Selector)
Future custom software is being worked on as we speak - ALL to be released for free
All software will be written to be Enigmah Only Compatible for optimum performance
Low Power Consumption for future stability (only 3.25 volts !)
The complete mod has been optimised to the size of a fingernail !
To be mounted on a professionlly design PCB with all points corresponding to the diagrams


And a picture to boot:



Man i have heard of small chips but this takes the biscuit :)

Xtender X on sale Today:
Posted by Sin-Tex at 19:56 PM

News Source Xtender X

The site has been updated to simply say:

- The Xtender is now on sale WorldWide!
- Contact your local Chip Dealer Now, To Buy Today !

You can pick up the Xtender X mod chip from LikSang priced at $79.00 US Dollars (~54.26 GBP) or Divineo.

Xpad Vibrations
Posted by Sin-Tex at 19:55 PM

News Source Xpad

Seems like we could have a little rumlbe in the jungle with Xpad drivers, j/k

Mr X updated the site with the following:

"Hello all, Slayer is a champion, after we done some research in to how the pad operates and what voltages are required, in the end Slayer has found out how the Rumble options work and his test program worked like a charm. ( " It even almost fell off the table, the pad vibrated at it most powerful setting ") Absolutly insane. There will be more info to follow......"

XBConnect 1.2b coming soon:
Posted by Sin-Tex at 19:54 PM

News Source XBConnect

"Been a busy week. The ladder is progressing nicely. I got a little side tracked when Moto GP came out. It appears network code is handled a little differently in this game. I'm working on a fix to get 16 boxes in at the same time.

I decided to take a look at our download count. wow, as of today, over 36,000 downloads.

We should have the ladder ready in about a week. Most of the code is ready. Just have to plug together the pieces.

1.2b is also coming out very soon. I think this weekend sometime. I've got some bug fixes and enhancements ready in this version.

ApoXX has fixed most of the chat problems and has put together a pretty nice forums for us. You should check it out.

Brian has been hard at work setting up an automated help system to help people get setup and running. Thanks Brian.

Mark is getting the ladder pieces together for me, Blasta has setup some basic rules which I'll be posting very soon.

Spaz, as usuall, is trying to maintain law and order and helping spread the word.

Oh, yea, our over seas counterpart, Compboy, has been a great help getting the help file looking sweet."

Sample Xtender Mods For Sale
Posted by Fett at 0:26 AM

News Source Techno Devices

Tomorrow at the Barras(Glasgow) and Bowlers(Manchester) Xtender PAL only Samples will be available at a special price of £35, these do not include Macro Vision Disable and the price is set because of them being samples. Next week the Full mod will be available at the normal set price. So if you have a Pal console, get yourself a bargain as there will only be a limited number.

Xbox Plugged-in:
Posted by Sin-Tex at 21:53 PM

News Source Xbox Hacker

SiliconIce has posted news about a new Xbox online community application.

"Xbox plugged in is a fully functional community application that has been developed to enable people to find, chat and play with people online. XBXPI is a cross platform application built on Java utilizing PCAP and JNI to enable blazing fast performance while allowing for minimal cross platform focus during development.

This is a first release so expect some bugs, but on the same note, this has been in development for over 2 months and has had considerable time and thought put into the features that have been delivered." END POST

Xbox Plugged-in is currently on version 1.24 & is a whoping 15meg.

You can visit Xbox Plugged-in here

Enigmah-X new site design.
Posted by Sin-Tex at 14:32 PM

Enigmah-X have updated there site with a new design & very nice it is too.

News Wise:

Thay have updated the features:

Macrovision Disabled (May not be included on the first release - to be confirmed)
DVD Reset Enabled (Use multiple DVD Playback Kits for Multiregion Enhancement)

And Diagrams now online - click here

XBConnect 1.2 is almost ready.
Posted by Sin-Tex at 18:52 PM

News Source XBConnect

We are are currently testing 1.2 for release this weekend. I need to add a couple more features and fix a couple issues, but for the most part its pretty functional. ApoXX has been working hard on upgrading our chat server, please bear with us. We've got some pretty big plans so keep tuned!

You can scope a preview shot here ---> Image 1

Enigmah site update!
Posted by Sin-Tex at 18:36 PM

News Source Enigmah

"We have now finished the final design of the mod. It has been optimized down to a high performance CPLD. We do not use any copyrighted code in this mod. We do not replace the Flash ROM. We do not disable any onboard ROM. The Enigmah will include a feature to disable the entire mod with the push of a button so it leaves your machine in its original state. The technical performance of this mod is sensational and you will NOT be dissapointed.

