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October 2004

Halo 2 Limited Collector's Edition Spotlight
Posted on Sunday, October 31 2004

Quiet day so with our friends over at Lik Sang, we give lots of info about Halo 2 Limited Collector's Edition:

Whats inside:

Product Features

Exclusive 2-DVD set including:

The Making of Halo 2: Behind the Scenes of Bungie Studios.

Featurettes on Game Design, Animation, Music and More.

Deleted Cinematics and Characters

Art Gallery: From Concept to game

Commentaries from the Development Team

And much, much more.


Description

The limited edition of Halo 2 in packaged in a cool, steely silver, embossed, satin-finished, perfect, metal box and includes 2 DVD's.

The exclusive 2-DVD set includes, in addition to Halo 2:


The Making of Halo 2: Behind the Scenes of Bungie Studios.
Featurettes on Game Design, Animation, Music and More.
Deleted Cinematics and Characters
Art Gallery: From Concept to game
Commentaries from the Development Team
And much, much more.

The epic saga continues with “Halo 2,” the much anticipated sequel to the highly successful and critically acclaimed game “Halo: Combat Evolved.” In this sequel, the battle comes to Earth, and Master Chief, a genetically enhanced super soldier, is the only thing standing between the relentless alien Covenant and the destruction of all humankind.

Pushing the Xbox hardware to its very limits, “Halo 2” will expand on everything that made the original game great, plus add a wealth of technological and gameplay advances. Significantly improved graphics, enhanced AI, destructible and interactive environments, and an advanced real-time lighting engine are just a small part of Halo 2’s evolution of design and technology. Every improvement in Halo 2 is designed to take gameplay to a new level, and in the end, to tell a better story.

The closely guarded plotline of “Halo 2” will feature new vehicles, new weapons and new environments as well as new enemies, allies and surprises around every corner. Players will wield dual weapons, board opponents’ vehicles, and in multiplayer mode you can even switch sides and take the role of a Covenant Elite.

Working in concert with Xbox Live to redefine broadband gameplay, Halo 2 delivers superior online multiplayer action. Whether joining your clan on a new multiplayer map, customizing the look of your armor, or checking player stats in-game and on Bungie.net, Halo 2 will bring Halo’s unique social experience to a higher level with Xbox Live.

Released in November 2001, “Halo: Combat Evolved” became recognized as one of the greatest achievements in video game entertainment. To date, “Halo” has sold more than 4 million copies worldwide and continues to be a top-selling title.

Halo 2 Limited Collector's Edition Buy now at Lik-Sang.com

Xecuter3 Pro Switch Ready
Posted on Saturday, October 30 2004

Now that we've got some time to spare after our insane bug blitz to the X3 Bios (Thanks again to those who helped on bug reporting and testing), we are able to continue our work into addons for your X3 and Xbox.

The X3 Pro Switch is now ready for final production. As you can see it is a far more professional design and is very aesthetically pleasing to the eye. We have not included an actual IR mod but there is a spot for you to add your own from the many IR mods on sale. We will add our own IR mod once we've spent a little more time on development, and that can be bought later as an optional extra as its a large part of the cost but not everyone would wish to utilize it - this will save dollars for many users.
Final RRP and shipping date will be released shortly. The X3 Control Panel is almost ready also and the XLCD addon is ready for shipping within the next 2 weeks. The v1.6 Rebuild Module which we announced is also on its way to all resellers.

X-B.I.T v1.6 Adapter News !
Posted on Saturday, October 30 2004

X-B.I.T 1.6 adapters will be shipping as from Wednesday of next week. The adapter reduces the wire count from 11 down to 9 on XBX v1.6 consoles. Obviously the LPC port will have to be rebuilt first. Adapters will be sold at a very reasonable price by retailers, meaning that we can offer the end user unbeatable value for money. Stocks should be with retailers next Friday and installation diagrams will be placed online at the same time.

