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Week of November 18, 2007
Infectus Timing Attack PCB Add-on Picture - Release in 10days
>> Team Infectus released a new pictures of their upcoming addon PCB (based on the open-source details Robinsod released) for their Infectus chip. Using the Infectus chip and this addon board you'll be able to downgrade (using the 'Timing Attack') any current Xbox360 kernel (to an exploitable one (4532,4548) for example - so you can get CPU key and run linux, edit keyvault, unban console and later maybe run homebrew).
From infectus.biz:
[QUOTE]
A new PCB ADD ON that allow an easy procedure of downgrade will be released in the next 10 days, more info this week.
Here the picture of the sample pcb
[/QUOTE]
Official Website: infectus.biz
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Joystiq Explaining the Xbox 360 SKUs
>> From joystiq.com:
[QUOTE]
We'd love to say picking up Xbox 360 is as easy as going to the store and grabbing the first box with the console's name on it. For better and worse, this generation of consoles gives consumers many choices at the (potential) expense of causing confusion at the store.
So it's with this in mind that we present you this handy guide for discerning the difference between the various Xbox 360 versions (aka SKUs) out there.
[/QUOTE]
Full Comparison Table: joystiq.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Replace Keyvault Unbans Xbox 360 *update*
>> Legueux of gx-mod.com informed us that Zouzzz managed to unban his Xbox 360 console from LIVE on their forums by swapping the keyvault of his banned Xbox360 with the keyvault of another (not banned) Xbox 360.
However it's not something that everyone out there can do (yet) as you'll need your CPU key (via Hypervisor Exploit and if you got banned it means you're on the latest kernel so you'll need to perform the 'Timing Attack' to downgrade first). You'll also need all the tools to read/flash your Xbox 360 NAND (with the Infectus chip for example).
Here are the things he tried:
* downgrade banned 5787 PAL to 4532 NTSC U, updated again to 5787 via HD. Still banned.
* downgrade banned 5787 PAL to 1888 PAL, updated again to 5787 via HD. Still banned.
* Patched his original 1888 PAL dump with the last number of the Xbox 360 serial in the keyvault (location A0 to AB) changed. Still banned.
* Patched his original 1888 PAL dump with the all the numbers of the Xbox 360 serial in the keyvault changed. Still banned.
* Replaced the full keyvault in his original 1888 PAL dump of the banned console with a keyvault of an unbanned console. Connected to LIVE OK, updated to latest kernel online OK, still connects fine to LIVE.
*update* Zouzzz posted a video showing his banned console and how it'll connect fine to LIVE again after he flashes the console with his 1888 dump with patched keyvault of an unbanned console.
It's a bit like the Xbox1 EEPROM 'hack' ... except that (at least for now) it's much harder to perform yourself on Xbox360.
More Info: gueux-forum.net (french) | xboxhacker.net
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Xbox 360 Birthday Blast: 14 biggest bombs dropped this year
>> From xbox360.ign.com:
[QUOTE]
Xbox 360 was born on November 22, 2005. That means it's time to bake a cake, put on silly hats, and sing a song for Microsoft's big white box. It's been one hell of a year for Microsoft, with plenty of ups and only a few downs. To celebrate its second birthday, we're taking a look back at some of the biggest stories of the past twelve months.
* 360 Nabs GTA IV Exclusive DLC (megaton: 8 | fall-out: 4)
* E3 Ups and Downs (megaton: 3 | fall-out: 5)
* Warranty Extended (megaton: 9 | fall-out: 9)
* Xbox Originals for Download (megaton: 2 | fall-out: 1)
* Halo Movie Dies, Lives, and Dies Again (megaton: 4 | fall-out: 3)
* Increased Japanese Third-Party Support (megaton: 4 | fall-out: 7)
* Halo 3 Launch (megaton: 10 | fall-out: 4)
* The Multi-SKU Strategy (megaton: 5 | fall-out: 5)
* Peter Moore Leaves Microsoft for EA (megaton: 10 | fall-out: 8)
* Gears of War Exceeds Lofty Expectations (megaton: 4 | fall-out: 4)
* Bungie Goes Indie (megaton: 10 | fall-out: 10)
* EA Buys BioWare (megaton: 9 | fall-out: 8)
* Microsoft Loses Front-Runner Status (megaton: 8 | fall-out: 8)
* Xbox 360 Price Drop (megaton: 1 | fall-out: 1)
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: xbox360.ign.com (14 pages)
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
iPrep 101 v006
>> Klutsh released a new version of iPrep 101(info) a .NET application and collection of MSDOS scripts/applications for use in flashing a Samsung TS-H943A or BenQ DVD drives.