Pictures and diagrams will be posted in the next few days.

Features:

29 Wires
All Backups / Import Originals
Boots games from ALL release groups - not just some of them
All online gaming possibilities tested with no spy issues
CDR/CDRWDVDR/DVDRW (However DVD media should be used for best results)
Can use any cheap unbranded general purpose DVDR media
Works on all models from all regions (including the different kernel versions)
All wiring points are VERY easy - no IC's to solder to - all presoldered pads.
Modified XBE's and custom code can boot (This is a HUGE feature - as you'll all see soon)"

So from 30 wires to 29, what group will be first to hit 28 wires ?

Free MultiRegion DVD ?
Posted by Sin-Tex at 11:21 AM

Well not exaclty you still have to buy the DVD Playback Kits for whatever region dvd's you want to run.

Techno Devices has nicely porvided free hexcode for making a 5 wire modchip ( 12C508 ) and diagrams. The mod will allow you to reset your xbox's dvd region.

Also if you order a US DVD Playback kit from Techno Devices you will get a free ( 12C508 Pic Chip )

Pandora Xbox Mod Chip
Posted by Sin-Tex at 23:49 PM

News Source Pandora

The cat is out of the bag now, the name of the group with the 1 chip mod is Pandora.

:: Features ::

29 Easy soldering points (pre soldered pads)
Fixed universal coding - Plays on PAL- USA/NTSC JAP/NTSC
Plays all Xbox games- Imports, Originals and Imports
Testing & Working on All Releases
Works with all CDR/CD-RW, DVDR and DVD-RW Media (even unbranded)
Will boot modified XBE files and unsigned code.

Our chip now works with all Project X and Roit releases.

Release Date 25th May 2002.

Marker pens & sticky tape crack music CD protection.
Posted by Sin-Tex at 22:03 PM

Well i was going to post this yesturday at the same time the site went down, but i suppose i will post it now.

News Source The Register

Some Xbox scene fans or PC enthusiasts will remember news about the new Celine Dion album with a new copy protection feature: ( Key2Audio )

Not exaclty xbox news related, but makes for a good read.

"Music disc copyright protection schemes such a Cactus Data Shield 100/200 and KeyAudio can be circumvented using tools as basic as marker pens and electrical tape, crackers have discovered.

The Blue Peter-style hack, which was first unearthed by a reader of chip.de works by covering up the outer ring of a copyright protected audio disc.

On copy protected discs this outer track is corrupted, which prevents copying, or even playback, by PCs but is ignored (at least in theory) by regular CD players.

Simply covering up the outer track disables the protection, allowing a disc to be played as normal in a PC or Mac.

The cracking technique seems crude, but Reg reader insomnia skunk tells us he was able to use it to defeat the copyright protection on Natalie Imbruglia's 'White Lilies Island' CD, early version of which used Cactus Data Shield 200 anti-rip technology.

He writes: "The process is pretty easy: I took a bit of electrical tape and applied it to the edge of the CD, the 'shiny side', - just a half inch of the stuff - and aligned it with the very edge 'data track session ring' visible on these copy protected CDs. Took the tape out to the outside of the CD and put it in my CD Rom."

"And guess what - it played, and ripped, with no problems at all," he adds.

Celine Dion ate my iMac
Record labels are beginning to ship discs with copy protection technology as a means to tackle music piracy at source, by preventing tracks been ripped on PCs and posted onto the Internet file sharing sites.

Epic/Sony's release of Celine Dion's A New Day Has Come audio disc this month, which included copy protection technology from Key2Audio, caused a furore after online sites reported that attempts to play the disc on a PC caused computers to crash.

The problem can be even more severe for Mac users.

Not only will the Celine Dion audio disc fail to play on new flat-screen iMacs but it will lock the CD tray and prevent the machine from been rebooted properly. This is not something users can fix themselves and means a trip to a dealer for repairs. An article on Apple's knowledge base explains the issue in more depth.

Jim Peters, of the Campaign for Digital Rights, which is protesting against music industry plans to market copy-protected audio discs, said the problem is caused by labels in creating non-standard and corrupt audio CDs, which Apple can't be expected to have tested against.

"It is clearly Sony's fault, and their warning 'Will not work on PC/Mac' isn't the whole truth - it should be 'Will not work on PC /Will kill your iMac'," said Peters.

