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I was rooting around the internet today, looking randomly for stuff about my new XBox console. Much of the information I stumbled upon during my travels was related to the possibilities of hacking the XBox.
Hackers appear to have set themselves a goal of improving the XBox, and releasing its full potential. One of the most striking articles was centred around MAME (Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator). MAME is already available on the PC, and allows you to play virtually all arcade machine games which we knew and loved. Programmers are in the process of porting MAME to the XBox, thus allowing us to play arcade machine games on our XBox's. Imagine the utopial scenario....playing Paperboy on your XBox console! Kind of makes you think why people who set their hearts on this decided to shell out £300 on the next-gen console when they could pick up a C64 on eBay for a tenner! However, I agree this would be a truly aesthetic concept if it can be pulled off.
I also read that work is in progress on SNES and Mega Drive emulation on the XBox. Is this a vision? Could we soon be playing *ANY* game on our XBox? This is a very neat and convenient concept for us all. I for one have a load of old console games lying around the house which never get played, because it would involve setting up an old machine in front of the TV. ROM images are legally available for those who own the games on sites scattered all over the web. This it would be easy to obtain the games, and very, very convenient to play them on the XBox. If it is possible to port such software to the XBox, this would revolutionise videogaming, but at a huge detriment to Microsoft.
However, the old problem crops up again - how the hell would we transfer this software to the XBox? Well, hackers have been very optimistic about allowing us to access our XBox hard disks through our PC, using a network connection. PC network connections are already being used to allow us to play online games through a broadband connection using services such as GameSpy Arcade and XBoxGW, so why not the other way around? Also XBox hackers have been able to directly access the XBox HDD using a very simple technique involving HDD power cables! If this is a real possibility who knows what we could potentially do with our XBox consoles?
Back to the online gaming, yes it is true that Microsoft will not be releasing the online service until later this year, and yes it will cost. This is perhaps the beauty of existing online play, it's free and it's now. This is probably the hackers greatest success, and probably very high on Microsoft's sueing list! However to play online, as already mentioned, requires a PC network connection. It also requires a broadband connection, so the whole setup doesn't come cheap.
Believe it or not, Hackers have even found a couple of ways of SPEEDING UP the XBox! As if it's not fast enough already! Overclocking the XBox CPU and water-cooling it has been tried and tested in the states to improve overall XBox performance. Also, a quick switch of the IDE cable linking the DVD drive, Hard disk, and XBox can speed up load times. The XBox comes with an ATA-33 cable as standard, but by switching this for an ATA-100 cable, it has been shown to improve disk access times by up to 50%!!! However, do not take any of this information to heart, as it would involve taking the lid off your XBox, and voiding your warranty, yes very bad move.
Developers are already working on (again!) a port of Linux for XBox. If this is robust and allows us to play our XBox games, could this be the future of XBox? I have used Linux on and off for a few years now, but have always returned to Windows. Why? Software support. Linux's ability to run Windows based software has always been very limited. I fear that XBox linux will have these exact problems also, and may be reserved only for the inept hacker.
The most controversial aspect of the entire XBox hacking headlines is the illegal software market. Hackers are working on ripping the XBox game DVD into a small enough image to fit onto a CDRW. Now if this is becoming a reality, how long until we see ripped Halo ISOs on Morpheus?!!??! Also would it really be that hard to download a copied game from the net using an XBox port of linux, and then execute it? I think this is all to real a danger for Microsoft if it wants to continue profiting from the XBox. After all, we don't want the XBox to be the next Dreamcast do we? Of course not! Saying that, however, Microsoft worked very hard on making the XBox immune to these possibilities. I think it suffices to say hackers will always work around these, as should be self evident!
The XBox is a very similar system to the PC, thus it is hardly surprising it is high on the priority list for hackers and crackers. Will this improve the XBox like they state? Or will it open the XBox up to bugs and viruses from across the world. Do hackers really have the potential to exploit the XBox to it's fullest? What will be the future of Microsoft's newly forming gaming empire if they can? We will all have to wait and see.