Region-free Street Fighter on Xbox recalled
Posted on Saturday, October 30 2004

When fighting game fans got their hands on the first copies of Street Fighter Anniversary Collection, which released this week in Japan only, they made an interesting discovery--the game booted up in all Xbox hardware, regardless of region. It even played over Xbox Live with no compatibility issues. This came as great news to Street Fighter fans in the US who did not want to wait for the game's planned February release.

This morning, Capcom pulled the game from store shelves. While Capcom made no official statement on either the region coding or the recall, the publisher reportedly told Japanese retailers that it concerned a bug in the game.

Coincidence? No, most likely.

Capcom's Japanese office gave GameSpot a brusque "no comment" on the regional lock issue, which would suggest that it was not a conscious decision by the company, or that they were not aware that the absence of regional coding would cause such a stir. In any case, this mystery should be solved when replacement copies of the game hit Japanese retail shelves; if they fail to boot up on American systems, the real reason for the recall will no longer be in doubt.

Early on in the Xbox's life, Microsoft announced that individual game publishers would be able to choose whether their games would be tied to a specific territory's hardware or not. Not surprisingly, publishers voted overwhelmingly in favor of region locks, which allow them greater control over distribution, marketing, and licensing.

Psyvariar 2 / Street Fighter Anniversary / Outrun 2
Posted on Thursday, October 28 2004

News of 3 great Xbox Games released from Lik Sang

Psyvariar 2 / Street Fighter Anniversary / Outrun 2

What better way to celebrate 15 years of Street Fighter, and over 27 million copies sold, than to bring the classics back with a whole new twist. Xbox Live takes the brawls online, and includes both Hyper SF II and SF III: Third Strike. Not due out till February in the US, the Asian version is in stock now. Due Friday, Outrun 2 brings the fun of drifting corners in a Ferrari at 300 kph, almost out of control but barely hanging on, racing against the clock where a second matters (phew!), home to Xbox. This bonus packed arcade port has Xbox Live racing, plus Daytona USA 2 and Scud Race tracks, two arcade racers that never were previously released at home! Finally there's Psyvariar 2: The Will To Fabricate - Extended Edition, which takes the famous arcade shooter, with its edge of daring you to go as close to enemy bullets as possible without actually getting hit, online via Xbox Live.

XBConnect v4.1 build 434 and XBC's SmartJoy Frag Opinion
Posted on Wednesday, October 27 2004

We have posted a new build of XBC (build 434) for download. This build fixes some problems with joining games (note: the host must also be running this build to be effective). It also improves the mute buttons and we removed the auto room shutdown if the host goes idle. That should stop rooms from closing prematurely.

On another note, we all know there are a lot of gamers that prefer the Keyboard and Mouse over the controller. I am one of them. I went searching for a solution and ended up ordering 3 SmartJoy Frag keyboard/mouse adapters from Lik-Sang for the Xbox. These things are everything I had hoped for. They come with 8 game presets and you can even program it for your liking. The only con is the lack of USB keyboard support (which I bet they will make soon). For $29, they are worth every penny.

http://www.xbconnect.com/

Xbox Modchip Shopping Guide
Posted on Monday, October 25 2004

Console Hardware News today opens its Modchip Guide for stores worldwide and who are reputable.

Check out the Xbox Modchip Guide Here

SmartJoy FRAG Released & Also Reviewed by IGN !
Posted on Friday, October 22 2004

Some great news for FPS Gamers from Lik Sang

SmartJoy FRAG took the videogame community by storm in the past weeks. The SmartJoy FRAG is an adapter that allows Xbox® and PlayStation®2 owners to connect a mouse and a keyboard to the console and replace the standard controller with the well known PC combo that has been the envy of many console gamers for years. We've seen some hot Controller vs Keyboard and Mouse discussions not only at the Lik Sang Forums over the past few days, they've been popping up all over even at Bungie's official Halo 2 Forums with 1.5 Million gamers waiting for their pre-order to arrive at November 9 worldwide.