What's new/fixed:
* Added Drive restore scripts. (see How to Use)
* Fixed GUI text error.
* Fixed BenQ batch files (again).
* Reverted to DosFlash(info) 1.3
Official Site: x-projects.org
Download: here
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Interview with Jeff Bell - Microsoft's Corporate Vice President of Marketing
>> From gameinformer.com:
[QUOTE]
Today's contribution comes from Microsoft's Corporate Vice President of Marketing, Interactive Entertainment Business, Jeff Bell. Bell more or less made his debut at this year's E3 by getting whooped in Madden by Reggie Bush. With Peter Moore moving over to Electronic Arts, expect to see more from Bell on Microsoft's side.
* GI: You're talking about the variety of choices that people have. I was at a retail store over the weekend, and I literally saw a mom standing in front of the Xbox 360 kiosk, and there were four different SKUs. You had the Elite, the Pro, the Halo edition and then the Arcade. She sat and stared for about a minute, then she picked up the phone and asked, "Which one are we supposed to get him for Christmas?" Do you think having four different SKUs is a little confusing for the consumer?
* Bell: Well, the good news is she bought one. You know, there is a potential that four is more confusing than one. I have a lot of respect for the consumer. I look at, for instance, being at Best Buy last evening myself, doing some holiday shopping, I think I saw 47 different cellular phones on display. I look over at the appliance section, and I think there must be two dozen different refrigerators that people can look at. I have a lot of respect for the intelligence of the savvy consumer. For us, we really have three. The special-edition Halo 3 system is for the fanboys, and there are a few left--although there aren't that many left after the launch. So I think we'll get back to three there. We change the exterior packaging as well to make it a little simpler for people to see what the contents are, using graphics and major messaging. So that's a good problem to have. I think the three price points, the content that's held within, should allow people to find the system that's right for them. I think the one common denominator with all of those is again the competitive advantage we hold with Xbox Live. It is a free service. People can plug in and make available all of the features of Marketplace, whether it is the Arcade games that are very affordable. We continue to get closer to over 100 games for this holiday that people can download and play for 500 Microsoft Points, which is 6 or 7 dollars, which makes it much more affordable for families. Or on the Marketplace, to be able to preview the demos and the trailers of games that have come out. So we're feeling like in any of those three choices, people are going to be able to find the thing that's right for them that gets them the most joy and happiness as a family.
* GI: You said that you've had a 90 percent customer-satisfaction rating. What about the mass amount of people who are experiencing the "red ring of death"? People who I talk to that are buying 360s almost expect it. How are you actually fixing this problem, and are you seeing the rate of hardware returns going down at all?
* Bell: Well, there are a couple of things. First off, the 90 percent has not taken one change during the entire summer period, when we came out with what was a historic--and we obviously feel very badly about those that had problems, but we feel very proud of our stance behind our product and brand. We set aside the funds necessary to pay for the shipping and repair of any console that experiences that particular signal for failure. We found that both the retail-sales people as well as our consumers find it to be obviously very unpleasant, but they also give a lot of credence to how firm we put our support behind our business and they respect that. We've also decrease, on a market basis, the amount of time between sending a box off and then getting it back repaired. We've seen a market decrease in any repeat repairs, and overall, the new boxes that we're shipping, we've put fixes in place that give us confidence that this is going to be something that hopefully will become a distant memory in our history as opposed to something that we will see going forward.
[/QUOTE]
Full Interview: gameinformer.com (3 pages)
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Microsoft Starts New Ban Wave on LIVE Against Modified Firmwares *update*
>> It looks like Microsoft started a new wave of bans against modified DVD firmwares or DVD+/-R DL discs.
Several users on our forums and on IRC report their Xbox 360 has been banned from LIVE today. We get reports of Toshiba-Samsung and Hitachi-LG drives banned with both Xtreme and even the newer iXtreme firmwares. However we also see many reports of people who are currently on LIVE and have no been banned (yet). No reports of banned BenQ drives yet (but few of these drives have been flashed yet).
