XBOX 360

[Frank]

link? ou c'est à TV?

Hackers have taken the first step towards breaking the anti-piracy system on Microsoft's Xbox 360 game console.

A group of crackers called Team PI Coder says it has discovered the basic workings of the console's file system.

The information has helped the group dig out the raw data from the console for 13 Xbox 360 games.

In response Microsoft said its console had several security systems in place that would prevent pirated games being played on it.

mouhahahaha yeah, whatever.

[pwel]

L'annonce c a la tele...mais j'avoue qu'on est porter a zapper la 1ere fois vu que c du monde qui saute a la corde...mais bon c bien fait pareil...

nice pour le file system...mais jpense qui sont encore loin d'avoir reussi!

[Frank]

P-e pas si loin.. ça l'avenir nosu le dira, mais la semaine passée la source "anonyme" qui a donné plusieurs détails techniques de IO de certains chips, ça aide toujours à faire avancer des choses...

Rien n'empêche la répétition de cette action, il y a des pirates ou open-source-ciens qui travaillent chez Microsoft comme chez ATI par exemple...

[pwel]

Shoppers line up for second shipment of Xbox 360 consoles

posting.php?mode=reply&t=38

[pwel]

YES YOU CAN BURN THIS ISO AND PLAY IT IN YOUR XBOX-360
Microsoft left us with this blanket statement: "Xbox 360 retail kiosks have started arriving at retailers. Due to the nature of the distribution process, not all kiosks are hitting simultaneously, but are continuing to pop up in retailers across the country in the coming weeks.
The kiosks are designed for a retail environment and feature game samples, game trailers and product information."

Team Pi leaves you with this Pillow statement: "It seems Microsoft was in such a hurry to get this stuff out that they forgot to set the media protection on this disc. This leaves hackers with the posibility to hack around with this disc that load from a normal DVDR5 backup! - Team Pi also notes that the all datafiles on this disc isn't signed in any way, and will allow for extensive modification for producing exploits to further our efford to hack this box!"

Playable (hackable) games [demos] on this disc: Call of Duty 2, Hexic, Kameo, King Kong.
Also includes lots of game and accessory demos in video format. Nothing ripped, just foreign videos were downsampled to fit onto a normal DVDR5!

SPECIAL NOTE
YES you can run this! Burn the iso, put it into your xbox and be very amazed... Next, think of the posibilities of hacking this little demo disc that we might start running code on the retail xbox 360's !
So the second task is done. We hope this encourages all hackers, coders and crackers out there to take up the challenge.
Enjoy!

WTF!!!!!!!

ca ient de xbox-scene bin sur...si kekun voit l'iso trainer kekpart dites-le!

[pwel]

As you probably all know by now, the Demo Disc Microsoft sent to stores to run in their kiosks will also run from DVD5R, see our earlier news for more.
Here's a bit more info:
* Our users report you can change the .wmv files by other ones and they'll play on the 360 (without Windows MediaCenter PC)! Example changing '/videos/pgr3.wmv' file with another wmv-hd video will allow to play your wmv-hd video by booting the disc and going to games>pgr3>play video.
* PI's nfo file says: "datafiles on this disc isn't signed in any way". PI is right here, but many people don't understand this correctly. They mean datafiles like wmv, png, ... aren't signed. XEX/EXE files are still signed. The reason these executables run on recordable media is no 'hacking', it's simply because Microsoft set the 'mediaflag' so it can run from DVD+-R too. Nothing is changed in the XEX files on the disc, so the signatures (in XEX header) are still valid.
* You can't use this disc to boot retail discs/games (like by placing them in the /demos/ dir) as those are set by Microsoft so you can only run them from DVDXBOX(360) media (and might have a DVD physical structure check too?).
* Everything is playable, also the game demos (each has its own XEX/EXE file)
* If you add/remove files on this demo disc it'll still boot (as long as you don't remove essential stuff like /default.XEX of course), so this demo disc has no integrity test of the DVD.
* I'll also boot from other media like CD-R (like putting 1 game demo on a CD-R).