SmartJoy FRAG Pre-Orders Sold-Out and Shipping

While the original release date was announced for the end of the month, we have some good news for all who have pre-ordered their unit: at the time you read this, all pre-orders for the SmartJoy FRAG are being shipped out, about a week earlier than expected. Shouldn't you have received a shipping notification with tracking info by now, you will for sure receive one within a couple of days (this includes all orders placed at Lik Sang Europe).

Due to the high demand and popularity of the SmartJoy FRAG adapters, basically the complete first production run was sold out before the units were even released. There are still small quantities of both versions available and in stock, but it is expected that those will be gone very quick. The next shipment (which should be barely enough to fulfill upcoming orders of the next 14 days) will be in stock and shipping within about 10 days.

To make sure you receive your unit in time please place your pre-order today, it really pays.

IGN Review of SmartJoy FRAG

Chris Roper over at IGN.com today published his review of the SmartJoy FRAG (for both, Xbox® and PlayStation®2), and gave it an Overall Rating of 8.5. Value, Features and Performance where rated 9.0, 9.0 and 8.5 respectively.

Halo just works damn fine with the SmartJoy FRAG. Movement is as smooth as butter and being able to spin around or look anywhere quickly is a godsend.

"The way we [at IGN] figure it is that if you own more than one first-person shooter on either PS2 or Xbox, you'd do yourself well by picking one up. It works great with some of the best software on either system, especially Halo (and presumably its sequel) on Xbox. And you gamers out there looking forward to Killzone should pick up the PS2 version as it'll do you well in your killing of zones." says the IGN Pro about the SmartJoy FRAG.

• Performance: Depends on the game, but it can be really damn good.
• Ease of Use: Remembering the key configurations can be a pain, but everything else is super-easy.
• Value: At under $30 this thing's a steal, assuming you have the right sofware.
• Features: Great configuration options; you can pretty much set it up however you want.

Read the full story at IGN.com:

SmartJoy FRAG Pictures and Videos

There were many emails and forum posts asking about more pictures of the SmartJoy FRAG. We have taken a bit more time to upload a few pictures and published them right here in our forums. In case you haven't seen the videos, they are definitely also worth downloading (over 100,000 downloads in the past 3 weeks!).

Dead or Alive Ultimate Due Next Week
Posted on Friday, October 22 2004

News from Lik Sang

Tecmo's esteemed development group, Team Ninja, has created the ultimate Dead or Alive fighting experience, Dead or Alive Ultimate, by coupling the original version of Dead or AliveTM with a completely redesigned Dead or AliveTM 2 on the Xbox video game system to create one of the first 3-D online fighting games to date. Both games will be XboxTM Live multi-player compatible enabling you to test your fighting skills against a vast community of gamers from around the world.

Dead or Alive 1 Ultimate. In 1997 the original Dead or Alive fighting game, long considered to be one of the greatest masterpieces in the series, was released only in Japan. Now, the graphics of the original version, beautifully crafted by Tecmo's Team Ninja to be the most advanced at that time, will make their first appearance in the North American Territory, perfectly rendered, on the powerful Xbox Video Game Console in Dead or Alive Ultimate.

Dead or Alive 2 Ultimate. Dead or Alive 2, one of the most popular fighting games of all time with over 2 million in sales since its inception in 2000, is ready to explode back onto the gaming scene with Dead or Alive 2 Ultimate. Exquisitely redesigned on a brand new engine, DOA2U boasts amazing new interactive environments made possible by the incredible power of the Xbox. Gorgeous crystal clear graphics, new fighting moves, and never before seen costumes are also combined to create the ultimate in fighting games.

The long awaited Dead or Alive Ultimate for Xbox is finally expected to ship next week so you better get ready for Online battles. While the Japanese Edition has been announced to be priced at 8940 Yen (converting to around US$ 90!), we are taking preorders for the cheaper Asian Version at only US$ 49.90. The Asian version is released for countries like Hong Kong, Malaysia or Singapore and is compatible with all J-NTSC enabled Xboxen. The US Version will also be available for European importers at US$ 59.90. Finally the highly anticipated Kasumi Chan Limited Edition Xbox System, in a clear blue see-through case, is poised to arrive simultaneously. Only 6000 pieces are getting produced so that supply is expected to be limited, meaning that you should place your order asap if you didn't do so already.