If you have the 'Z Code' 8015-190D it means you are banned. As always Microsoft bans the console serial from LIVE, not your LIVE account.
If your console is banned or if you have been playing on LIVE today with modified FW without getting banned, report you findings in this thread (include at least your live status, full drive model (swapped drive?, spoofing?) and firmware version used).
*UPDATE*
It appears that modified fw is NOT being detected, and is instead once again due to 'bad' discs. Keep in mind that the only full proof way to make a 1:1 backup is to do it yourself. iXtreme is as fullproof as it can be, in that it validates everything it possibly can from a firmware point of view, but a game can have slight data change somewhere, most commonly in DMI. Or it can be due to early copies being watermarked so to speak.
This is why you run the risk of being banned on xbox live if you pirate games. Always remember that you run a risk doing such actions.
In regards to game data being properly validated, xdvdmulleter is a tool that has a constantly maintained database to validate backups against retail copies to ensure full stealth. If you have a samsung SH-D16x and would like to contribute to the project to prevent future Live bans, please join #stealth360 on Efnet, IRC.
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
iPrep 101 v005 *updated*
>> Klutsh released a new version of iPrep 101(info) a .NET application and collection of MSDOS scripts/applications for use in flashing a Samsung TS-H943A or BenQ DVD drives.
What's new/fixed:
* Added BenQ drive support.
* Streamlined SATA IO detection.
* Single or Dual format build process.
*Update* Fixed version released with fixed BenQ batchfiles.
Official Site: x-projects.org
Download (*updated* version): here
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Official X-Scene Merchandise Store: 'Screw the Warranty' Tee
>> Those who were here with us in the early days might remember we had an official x-scene tshirt several years ago. Ever since that tee went out of production people asked me if we would ever launch another tshirt or way to support the site.
Well ... today I'm officially opening the new 'X-Scene.com Merchandise Store', operated by splitreason.com.
Available starting today is our brand new x-scene.com tshirt. On the front it's featuring 'a' ring of light with the the xs-man logo, our url, and our brand new slogan 'Screw the Warranty'. On the back you'll find the url again using the xs-man logo as 'x' character.
If you want to support x-scene, or if you simply like the design ... you can buy one right now in S, M, L, XL, XXL for 17.95usd (~12.24eur/~8.75gbp). World wide shipping is available of course.
*Update* Sorry guys, seems like the tshirt is a bit more popular than we anticipated. All sizes, except S, are sold out already. More stock will be available soon. New stock will be available in 2-3 weeks.
Buy Now ($17.95/~12.24eur/~8.75gbp): http://www.splitreason.com/x-scene/
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
XNA Game Studio 2.0 Beta Released
>> From the official Team XNA Blog:
[QUOTE]
The XNA team is pleased to announce the Beta release of XNA Game Studio 2.0! This Beta release is your chance to try out the new features available in XNA Game Studio 2.0, including support for Visual Studio 2005, multiplayer support over System Link and LIVE, and many more features and enhancements, many suggested by you, the community members.
If you're an existing XNA Game Studio Express user, you won't have to worry about uninstalling anything - XNA Game Studio 2.0 (Beta) lives comfortably side-by-side with XNA Game Studio Express. Just follow the link below to find out what's new in XNA Game Studio 2.0 and download the Beta, as well as updated sample content you can use with the Beta right away. There's even a multiplayer-enabled starter kit you can use to familiarize yourself with multiplayer programming in the XNA Framework.
XNA Game Studio 2.0 (Beta) supports multiplayer gaming over Games for Windows - LIVE. If you are planning on making multiplayer games on Windows that make use of any Games for Windows - LIVE features, you will need an Xbox LIVE Gamertag that has an active XNA Creators Club membership, and a special token.
To receive your token, send a message to xnacgp@microsoft.com with the subject "Beta Key Request". Note that you must send this message from the same e-mail address that is associated with an Xbox LIVE Gamertag that has an active XNA Creators Club membership. (Note it may take up to a few days to receive your code in email)
If you're not an XNA Creators Club member, you can use the System Link functionality or program against the multiplayer API's without a code.