The symbol for a corrupt CD should be that used for poison - the skull and crossbones, he adds. The CDR has set up Web site documenting Sony's use of corrupt audio discs, aka "copy-protected CDs". ®"


Blue Peter here we come :)

Site Outages
Posted by Furmi at 20:20 PM

Xbox-Emulation.co.uk is now fully operational again. We have had some issues over the past 24 hours which took the site offline, this has now been completly resolved and everything is now functioning correctly.

New Mod Details
Posted by Fett at 20:09 PM

News Source xboxmods.co.uk

MOD UPDATE: The as yet un-named 1 chip version XBox mod is now not only 29 wires but INCLUDES the DVD Region Reset feature with NO EXTRA WIRES ! So you can now play Region 1 and Region 2 DVD titles on your XBOX (a feature only really beneficial to PAL users) if you have both PAL and USA DVD Remote kits. See what I meant by waiting till developments are finished. When will these guys stop? They tell me they are still not happy and are working on a full dvd region free solution before they put a name to their mod and release it. Well done guys !

From RIOT nfo:

Disclaimer:
----------
RIOT is in no way affiliated or in the employee of Neo-X/Enigmah-X/ Xtender or Messiah-X !
Lots of people have been asking us which chip we favour, well the answer is simple.
All RIOTS Releases have been fully tested on retail XBOX with Xtender chip fitted. All future release by RIOT will also be heavily tested on XBOX's with Xtender chip fitted. Since none of us could get a Neo-X/EnigmaH-x, we don't know if all games will work on it! So in our opinion for the best chip and best compatibility the chip to buy is the Xtender.

I can answer this - Enigmah works with BOTH RIOT and ProjectX releases - and RIOT have already posted in their nfo's that some new ProjectX releases didn't work with Xtender - well they certainley do with Enigmah.

Our advice is don't buy ANY mods yet - wait until a FULLY tested mod is ready and available (when I say full I mean tested with all group releases not just one). You will only lose by rushing in to buy a product that is obviousley not quite right. From what I've been told Enigmah and the un-named 1 chip mod is being tweaked and improved every day to their maximum capabilities (as you can already see by it being reduced from 31 to 29 wires in the space of just one week). If you go out and buy a mod right now, I can guarantee you will only be disappointed when a better version is released just a week or two later.

Second Gen Xbox Console?
Posted by Fett at 22:44 PM

News Source Xboxhacker.net

Taiwanese DVD-ROM makers are eyeing outsourcing opportunities as Microsoft is planning the launch of second-generation Xbox game consoles this summer. The new game machine’s cut-rate price, however, is likely to drive down contract prices of its DVD drive by as much as 30%, local manufacturers reported.

Currently Thomson, Samsung and Philips make the DVD drives in the Xbox. It has been speculated that Benq, which handles part of the manufacturing for Philips, is able to quote a higher price for the game system-based DVD drives than the US$40 for the PC-use DVD-ROM counterparts. Benq refused to comment, but industry sources said the company fetches US$42-45 per unit.

How long that high margin can continue is unclear. The Xbox’s lackluster performance in the global market, plus escalating competition with rivals like Nintendo and Sony, has led Microsoft to cut prices of the console and demand savings from suppliers.

XBOX Linux Site Update
Posted by Fett at 22:36 PM

The Xbox Linux Homepage has updated and undergone a facelift also . Heres what they posted:

We are currently searching for skilled people to work on various aspects of the project:

Circumvention of the Xbox security
Development of a FATX filesystem component
Development of a boot loader
Adaption of nForce drivers
...and some more.

If you can help in any of the following be sure to get in contact with the Xbox Linux Team.

More Mod Chip Pre-Order Sites
Posted by Fett at 20:26 PM

News Source Xboxhacker.net

www.the-wizards-workbench.co.uk will also be taking Enigmah pre-orders .

The site states:

ENIGMAH-X MOD CHIPS HAVE BEEN ADDED TO THE CATALOG, THESE SHOULD BE OUT END OF NEXT WEEK, PLEASE PRE-ORDER *SOON, NOT YET!!!*, FOR BULK DEALS MAIL US

Xtender News
Posted by Fett at 20:12 PM

News Source Techno Devices

IMPORTANT - Just got news from Xtender group, pins 1 and 2 are NOT needed for the current mod, and these are included if any future updates are needed. Therefore the wiring is dropped to only 29 wires. You can wire them if you wish it makes no difference to the performance or operation of the mod. We have tested this and confirmed. Nice one guys.