Hackers appear to have set themselves a goal of improving the XBox, and releasing its full potential. One of the most striking articles was centred around MAME (Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator). MAME is already available on the PC, and allows you to play virtually all arcade machine games which we knew and loved. Programmers are in the process of porting MAME to the XBox, thus allowing us to play arcade machine games on our XBox's. Imagine the utopial scenario....playing Paperboy on your XBox console! Kind of makes you think why people who set their hearts on this decided to shell out £300 on the next-gen console when they could pick up a C64 on eBay for a tenner! However, I agree this would be a truly aesthetic concept if it can be pulled off.
I also read that work is in progress on SNES and Mega Drive emulation on the XBox. Is this a vision? Could we soon be playing *ANY* game on our XBox? This is a very neat and convenient concept for us all. I for one have a load of old console games lying around the house which never get played, because it would involve setting up an old machine in front of the TV. ROM images are legally available for those who own the games on sites scattered all over the web. This it would be easy to obtain the games, and very, very convenient to play them on the XBox. If it is possible to port such software to the XBox, this would revolutionise videogaming, but at a huge detriment to Microsoft.
However, the old problem crops up again - how the hell would we transfer this software to the XBox? Well, hackers have been very optimistic about allowing us to access our XBox hard disks through our PC, using a network connection. PC network connections are already being used to allow us to play online games through a broadband connection using services such as GameSpy Arcade and XBoxGW, so why not the other way around? Also XBox hackers have been able to directly access the XBox HDD using a very simple technique involving HDD power cables! If this is a real possibility who knows what we could potentially do with our XBox consoles?
Back to the online gaming, yes it is true that Microsoft will not be releasing the online service until later this year, and yes it will cost. This is perhaps the beauty of existing online play, it's free and it's now. This is probably the hackers greatest success, and probably very high on Microsoft's sueing list! However to play online, as already mentioned, requires a PC network connection. It also requires a broadband connection, so the whole setup doesn't come cheap.
Believe it or not, Hackers have even found a couple of ways of SPEEDING UP the XBox! As if it's not fast enough already! Overclocking the XBox CPU and water-cooling it has been tried and tested in the states to improve overall XBox performance. Also, a quick switch of the IDE cable linking the DVD drive, Hard disk, and XBox can speed up load times. The XBox comes with an ATA-33 cable as standard, but by switching this for an ATA-100 cable, it has been shown to improve disk access times by up to 50%!!! However, do not take any of this information to heart, as it would involve taking the lid off your XBox, and voiding your warranty, yes very bad move.
Developers are already working on (again!) a port of Linux for XBox. If this is robust and allows us to play our XBox games, could this be the future of XBox? I have used Linux on and off for a few years now, but have always returned to Windows. Why? Software support. Linux's ability to run Windows based software has always been very limited. I fear that XBox linux will have these exact problems also, and may be reserved only for the inept hacker.
The most controversial aspect of the entire XBox hacking headlines is the illegal software market. Hackers are working on ripping the XBox game DVD into a small enough image to fit onto a CDRW. Now if this is becoming a reality, how long until we see ripped Halo ISOs on Morpheus?!!??! Also would it really be that hard to download a copied game from the net using an XBox port of linux, and then execute it? I think this is all to real a danger for Microsoft if it wants to continue profiting from the XBox. After all, we don't want the XBox to be the next Dreamcast do we? Of course not! Saying that, however, Microsoft worked very hard on making the XBox immune to these possibilities. I think it suffices to say hackers will always work around these, as should be self evident!
The XBox is a very similar system to the PC, thus it is hardly surprising it is high on the priority list for hackers and crackers. Will this improve the XBox like they state? Or will it open the XBox up to bugs and viruses from across the world. Do hackers really have the potential to exploit the XBox to it's fullest? What will be the future of Microsoft's newly forming gaming empire if they can? We will all have to wait and see.