Here are some other interesting details from Arakon on the xboxhacker.net forums:
* It's a simple ISO file you can read it with any ISO extractor. You can also browse the burned DVD in explorer.
* The Live Arcade games are infact standard flash games (atleast Hexic is). You can run Hexic in a browser that has the flash plugin installed. So the default.xex in the hexic dir might not be more then a flashplayer. He tried replacing the hexic flash file with another swf file, but the Xbox crashed (black screen) on that. If working ... it could be interesting for some homebrew flash games
* The playable demos are not accessible if the Xbox 360 launguage is set to German (it probably only works if set to english).
* There are more videos and pictures on the disc than those accessible via the Xbox 360 interface.

[Frank]

Un groupe de pirates, baptisé Lithium, vient de mettre en ligne un cd de boot pour la console de salon de Microsoft. D'après le nfo, XBOX.360.Boot.Disk.Edited.NTSC.READNFO-LiThIuM, le fichier d'explication du groupe, ce boot, tient sur un cd et fonctionne parfaitement. Il permet d'utiliser le DVD de démos mis à jour par le groupe PI.

Source: Zataz

Interesting

Hâte de voir les développements!

[Frank]

Will Microsoft Announce a HD DVD Xbox 360 at CES?
From TeamXbox.com:

Richard Doherty, an analyst from research firm Envisioneering Group, predicts that tomorrow Bill Gates' main message at his CES keynote will focus Windows Vista, the next-generation Windows, but Doherty also thinks Gates will talk about HD DVD as part of the Xbox 360.

Bill Gates' CES keynote is only 24 hours away so tomorrow we'll know if the analyst was right or if it was pure speculation based on the recent HD DVD, Blu-ray Disc war hype.

-------------------------------------------------

Inifinity Mods:
Jan. 2nd, 2006 - XboX 360 Chip Recieved, and in testing, expect sales within 2 weeks!

Source: A Xbox 360 Blog

[Frank]

Xbox Games Grew 56% Over System Life-Cycle, Suggests 360 DVDs Are Big Enough for Next-Generation

[Frank]

http://www.infinitymods.com/home/

http://www.icemodchip.com/index.php

Pas pris le temps de checker, mais ça serait le premier modchip pour Xbox360... Aucune idée ce qu'il fait/permet...

[pwel]

GERMAN chipmaker Infineon has been named as the culprit for Microsoft’s inability to supply enough Xbox 360s.

On Monday we reported that Microsoft admitted that it had sorted out component problems that had led to the shortages and said that there would be enough Xboxes in the stores in four to six weeks. Vole refused to say which supplier was responsible.

Now hacks at Mercury News have identified Infineon as the outfit responsible for the shortage. It cites off the record Vole people as complaining that Infineon had trouble making enough of the chips at the right speed for the 360.

When the GDDR3 (graphics double data rate) memory chips arrived at Vole’s assembly contractors, Wistron and Flextronics, some Infineon chips ran slower than 700-megahertz speed that was required. Wistron and Flextronic wasted so much time sorting good chips from bad chips it didn’t have enough time to make enough consoles.

MS se sont trouvé un coupable pour pas avoir livré bcp de 360...

[Frank]

Microsoft Responds to Foil on Xbox 360 GPU Heatsink

>> Microsoft has issued a reply via the GamerScore Blog (ran by Xbox employees) to the story about the foil found on some heatsink GPUs:

The video and photos posted by German blog GameStore24.de show thermal interface pads that are not installed incorrectly. They are installed per specification. This foil eliminates the need of a protective liner, which simplifies the final assembly process and minimizes shipping concerns and contamination issues.

Just a reminder that opening the Xbox 360 case voids the warranty. If your console is malfunctioning, call Xbox customer support. They can diagnose whether the system is malfunctioning, and will arrange for repair/replacement if necessary.