Please keep in mind that the timeframe between this release and our final release will be very short, in fact we've already had a chance to fix some of the larger issues that you may run into during the beta. That said, if you do run into issues I would encourage you to file them through our Microsoft Connect site at: http://connect.microsoft.com/site/sitehome.aspx?SiteID=226
[/QUOTE]
Download: here[xna.com]
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Rumor: 1UP Hints that Shane Kim is leaving MS
>> From joystiq.com:
[QUOTE]
Last week, Shane Bettenhausen caused an internet uproar, an e-debacle if you will, when he hinted that an anticipated Microsoft first-party title would soon be canceled. The title turned out to be Marvel Universe Online, and while it hasn't been officially canceled, it sounds like production is at a standstill. The second, less sexy part of the rumor: A top Microsoft exec is on the way out.
Towards the end of the 1UP Yours podcast while the topic was being discussed, host Garnett Lee asked guest host N'Gai Croal, "Do you watch any Nickelodeon like Something Possible?". If you're not as adept with afternoon TV trivia as we are, allow us to drop some knowledge: He's talking about Kim Possible. And that points squarely at Microsoft Games Studios boss Shane Kim.
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: joystiq.com | 1up.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Bach dismisses Sony's online efforts
>> From gamesindustry.biz:
[QUOTE]
Microsoft's Robbie Bach has dismissed Sony's PlayStation Network, saying he doesn't believe the console rival offers an online gaming service comparable to Xbox Live.
The company is currently celebrating five years of Xbox Live, with over 8 million users signed up to the service.
"It's fair to say that Xbox Live is clearly head and shoulders above anything anyone else has tried to do. We don't have competition," said Bach, speaking to the LA Times.
"Sony has done some things online, but nothing that can be called a service. We have a big advantage and we're going to keep pressing that advantage," he added.
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: gamesindustry.biz | latimes.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
XboxMediaCenter (XBMC) 2007-11-17 SVN rev10770 build - T3CH
>> T3CH released a new SVN compile (rev10770) of XboxMediaCenter(info) for Xbox1.
This T3CH-compile is a complete snapshot of what is in SVN at the time the build was compiled, with just a few small additions.
Special Notes and Added/Noteworthy/XML/Script changes:
* Sorry for the long delay
* AMT updated to rev1696, XBMC Lyrics updated to rev1637, AOL Videos Plugin updated to "a newer one".
* added: label2 support to button controls in python, thanks to Nuka1195.
* added: content type to plugins, thanks to Nuka1195.
* added: repeat time and action to textbox autoscrolling.
* added: proper detection of if stream is on local LAN changed: mplayer now only prefills cache to 5% when file is on HD or local LAN, should allow quick startup even with rather large cache.
* added: filename filtering for tagless music files via advancedsettings.xml. See the online manual for setup details.
* added: "justify" text alignment, and <align> support to textbox.
* added: Enable AutoScroll for Plot & Review accessible from Skin Settings (default disabled)
* added: Autoscroll support to textboxes. Use <autoscroll time="1000" delay="3000">condition_to_scroll</autoscroll>
* added: dvb subtitle support in mpeg-ts streams for dvdplayer added: subtitle delay adjustment support to dvdplayer
* added: Textbox now scrolls smoothly, using <scrolltime> like panels and lists.
* added: buttons for love/hate Last.FM so you can add your favourite tracks to loved or ban them from playing altogether, will appear only when playing Last.FM radio.
* added: last.fm track love now also sets local rating to 5 if the song has been scanned to the database and hasn't been rated yet.
* added: last.fm recently loved and banned to last.fm directory + unlove/unban (contextmenu)
* added: httpapi config command now returns an error message if the webserver is not on
* added: xbmc.lastfm.love built-in, all songs that can be submitted to last.fm can be loved, optional parameter (false) = direct loving without confirmationdialog. added: xbmc.lastfm.ban built-in, only songs that are playing on last.fm radio can be banned, optional parameter (false) = direct banning without confirmationdialog. added: lastfm.radioplaying boolean-condition added: lastfm.canlove boolean-condition added: lastfm.canban boolean-condition
* added: Thumbnail parameter to the WebServer's Config AddBookmark command (using asg's patch)
* added: Plug-in settings, back ported from the linux branch.(Thanks Yuvalt)
* added: dvdplayer now pauses to rebuffer it's full cache if it runs out of buffer during playback.