Now if only the Xtender would drop to match the other mod chip prices we'd have a winner

Another XBOX Mod
Posted by Fett at 19:56 PM

Just read this news over at Xboxmods.co.uk :

No updates today - going to the Premiere of Episode 2 in London tomorrow - going to try and get George to autograph my Stormtrooper Helmet :)

Was shown yet another mod today - its all on just one chip, runs at 180Mhz and is amazingly rock solid. Played a dozen games on the machine and it performed like a complete flash bios was fitted. I hope to get some samples on Wednesday and i'll post pictures and reviews. I've now seen three mods, Enigmah, Xtender and this unamed prototype. They all work great with the same basic features. Like I said before its going to be down to the price and availability - none of the three outperform each other in any way.

For the record when playing online, games dont send any data to MS - makes no difference whether a mod is fitted or not.

So it seems another mod is in the works which can only be good news for buyers

DVD Region News
Posted by Fett at 19:53 PM

News Source Xbox-scene

"We know it for sure now : if you want to play different region DVDmovies , you will need a DVD Playback Kits for ALL (!!) region you want to play. The modchip will just reset the region of your xbox and each time you want to change region you will have to insert the right DVD Playback Dongle. This is ONLY for movies , different region games will direct boot without any problem."

Diagrams of the Xtender Mod Chip.
Posted by Sin-Tex at 22:46 PM

News Source X-Tender

Xtender has been updated with pictures of the soldering points.

Note: Right click links then left click ( Open in New Window )

Image 1 - Wirepoints Part 1

Image 2 - Wirepoints Part 2

Image 3 - Wirepoints Part 3

Image 4 - Wirepoints Part 4

Image 5 - The Xtender Chip Itself

X-Tender Modchip Features:
Posted by Sin-Tex at 22:39 PM

News Source X-Tender

X-Tender Modchip Features:
- Plays every Xbox Game out, Originals, Import Originals and ALL Backups.
- Works on ALL models from ALL Regions.
- Flash upgradeable, for future improvements.
- Does not submit information to Microsoft when the Xbox is online, online gaming has been verified with copies.
- Works with CDR* media, any CD-RW media, any DVD-R media, any DVD-RW media.
- Will work fine if MS Updates the Kernel In future Xbox's (No need for Different version of the Xtender).
- Very Easy to Solder, Only basic Soldering skills required.
- Big solder points on both modchip PCB and X-box solder points.
- Runs unsigned code, as well as patched or modified files; this opens the door for homebrew/amateur development!

Note:
Only some CDR media works in the Xbox DVD drive.

Gamefreax Taking Mod Pre-Orders Also
Posted by Fett at 18:09 PM

Gamefreax have also stated at their site that they will be taking pre orders as of tommorow for both the Xtender and Enigmah. It looks like there will be no problems obtaining the chips soon.

Techno Devices Mod Review News
Posted by Fett at 16:31 PM

Techno Devices have posted more news about the Xtender mod chip:

We have now completed testing, we have fitted the samples to a UK Pal, US NTSC and Jap NTSC Console, and it works perfect in each, the install points are the same. This is good news because it means one version for all.

We must say this again as some customers just are not reading the post below... We do not sell or install modchips, we simply review and test.

Lik-Sang Mod Chip Preorders
Posted by Fett at 16:30 PM

Lik-Sang have started taking preorders for the Xtender and Enigmah mod chips . They ship any where but some people have problems with customs when getting various items so check local laws before losing out on your cash
The prices are as follows:
Xtender : £53 GBP /79.00 USD 84 EUROS
Enigmah : £47 GBP /69.00 USD 73 EUROS

Thanks to xboxscene for this news.

Xtender Reviewed
Posted by Fett at 19:22 PM

Techno Devices have posted a review of the Xtender mod chip:

After a day of testing and evaluating we thought we would update everyone with what we have found.
Xtender is easy enough to install (providing you have soldering skills!) and takes about 30 minutes. The installation is 31 wires, no track cuts and no removing components. The hardest part is dismantling the Xbox.

Once installed, thats it, nothing more to do except put the box back together, and you need nothing more, the box will then play WHATEVER you throw at it, imports etc, all load first time every time. We had no failed loads, and no problems at all. The Xtender group also supplied us with 2 test DVDRs, one was good quality Verbatim and the other was the cheapest unbranded they could find. They both loaded flawlessly.

All in all we are very impressed with this, it is obvious that a lot of hard work has gone in to it, and the quality is excellant. We have experienced no problems at all.