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I was rooting around the internet today, looking randomly for stuff about my new XBox console. Much of the information I stumbled upon during my travels was related to the possibilities of hacking the XBox.
Hackers appear to have set themselves a goal of improving the XBox, and releasing its full potential. One of the most striking articles was centred around MAME (Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator). MAME is already available on the PC, and allows you to play virtually all arcade machine games which we knew and loved. Programmers are in the process of porting MAME to the XBox, thus allowing us to play arcade machine games on our XBox's. Imagine the utopial scenario....playing Paperboy on your XBox console! Kind of makes you think why people who set their hearts on this decided to shell out £300 on the next-gen console when they could pick up a C64 on eBay for a tenner! However, I agree this would be a truly aesthetic concept if it can be pulled off.
I also read that work is in progress on SNES and Mega Drive emulation on the XBox. Is this a vision? Could we soon be playing *ANY* game on our XBox? This is a very neat and convenient concept for us all. I for one have a load of old console games lying around the house which never get played, because it would involve setting up an old machine in front of the TV. ROM images are legally available for those who own the games on sites scattered all over the web. This it would be easy to obtain the games, and very, very convenient to play them on the XBox. If it is possible to port such software to the XBox, this would revolutionise videogaming, but at a huge detriment to Microsoft.
However, the old problem crops up again - how the hell would we transfer this software to the XBox? Well, hackers have been very optimistic about allowing us to access our XBox hard disks through our PC, using a network connection. PC network connections are already being used to allow us to play online games through a broadband connection using services such as GameSpy Arcade and XBoxGW, so why not the other way around? Also XBox hackers have been able to directly access the XBox HDD using a very simple technique involving HDD power cables! If this is a real possibility who knows what we could potentially do with our XBox consoles?
Back to the online gaming, yes it is true that Microsoft will not be releasing the online service until later this year, and yes it will cost. This is perhaps the beauty of existing online play, it's free and it's now. This is probably the hackers greatest success, and probably very high on Microsoft's sueing list! However to play online, as already mentioned, requires a PC network connection. It also requires a broadband connection, so the whole setup doesn't come cheap.
Believe it or not, Hackers have even found a couple of ways of SPEEDING UP the XBox! As if it's not fast enough already! Overclocking the XBox CPU and water-cooling it has been tried and tested in the states to improve overall XBox performance. Also, a quick switch of the IDE cable linking the DVD drive, Hard disk, and XBox can speed up load times. The XBox comes with an ATA-33 cable as standard, but by switching this for an ATA-100 cable, it has been shown to improve disk access times by up to 50%!!! However, do not take any of this information to heart, as it would involve taking the lid off your XBox, and voiding your warranty, yes very bad move.
Developers are already working on (again!) a port of Linux for XBox. If this is robust and allows us to play our XBox games, could this be the future of XBox? I have used Linux on and off for a few years now, but have always returned to Windows. Why? Software support. Linux's ability to run Windows based software has always been very limited. I fear that XBox linux will have these exact problems also, and may be reserved only for the inept hacker.
The most controversial aspect of the entire XBox hacking headlines is the illegal software market. Hackers are working on ripping the XBox game DVD into a small enough image to fit onto a CDRW. Now if this is becoming a reality, how long until we see ripped Halo ISOs on Morpheus?!!??! Also would it really be that hard to download a copied game from the net using an XBox port of linux, and then execute it? I think this is all to real a danger for Microsoft if it wants to continue profiting from the XBox. After all, we don't want the XBox to be the next Dreamcast do we? Of course not! Saying that, however, Microsoft worked very hard on making the XBox immune to these possibilities. I think it suffices to say hackers will always work around these, as should be self evident!
The XBox is a very similar system to the PC, thus it is hardly surprising it is high on the priority list for hackers and crackers. Will this improve the XBox like they state? Or will it open the XBox up to bugs and viruses from across the world. Do hackers really have the potential to exploit the XBox to it's fullest? What will be the future of Microsoft's newly forming gaming empire if they can? We will all have to wait and see.