The manufacturing team pointed me to the exact part we used. More information on the material can be found here. Here is the way they describe the part, in case any of you want to buy more...(my emphasis):
THERMFLOW T558 provides the high performance properties typical of free-film phase change materials with the added benefit of easy removal. MULTIPHASE thermal interface pads are phase-change materials specially formulated for use in high performance devices requiring minimum thermal resistance for maximum thermal performance and component reliability. It provides the high performance of typical phase change materials with the added benefit of improved thermal stability over conventional phase change pads. It is a 0.005 inch (0.13mm) thick, inherently adhesive film that softens at device operating temperatures resulting in "grease-like" performance. T558 has been coated on one side of a conformal metal foil carrier. It is easily attached onto a heat sink or heat spreader, leaving the metal foil surface exposed. This foil eliminates the need of a protective liner, which simplifies the final assembly process and minimizes shipping concerns and contamination issues.

The original specification is included here. The Xbox 360 uses T558. Note the "gray/silver foil."
Xbox-Scene

The guys over at kotaku.com also got a reply from Microsoft about this matter. It says the same as above including the usual marketing talk that there is no systemic issue, that the return rate is below the CE industry average of 3-5% and that all problems are being handled on a case-by-case basis.

Full news @ Xbox-Scene

[Frank]

Microsoft to upgrade Xbox 360 CPU

Microsoft will upgrade the CPU used in its Xbox 360 games console early next year, the CPU's manufacturer announced today.

The new CPU will be built using technology that can reduce heat and power consumption, as well as potentially increasing speed. It will also help Microsoft cut the console's cost.

The improved Xbox 360 CPU will be manufactured using 65 nanometre technology starting in the first quarter of 2007, Chartered Semiconductor of Singapore said. The existing CPU uses 90nm technology.

Although the launch of the Xbox 360 last November was generally hailed as a success for Microsoft, the console has been troubled by reports of overheating causing games to crash or freeze.

These have come despite the unit using a pair of powerful fans, together with heat pipes, to carry heat away from the CPU core.

Microsoft acknowledged last year that it had received "isolated" reports of problems. One US buyer has initiated a class action suit against the company, alleging that both the CPU and power supply were prone to overheating.

As is common with advances in chip building methods, the 65nm technology that the new Xbox 360 CPU will use can provide lower power consumption and reduced heat output compared to older production methods.

While the new CPU may help Microsoft alleviate any overheating problems with the existing Xbox 360 design, it is standard industry practice for hardware makers to take advantage of newer semiconductor technology as it becomes available, simply because this helps them reduce manufacturing costs.

Source: http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/21544 ... s-xbox-cpu

[Frank]

Une hack Xbox 360 pour tous

Le firmware DVD de la Xbox 360 est maintenant censé pouvoir être piraté par tous alors que Commodore4Eva, responsable de l’annonce du premier hack crée par The Specialist (« Le firmware DVD de la Xbox 360 hacké ? »), vient de mettre en ligne une version téléchargeable du hack et un manuel expliquant les manipulations à faire. Ce nouveau firmware ne supporte que les Xbox 360 TS-H943.

Il permet de booter des copies de jeux et des backups. Il autorise aussi l'utilisation du lecteur DVD de la Xbox sur un ordinateur équipé de Windows, sans passer par quelques adaptateurs que ce soit. Le forum de XBOX360.net affirme néanmoins que Microsoft peut détecter si une machine utilise un firmware hacké. Aucune sanction n’est mentionnée, pour le moment, le but étant seulement de dissuader les moins téméraires. Sachez que les liens initialement publiés vers les fichiers téléchargeables ont été retirés, mais plusieurs sites miroirs et des liens BitTorrent ont été mis en place aussi tôt.

Source: http://www.presence-pc.com/actualite/xb ... ack-16871/

=============================================

Xbox 360 DVD Firmware HACKED

TheSpecialist posts on our forums:

Months of hard work have come to an end. The 360 FW security details were posted a few days ago already, so why not make it official Smiley It's been done.

[...]

Just for fun, here's a little video: http://rapidshare.de/files/15810304/360hack.mpg.html. And no, the team decided not to release a hacked FW. The security details are proof itself. The team advocates hacking, not piracy.

Congratulations to everyone who has been working hard on this project here in the forums and elsewhere. Nice job! I am glad that XboxHacker.Net has been able to serve a place in this community once again. XBH does not advocate piracy and we hope that these advances will assist us on the way towards our end goal: custom software for the Xbox 360.