The diagrams supplied we thought were not very clearly made, so instead we have produced our own, and can be downloaded from our site.
With the competition on the scene also producing equivilent modifications, users should be able to choose whats best for them, but in all honesty we cannot see if there will be any differences. Some have been reporting features such as "Uses Flash upgradable components"... so does Xtender, others have been offering less wires, and in all honesty, 31 wires on these connections is a breeze.

We will post more information when we get it.

Techno Devices is in no way connected with Xtender group, we do not condone the use of pirated software, and we neither sell nor install modchips, we are totally imparcial and will test products sent to us with a an unbiased review.

Sony Plans XBox Emulation?
Posted by Fett at 18:53 PM

Just read this news over at Xen Gamers:

According to a printed report out of Tokyo this morning, Sony is said to be evaluating the possibility of adopting Connectix's PlayStation emulation software 'Virtual Game Station' to Microsoft's XBox. Thereby, making the PlayStation software library available on Microsoft's forthcoming console. This comes on the heels of Sony's announcement yesterday to end their long standing legal dispute with Connectix, and work together on 'advanced emulation programs.' Sony representatives have yet to respond to the report, we'll keep you posted .

This sounds exciting but whether it will come about is a different story as Sony would be hurting sales of their own console and also Microsoft wont take it lying down.

Enigmah-X £45
Posted by Sin-Tex at 17:49 PM

News Source XboxMods

Thanks to Raptor we have information on the price & expected release date of the Enigmah-X.

Enigmah should be ready to launch next week, with an expected price of £45 - on sale at Bowlers in Manchester and distibuters around the country. X-Tender on the other hand will cost £60 and will also be on sale at Bowlers & Barras in Glasgow.

Well the chips are a reasonable price. ( I wonder if they come with free fish ? )

Neox Site Updated
Posted by Fett at 17:47 PM

Heres what NEO-X have posted at their site:

Great day at Bowlers today. Xtender, Enigmah & NEO-X were all on show. Pre-orders were being taken for the X-Tender and the Enigmah-X. Price for the X-Tender was £60/£110 Fitted. However the Enigmah-X was £45/£90 Fitted. A big price difference but I'm sure it will all level out over the next couple of weeks. No prices given for the NEO-X as the demo was for fun only not for sale. Very nice to meet SB and a few others from the forums. Busy week next week eh lads ;)

X-Tender Mod Installed Pictures
Posted by Fett at 3:17 AM

Techno Devices have posted pictures of the X-tender Mod chip installed.

Click below to view the pictures:
Image 1
Image 2

X-Tender Mod Pictures
Posted by Fett at 3:05 AM

Xbox-Scene have posted a picture of the X-Tender Modchip . It shouldnt be too long then before the price and the expected selling date is announced.

Xbox Linux Site Update
Posted by Fett at 1:10 AM

The Xbox-Linux page has updated with the following news:

Documentzone is now linked Here. Michael Steil is currently the best guy with the most work in our team, thanks :). also take a look to the roadmap: http://www.weihenstephan.org/~michaste/xbox/roadmap.html

Im not quite sure what legal implications this port may come across :)

NEO-X Second Video.
Posted by Sin-Tex at 0:24 AM

The NEO-X site has been updated with a second video clip.
Shows original imports as well as backups booting on a retail machine. (Windows Media File 6.9MB)

To watch just left click here or to download ( right click link then left click Save Target As ).

XBConnect 1.2 upcoming features:
Posted by Sin-Tex at 18:19 PM

News Source XBConnect

Ink mentioned thay have decided not to include the buddy list into XBConnect 1.2.

Features to be included are listed but not limited to the following....

(1) Global information profiler for each user which allows you to create an account with XBConnect, having other users able to view your profile(optional). This will also allow you to change you nickname in options without having to restart the application.
(2) Built in ladder, and global ranking system.
(3) The possibility of running 2 Xboxes off of the same PC.
(4) The possibility of an openGL interface.
(5) Additional "help" and "troubleshooting"
(6) Additional network code advancements.

No date has been set for this release, but keep your eyes open at the start of the new week.

Xbox Mod Chip Demonstration Frenzy.
Posted by Sin-Tex at 18:10 PM

News Source Xboxmods

It seems NEO-X, Enigmah-X & X-Tender guys will all be at the Bowlers Computer Fair in Manchester tomorrow ( Saturday 11th ), ready to show off there Xbox Mod Chips.

The MessiahX ( Xbox Mod Chip ) is to be released soon.

Raptor also said he had the chance to see a sample of the Enigmah-X and was very impressed, so much so he is thinking of redesigning the NEO-X.