* added : French version of tvdb scraper (thanks to bilbon0bud)
* added: Top 250 to DialogVideoInfo (this value can change but only as much as the current ratings/votes)
For the full changelog (all added/fixed/changed/updated stuff) since the 2007-11-04 SVN Rev10675 build click here.
Keep in mind this is a SVN snapshot of the current development tree. It's not an official (stable) point release. Use only if you know what you are doing.
Official XBMC Site: www.xboxmediacenter.com (manual and FAQ)
Official T3CH Site: http://t3ch.yi.se (release RSS feed)
Download Binaries: n/a (built with XDK) | Download SourceCode: here
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
DosFlash v1.4 Beta - DROM support
>> Schtrom released a new version of DosFlash(info) - a tool that allows you to read/write/erase the flash chips of many CD/DVD-ROM drives, including the Xbox360 BenQ drive (without HW modification).
What's new/fixed:
* DROM6316 flashing support
* a flash erase is now always done with a chip erase and not a sector erase command, because the sector erase gives problems for some Winbond flash chips including the DROM6316
* DosFlash.typ corrected and updated
* for a detailed explanation on the soft unlock look at the included file SoftUnlockByIriez.txt, it contains a very good explanation by Iriez from XBS, thanks for that one!
Official Site: n/a, by Schtrom
Download: here
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Kreon alternative firmware for the Samsung SH-D162D and SH-D163B v1.00
>> From the readme/nfo:
[QUOTE]
Hmm...so Samsung decided it was time to revise their DVD-ROM drives. The SH-D162C [SH-D163A] was replaced by SH-D162D [SH-D163B] and while the two drives have a lot of things in common, there was really no way to make the 162C [163A] firmware work on the 162D [163B]. I've had a lot of firmware requests for the new line of drives, and here it finally is....a shiny new firmware that should make your SH-D162D [SH-D163B] do all the tricks that only the SH-D162C and SH-D163A have been able to do so far.
Changes/fixes in this release..
* Nothing 8O) This is the first release for the SH-D162D [SH-D163B] based on the SH-D162C [SH-D163A] source.
This is what you get..
* Full challenge/response functionality.
* Two types of unlock for XBOX 360 game discs. One for making xtreme style images and one for making wxripper style images. Both types of iso can be made using isobuster, even though this method is no longer recommended.
* A 'lock' function that will cancel any enabled unlock state. This can be very useful for custom applications.
* A much more streamlined command interface which is good news if you intend to write an application that makes use of the drives extra features.
* The drive will default to unlock state 2 and error skip enabled when a 360 media is inserted. You can in other words use isobuster to obtain a wxripper style image without issuing any commands to the drive :) .
* RPC1 support (RPC-2 actually but with automatic change of drive region and RCE support).
[/QUOTE]
Download: n/a (might be illegal under DMCA/EUCD/EULA)
Full Readme: xbins.org[SH-D163B] | xbins.org[SH-D162D]
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Schtrom360Xtract v3.4
>> 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, PFI and DMI and fully prepare the image for burning in 1 step.
What's new/fixed:
* tray eject for SH-D163A does work now
* progress bar won't move beyond 100% anymore
* default.xex and default.xbe are deleted from the temp folder before and after the CRC check, this may have caused wrong XEX/XBE checksums
* added support for kreon's new SH-D162D and SH-D163B fw
* Drive Get Feature List was changed to support the additional XBOX1 features, because kreon splittet the XBOX1 and XBOX360 features support
* presets were added for the new drives in the options dialog and Schtrom360Xtract.ini, because of that it is recommended to delete the old ini and use the new one with V3.4
* new stealth.ini added
Official Site: n/a, by Schtrom
Download: here
Full Readme: xbins.org
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Xbox Backup Creator v2.7.0.265
>> Redline99 released a new version of Xbox Backup Creator(info), a tool that will allow you to easily dump, create/patch and burn Xbox and Xbox 360 images with full support for SS, DMI and PFI.
What's new/fixed:
* Added - Added support for Kreon's SH-D163B firmware
* Added - Added support for Kreon's SH-D162D firmware
* Added - Verify Disc button on the Drive Tools(info) Tab
* Added - Added option to do a Verify Disc after a Burn (Note: Used ImgBurns build in Verify when selected)
Official Site: n/a, by Redline99
Download: here
Full Readme: xbins.org
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
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