A little more about the hack: it's a firmware hack that circumvents some disc security mechanisms. Executables must still be signed; the hack does not allow code that hasn't been signed by Microsoft to run, so no custom software or Linux yet. The door has now been cracked open though.

For those looking for a canned release of the firmware to pirate-and-go, this won't be the place to get it. All of the technical discussions are in the forums for your perusal however. Nice work guys!

Happy Hacking

==========================================

Microsoft Comments on FW Hack

I read about this Gamersblog post on Xbox-Scene:

We’ve been asked from quite a few of you for a comment about the recent “hacked” Xbox 360. I got the official response for your perusal:

"The core security system has not been broken. However, it is reported that the authentication protocol between the optical disc drive and the console may be attacked, which if accurate could allow people to play illegally copied games. Our security team is aware of this and we are investigating potential solutions to this issue. The Xbox 360 platform was designed to be updated, and we are prepared to respond appropriately should any unauthorized activity be identified.

Everyone should keep in mind that Microsoft invests a great deal of time and effort to ensure that Xbox gamers enjoy the most powerful and exhilarating game experience available today. Genuine and unmodified Microsoft Xbox products provide gamers with the reliability, security, support and dynamic gaming experience that they expect. Microsoft works with a large group of legitimate business partners to sell and service genuine Microsoft Xbox products. Microsoft does not authorize or support any products or companies that modify or change the Xbox console in any way. "

[pwel]

Bon j'ai fini de lire la procédure pour hacker le firmware...reste a trouver les firmware, ;a emprunter le xbox de Bitch pi a faire ca chez mike (ca prend du SATA pi mike c'est le seul que je connais qui en a dans son pc)...

donc on cherche le firmware pi on s'En reparle!

[pwel]

OK l'étape 1 est faite j'ai trouver le firmware....mais la me suis rendu compte que ca marche pouyr les dvd Toshiba-Samsung et que ya deux modele de dvd dans les xbox...l'Autre c du LG faudrait voir ce que la bitch a dans son xbox!

EDIT : pic found...so Bitch tell us what you've got!

[pwel]

J'ai lu ca sur un site

Disc drive noise

Compared to previous generation game consoles the Xbox 360 is quite loud, much of this noise is produced by the disc drive when it reads a game disc. The drive generates less noise while reading video DVDs, audio CDs, or other non-game discs since these do not require as high of a transfer rate and are not spun as quickly (lower scanning velocity, see also constant linear velocity).

With the third, and most recent, production run of the Xbox 360, the original Hitachi DVD drive (model GDR-3120L) was replaced with a quieter Toshiba/Samsung DVD drive (model TS-H943). The Toshiba/Samsung model uses the same laser unit as the old LG/Hitachi drive, so the reading capabilities remain identical between the drives.

http://www.answers.com/topic/xbox-360


Fac p-e aussi ceux qui ont acheter des 360 au launch ont tous des Hitachi (qui font pas mal de bruit) et que ceux dans les magasins sont avec des TS....I wish I had 500$ to spend...

[Frank]

In a previous news we already informed you Team Xecuter(info) was working on some new hardware products like (among other stuff) a dual-firmware mod for Xbox360 DVD drives. Here's an update from team-xecuter.com:

We had just started to finalize a nice and easy plug-n-play dual firmware mod and look what we found in our batch of TS-ODD Xbox 360's
Xbox-Scene

So much for plug-n-play and a no-mess install. Pain in the ass :/

Looks like there's some Epoxy on the firmware chip of this TS-ODD drive, so you can't easily access the legs of the firmware IC. Remove the substance (not easy at all without breaking the IC/legs, it's much harder than removing normal glue) or search for alternative points (which is easier I think, but will probably still require some harder solder work) is still an option I guess.
*Update* I knew I saved something about this on my HDD somewhere ... found it back now. Somewhere in january of 2006 Darkfly already released a pinout (alternative points) of the TS-H943 firmware chip.






So simple, so great

[pwel]

J'espere pouvoir me payer un 360 et le hacker avant que ca ne devienne plus possible...

[Doum]

c deja pus possible dans 50% d cas