Quote from Raptors post:

"I've also been told the pricing of the Enigmah-X which I cannot reveal just yet due to final agreements, but I can say it will be VERY agreeable to all :)"


So it seems Enigmah-X have the best Xbox Mod Chip & at a good price, here's hoping all goes well.

Man all this talk of chips is making me hungry :)

Enigmah X Website
Posted by Sin-Tex at 17:55 PM

Enigmah Website

Enigmah Mod Specs so far:

30 Wires
All Backups / Import Originals
CDR/CDRWDVDR/DVDRW (However DVD media should be used for best results)
Can use any cheap unbranded general purpose DVDR media
Optional 2 Wires for Macrovision Off
Optional 2 Wires for DVD Reset Function
Works on all models from all regions (including the different kernel versions)
All wiring points are VERY easy - no IC's to solder to - all presoldered pads.
Modified XBE's and Unsigned code can boot (This is a HUGE feature - as you'll all see soon)

Work continues on XBConnect 1.2
Posted by Sin-Tex at 23:09 PM

"Work is still moving forward for 1.2. Still no definite release time. This weekend still looks good. In addition to the user profiles and buddy list, I'll be adding a little additional troubleshooting information. As always, if your having problems with XBConnect, be sure to chat with one of our live chat operators.

Additional network code advancements are also planned. I would like to be able to run multiple XBoxes of the same PC. An OpenGL interface has also crossed my mind :)"

A 5th Xbox Mod Chip
Posted by Sin-Tex at 15:36 PM

News Source NEO-X

"At present there are 5 teams whom I KNOW have a cracked flash. That's Myself (NEO-X), X-Tender & Enigmah (2 others wish to remain anonymous). Out of these 5 none have shown an actual working DIY mod - even we haven't shown a mod. I can assure you there is one (or two) and you'll all see them soon. It's no big deal - a cpld, eeprom and maybe an optional PIC (for macrovision and DVD region reset function)."

"The only real difference between mods is going to be build quality, stock levels and price."

"The way forward is to get the LPC port working. If that can be achieved then you'll be looking at a simple connector and only 1 wire to solder. This is not a pipe dream and is in development as we speak by at least 2 teams."


Man just how many more groups are working on mod chips.

Fake "Xbox Emu" for PC ( EMU_xbox.exe )
Posted by Sin-Tex at 13:19 PM

News Source ActiveXbox

News posted on ActiveXbox says a new fake Xbox Emu for PC is just a Money-Making Scam.

"A new fraud by Internet scam artists attempts to tap into video game aficionados' burning desire to play Microsoft Xbox games on their personal computers. An "Xbox emulator" currently being offered for free on the Web is actually a Trojan horse designed to covertly rack up money for its authors using pay-for-click and other schemes, malicious code experts said.

Instead of enabling users to run popular Xbox games such as "Halo" on their PCs, executing the fake emulator's installation program, "EMU_xbox.exe", merely produces error messages. All that's installed on the victim's PC is a "back door" program called "NetBUIE.exe", which silently attempts to contact numerous remote servers, including four operated by Microsoft and two by online advertising network DoubleClick, according to a preliminary analysis by TruSecure Corporation."

I cannot stress enough how silly it would be for people to go looking for an Xbox Emu to run on your PC.
It will only dissapoint you, odds are it will have a virus. Try waiting a few years, then maybe a real one will excist.

Xtender Demo ( Directions & Date for Barras & Bowlers )
Posted by Sin-Tex at 12:55 PM

The date as if you would not have guessed, would seem to be this Saturday & Sunday. ( pls note not confirmed by Xtender )

Directions:

Well just visit the neccesarry pages. ( inc.. maps & info on how to get there )

Click ---> Barras Map & Directions
Click ---> Bowlers Map & Directions

I would just like to say a BIG thanks to Fett, for making the pages & providing the info.
Also expect to see a report of the Demonstration posted by Fett himself :)

Messiah X ( MX Mod Chip ) Coming "SOON"
Posted by Sin-Tex at 12:23 PM

The China-Messiah site has a nice little comment on it:
Just scroll down there page to read it :)

Yet another Xbox Mod chip to look out for.

That now makes two confirmed Xbox Mod chips still being released, so what do we have so far.

NEO-X ------- ( Currently out of the picture )
Xtender ------ ( Poss still improving the mod & still intend to release it )
MX MOD ---- ( Not much info on this except it's coming soon )
ENIGMAH -- ( Even less info on this one, actualy none. Except it's from china )

NEO-X Movie Released.
Posted by Sin-Tex at 0:01 AM

NEO-X have released a movie of the NEO-X mod in action to prove thay did it.