Hackers appear to have set themselves a goal of improving the XBox, and releasing its full potential. One of the most striking articles was centred around MAME (Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator). MAME is already available on the PC, and allows you to play virtually all arcade machine games which we knew and loved. Programmers are in the process of porting MAME to the XBox, thus allowing us to play arcade machine games on our XBox's. Imagine the utopial scenario....playing Paperboy on your XBox console! Kind of makes you think why people who set their hearts on this decided to shell out £300 on the next-gen console when they could pick up a C64 on eBay for a tenner! However, I agree this would be a truly aesthetic concept if it can be pulled off.
I also read that work is in progress on SNES and Mega Drive emulation on the XBox. Is this a vision? Could we soon be playing *ANY* game on our XBox? This is a very neat and convenient concept for us all. I for one have a load of old console games lying around the house which never get played, because it would involve setting up an old machine in front of the TV. ROM images are legally available for those who own the games on sites scattered all over the web. This it would be easy to obtain the games, and very, very convenient to play them on the XBox. If it is possible to port such software to the XBox, this would revolutionise videogaming, but at a huge detriment to Microsoft.
However, the old problem crops up again - how the hell would we transfer this software to the XBox? Well, hackers have been very optimistic about allowing us to access our XBox hard disks through our PC, using a network connection. PC network connections are already being used to allow us to play online games through a broadband connection using services such as GameSpy Arcade and XBoxGW, so why not the other way around? Also XBox hackers have been able to directly access the XBox HDD using a very simple technique involving HDD power cables! If this is a real possibility who knows what we could potentially do with our XBox consoles?
Back to the online gaming, yes it is true that Microsoft will not be releasing the online service until later this year, and yes it will cost. This is perhaps the beauty of existing online play, it's free and it's now. This is probably the hackers greatest success, and probably very high on Microsoft's sueing list! However to play online, as already mentioned, requires a PC network connection. It also requires a broadband connection, so the whole setup doesn't come cheap.
Believe it or not, Hackers have even found a couple of ways of SPEEDING UP the XBox! As if it's not fast enough already! Overclocking the XBox CPU and water-cooling it has been tried and tested in the states to improve overall XBox performance. Also, a quick switch of the IDE cable linking the DVD drive, Hard disk, and XBox can speed up load times. The XBox comes with an ATA-33 cable as standard, but by switching this for an ATA-100 cable, it has been shown to improve disk access times by up to 50%!!! However, do not take any of this information to heart, as it would involve taking the lid off your XBox, and voiding your warranty, yes very bad move.
Developers are already working on (again!) a port of Linux for XBox. If this is robust and allows us to play our XBox games, could this be the future of XBox? I have used Linux on and off for a few years now, but have always returned to Windows. Why? Software support. Linux's ability to run Windows based software has always been very limited. I fear that XBox linux will have these exact problems also, and may be reserved only for the inept hacker.
The most controversial aspect of the entire XBox hacking headlines is the illegal software market. Hackers are working on ripping the XBox game DVD into a small enough image to fit onto a CDRW. Now if this is becoming a reality, how long until we see ripped Halo ISOs on Morpheus?!!??! Also would it really be that hard to download a copied game from the net using an XBox port of linux, and then execute it? I think this is all to real a danger for Microsoft if it wants to continue profiting from the XBox. After all, we don't want the XBox to be the next Dreamcast do we? Of course not! Saying that, however, Microsoft worked very hard on making the XBox immune to these possibilities. I think it suffices to say hackers will always work around these, as should be self evident!
The XBox is a very similar system to the PC, thus it is hardly surprising it is high on the priority list for hackers and crackers. Will this improve the XBox like they state? Or will it open the XBox up to bugs and viruses from across the world. Do hackers really have the potential to exploit the XBox to it's fullest? What will be the future of Microsoft's newly forming gaming empire if they can? We will all have to wait and see.
Page: