Xbox 360 ... FINALLY

[Shayne]

From Xbox Scene

* The flash is encrypted with a per-box key

* The key is stored inside the CPU

* The boot ROM is stored inside the CPU

* Also inside the CPU is a hypervisor that verifies the running state of the kernel, making sure there is no modification (RAM checksums), else the Xbox360 panics and blows up!

* The CPU contains RAM inside of it to store the checksums

* All interrupt/exception handling is done by the hypervisor

* All code runs in kernel mode

* The emulator for first generation games can be updated via an official Microsoft download burned to CD by the user, though the CDs' content will be encrypted and signed with public key cryptography.

The Xbox 360's Hard Disk appears to connect to the Xbox 360 via 7-pin SATA, internally the drive connects to the external connector through standard SATA data and power connectors. This should be of some help.

Hacking the CPU outta be interesting.  Mods might be hard to come by if this is the case.  Have to wait and see.

[Shayne]

Rogers Video will be getting more in next week, probably 2 or 3 per store.  Alyson (store manager of the Jasper Ave store) told me that you cannot pre-order it unless its a full payment.

[Shayne]

ROGERS DOWNTOWN HAS IT IN.  IF YOU WANT IT CALL THEM RIGHT NOW.  Ask for Alyson, say that Shayne sent you, she will put it on hold for a couple hours for you.

[Cova]

hehe - called Rogers downtown - had to wait on hold for Alyson.  When I get her "Hi, I'm looking for an xbox 360", reply "You're from the forums eh?".



Anyways - should have one in my living room by later today.

[Lazybones]

I wonder if they still go for 50% to 100% more on Ebay.. might be worth grabbing one for extra Xmas cash.  :twisted:

[Lazybones]

http://www.xbox-scene.com/xbox1data/sep/EEFFuAApAVZKpeatFV.php



Possible disk scratching on some systems.. Probably over blown and hyped like everything else.

[Shayne]

Just helping you out Cova.

[Shayne]

The disc scratching happens when you take the console from vertical to horizontal stances while a game is in the drive.  Clearly states in the manual to DO NOT DO THIS.



Its really not a microsoft issue.  Bad PR though, cant deny that.

[Cova]

Just helping you out Cova.

Thanks for the tip - got in a lot of gaming on the weekend (and not nearly as much working as I'd intended).  So far I've picked up the premium console, second controller (wired), PGR3, CoD2, and an optical audio cable to use with the included HD kit - total price just under $800.  Now I need a mod-chip and big HD so I can stop paying for these damn games.

[Lazybones]

Just helping you out Cova.

Thanks for the tip - got in a lot of gaming on the weekend (and not nearly as much working as I'd intended).  So far I've picked up the premium console, second controller (wired), PGR3, CoD2, and an optical audio cable to use with the included HD kit - total price just under $800.  Now I need a mod-chip and big HD so I can stop paying for these damn games.

I think working mod chips are a long ways off.. I have been following the progress of info on the system through xbox-scene.. There are already two know hardware revisions making things hard from the get go. Previous mod chips just had to bypass some hardward security, but this time the seccurity is IN the CPUs.



Then again the weakest link is probably the developers rushing for a deadline.. There might be openings found there.

[Cova]

I've also been reading all about the modding effort, I'm guessing 6-months to a year.  I'm also assuming that there will be lots of hardware revisions (especially after chips finally do come out), and having an early-revision 360 will be an advantage for me when I'm trying to mod it.



But for now, I'm taking advantage of having a non-modded one and my free month of live gold service, and checking out what live can do since I've never been able to try it on the modded original box.

[Shayne]

Modding the way i see it happening is going to be more "addon" then piracy.  I could see underground ways of adding bigger drivers (not the removeable drive way we are seeing now), divx videos by hacking the media center functionality, etc.



Piracy and the way the majority of security is thorugh the CPU is gonna be uber tough.

[Lazybones]

Modding the way i see it happening is going to be more "addon" then piracy.  I could see underground ways of adding bigger drivers (not the removeable drive way we are seeing now), divx videos by hacking the media center functionality, etc.



Piracy and the way the majority of security is thorugh the CPU is gonna be uber tough.

Unless the private key gets leaked, like it did with DVDs, but that didn't even happen with the first XBOX so it probably won't this time.



As for Media Centre, I don't think the unit even has deconding for more than DVDs build in. As an extender device the video is transcoded from the sending device, requiring it to run MS Media server. Not nearly as flexible as XBMC on a modded origonal XBOX.. But having said that the origonal XBOX has trouble decoding ultra high res video in some cases.

[Cova]

The project with the most community behind it right now seems to be the guys wanting to run linux on the 360.  To do this, they're either going to have to modify the 360 to run unsigned code (I'm calling it unsigned, as the xbox code is - whether the 360 is encrypted/etc. I dunno), or they'll have to crack the signing/encryption to fool the 360 into running whatever they want.  Personally, I'd love to see the second option happen, such that any 3rd parties could publish whatever they want to run on the xbox.  Then you could just download XBMC2 and have it install onto / run off the xbox hd just like the arcade games, and get access to all the good stuff that the 360's media center app doesn't do.



As for cracking the hardware in the 360, getting mod-chips and stuff, it'll be a while, but it will happen.

[Thorin]

Hmm, in typical American fashion, someone decided to sue Microsoft over the overheating problem.