The movie shows a Normal Retail Xbox booting Riot & ProjectX released iso's burned onto unbranded DVD-Rs.

You can download it here

Xtender Xbox Mod Demonstration this week ?
Posted by Sin-Tex at 22:40 PM

News Source Xbox-Scene

Xtender Xbox Mod demonstration to take place ( with live installation on 2 xbox's) will be demonstrated at the bowlers and The Barras Market in Glasgow. In the East End market (UK).

If reading this Xtender anychance you could e-mail me with an actual date :) or if anyone should find out pls e-mail me thanks.

Let the MOD wars begin.
Posted by Sin-Tex at 20:13 PM

Just kidding. It seems a comment posted on the NEO-X page has been taken out of context by Xtender. One minute all is fine between them, then "BANG" the silly insults start.

Read below for whats happened so far:

Comment posted by NEOTECH ( seems like an o.k comment to me )

"Nice to see the RIOT team on the scene. I'm a bit confused though. Why have you not calculated section digests when packing the game ? You have obviousley hacked section digests in your mod - but this is the only thing detectable outside the kernel so MS have a nice modchip-detect platform to work on. Not sure if you spotted this yourselves - I just thought i'd point it out."

Xtender replied with this comment: ( what would seem to be a silly comment to make )

"While we are not going to lower Our Selves to Neo’s level by making up crap rumors to try and destroy the competition (we have no reason too they are doing a pretty good job themselves).

Neo-X is a myth and the code they have is utter Crap and unworkable as a modchip. They can’t even get games to work on Branded TDK DVDRW, while ours run fine on cheap unbranded blank DVDR).

We would like to state that the Xtender modchip is undetectable by all means possible, and that signing not even is an issue with this modchip. It will also be undetectable to future protection also.

We Would also like to State we have no affiliations with ProjectX, Riot, Paradox, Kalisto nor Miracle.
So stop your lame speculations and rumors, we have a chip and it’s damn near ready to ship, so live with it.

If You don’t like it Raptor, build a better one yourself instead of wasting all your energies talking crap."

And in response to that NEOTECH posted this: ( you just know this will revoke another comment from Xtender ;) )

"I've just seen some rubbish posted at the X-Tender site. What are you guys talking about ? All I said was that you have hacked section digests in the mod and there is no need for it (the Project-X releases play fine without a hacked section digest). This code is outside of the kernel and can be identified easily - therefore anti-mod protection can be established by MS. It was some freindly advice thats all. Plus whats all this crap about media types ?? My mod works with ALL types of media including 60p Unbranded General Purpose DVDR. Why are you guys being pissy - I've even told people that your video was not fake and everything worked fine. So come on guys stop spreading false crap yourselves as its lame. Now let's not have a stupid mod war - we had enough of that crap with PS2. Perhaps I should post my own video tonight if it will make you happy that ours does the lot.

You also say I'd better build one myself ? Where were you when PS2 needed cracking ?"

Please note normally i would not post this sort of news, as it is not really news. But rather more like back lashing arguments between what would have been two rival groups.

Anyway i posted it as there is a lack of decent news to post :)

Still good luck to both groups in whatever thay do next, keep the mods coming guys.

Oh yeah just like to say thanks to NEOTECH for mentioning my site & bringing attention to it :)

Neo-X out of the picture
Posted by Sin-Tex at 14:26 PM

"It seems legal issues have come into play already. We're out of it for sure now. It was fun to see if it could be done. Good luck to Enigmah and X-Tender. We'll post news and other things but don't expect to buy any mods from us. They will be everywhere within a month so XBOX fans have nothing to worry about on that score."

Thats a shame, well good luck with whatever you attempt next :)

Xtender site updated.
Posted by Sin-Tex at 22:26 PM

Xtenders site has been updated with pictures of the soldering points for the mod.

Visit Xtenders site to check out the pics.

Thay will take some time to load if only using a 56k modem :)

Xpad site update
Posted by Sin-Tex at 18:15 PM

Mr X has updated his site with news as to what is going on.

"Hello all, sorry to those who thought the project was dead. Many people l deal with online have missed me and lm here to tell you all that the project will continue, but what is happening in our personal lives comes first and there will be a short break in development for a week or so. Sorry to those who are hanging out for the driver release date, it will come .... eventually when we are not so busy and can focus on the task at hand."

Regards Mr Xpad

XBConnect 1.2 coming soon'
Posted by Sin-Tex at 18:13 PM

Work has begun on XBConnect 1.2

"We are moving XBConnect forward. I have begun coding the server for a host of new features in the upcoming 2.0. XBConnect 1.2 will start to introduce these new features. User profiles and buddy lists only touch the surface of what is planned. If all goes well, I expect to release 1.2 this coming weekend.

P.S. Isn't it nice to look at a web site and a free piece of software that isn't plastered with ads??? That's the way its going to stay!"

NEO-X Update
Posted by Sin-Tex at 18:08 PM

The NEO-X team seem set to make a Mod after all just without the ability to play backup, so it will be for MultiRegion only.

NEO-X Mod Spec's so far:

29 Wires
All Backups / Import Originals
Some CDR/CDRWDVDR/DVDRW (However DVD media should be used for best results)
Optional 2 Wires for Macrovision Off
Works on all models (including the different kernel versions which seems to have been overlooked by some?)
All wiring points VERY easy - no chips or components to solder to - all presoldered pads.
Modified XBE's and Unsigned code can boot
Possible 3 other features that we're looking at right now

Sneak preview of the modchip diagram:

Xtender XBOX MOD
Posted by Sin-Tex at 23:59 PM

After various rumours & a movie floating around of what people thought to be an Xbox with the NEO-X Mod, it turns out it was infact a second Mod for the Xbox.

It's called =Xtender XBOX MOD=

Xtender has released a new movie & an NFO due to people beleaving the first movie to be fake.

Here is some of the NFO:

"Xtender crew are forced to release another video to confirm that the chip isn’t fake
We also want to point out that we are in no way affiliated to raptor or neo-x
Look out for the Xtender chip coming very soon from your local chip supplier

We would also like to mention project-x who in our opinion are super lame
Weve had games for weeks but were waiting on our chip manufacture being completed
So ppl could get chips and games at the same time."

You can read the full NFO here

You can download the new movie here

Note u need Winrar v3 to unpack this....

Looks like good news for Emulation Fans :)

NEO-X Team Did IT. ( GOOD & BAD NEWS )
Posted by Sin-Tex at 20:22 PM

Good News:

"NEO-X all along has been able to play these backups released by Project-X. We just couldn't tell anyone until the releases went public. So to confirm yes they all play on a retail XBOX unit. It can boot all unsigned code and modified XBE's. We've used CDR / CDRW / DVDR / DVDRW, and you will also see DiVX, MP3, VCD Players soon as well as internet browsers, Linux tools and much much more. It's going to be an exciting year for all XBOX fans."

Bad News:

"Now here's the bad news. Our situation has still not changed with regards to selling a full mod or even just the import only mod to the public, it just isn't worth the legal hassle. However i'm sure you'll see mods popping up from other companies who operate underground - the risk is just too high for us to pursue. It's been a lot of fun proving that it can be done though :)"

So now that the NEO-X team has proved it can be done it wont be long now untill other mods are available.
Then let the fun & games begin :)

Please note we at Xbox-Emulation do not condone the use of Hardware or Software for the purpose of playing copied Retail games or applications.

You can read the full details here

XBConnect 1.1 Released
Posted by Sin-Tex at 17:57 PM

Changes since version 1.

1. Host can see players pings
2. Players can see all players in game
3. Language filter
4. Full games show up in red
5. Fixed bug in adapter list. Should help some people finding xbox
6. Customizable sound events
7. You can change chat font. Note: must be a fixed pitch font.
8. Help file added.
9. Chat is now tabbed.
10. Fixed channel leaving when game starts.
11. Chat text justification and proper word wrapping.
12. Better resizing.
13. Channel topics displayed in title bar.
14. Allow commands to be passed in private chat.
15. Kick and Full messages should not drop you to a black screen.
16. You can change chat font. Note: must be a fixed pitch font.
17. Chat text justification and proper word wrapping.
18. Better resizing.
19. Channel topics displayed in title bar.
20. Allow commands to be passed in private chat.
21. Kick and Full messages should not drop you to a black screen.

You can download it here

NEO-X Mod
Posted by Sin-Tex at 7:21 AM

The NEO-X mod is now pretty much finished. We have included macrovision disable as well as a few extras which are still being fully tested before we go into more detail. Multiregion DVD is still being worked on.

The NEO-X will be demonstrated on the Pirahna stand at Bowlers Computer Fair in Manchester ( UK ) on Saturday 4th May. Come along and see it working for yourselves.

Yes, that's today guys & girls :)

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