Dead Or Alive Ultimate (Asia) US$ 49.90
Dead Or Alive Ultimate (US) US$ 59.90
Xbox Kasumi-Chan Blue Ltd Edition US$ 329.00

Of course, such a mega hit starring such appealing female characters couldn't come out without some collection toys poppinp up on the side. Kotobukiya has its One-Coin Series scheduled to ship early next week. These toys feature the main fighting gals with their bikiniwear in suggestive positions. Just take a look at the pictures below to get the idea and please don't call us perverse as this little pictorial, same as the figures themselves, are coming directly from Kotobukiya.

Bandai is also having another fresh set of gashapons on the agenda. These Capsule Toys are based on the Dead or Alive Ultimate episode specifically, following up on the Dead or Alive Xtreme Volleyball series which we still have in stock. All these three figurines series are picked up and shipped randomly, like in the Japanese traditional vending machines.

Last but not least, our friends at NubyTech have announced three limited edition Dead or Alive Ultimate controllers starring the most famous female characters: Tina, Kasumi and Lei Fang. Offering six front buttons, these fight-oriented controllers are forecasted to be in stock early December and preorders are now taken for US$ 24.95 each.

Blue and Crystal Xbox Cases
Posted on Wednesday, October 20 2004

Are you fed up that others have nicer looking cases than you?, then todays news from Divineo UK will make your day:

For the Xbox tuning fans, we now have in stock Blue and Crystal Xbox cases, that will really stun your friends when they come over to play. High quality, good looking, they are the ultimate custom cases.

Nathell.com
Posted on Wednesday, October 20 2004

Looking for a decent seller of PS2, Xbox and many more console products in Europe, then Nathell.com should be on your list of sites for a quick visit, you wont be disapointed.

Halo 2 breaks records with 1.5 million preorders
Posted on Tuesday, October 19 2004

Microsoft has announced that pre-orders for Xbox-exclusive title Halo 2 have passed 1.5 million in the United States alone, breaking videogame records and guaranteeing first-day revenues higher than any movie in history.

Over 6,500 stores in the USA are planning to open at 12.01 AM on the morning of Tuesday, November 9th, to sell copies of the game, with the first retail copy set to be distributed at midnight in the Toys 'R' Us store in New York's Times Square.

Additionally, 1,125 further retailers worldwide are planning celebration events for the launch of the game - which will take place between November 9th and November 11th in every Xbox territory, covering 27 countries with seven different language versions.

Anticipation for the sequel to the biggest-selling Xbox game ever doesn't appear to have been dulled by the release of a pirate version onto the Internet last week - a move which has mainly been greeted with outrage by fans of the game.

"Halo 2 is expected to be the biggest 24 hours for a video game title in retail history," boasted Microsoft's VP of worldwide publishing and marketing for Xbox, Peter Moore, in a statement this week, "and is projected to bring in more revenue than any day one box office blockbuster movie in the United States."

The original Halo, which was also Xbox-exclusive originally but was later released on PC and Mac platforms, has now sold over five million units worldwide and is still a regular entry in the monthly top ten sales charts in North America.

Xbox 2 Soon?
Posted on Tuesday, October 19 2004

Could the Xbox 2 be revealed in January? Bill Gates will be delivering the keynote speech at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas in January 2005, and it is quite possible—even likely—that he will use this platform to reveal Microsoft’s plans for the Xbox 2. Some of you might remember that Microsoft was supposed to reveal the original Xbox at CES three years ago, but had to bail on the plans last minute. There are two ways to look at this: first, it’s exciting for gamers, as any new console launch is a good thing. On the other hand, if Microsoft shows its hand this early, it could give Sony some time to come up with an answer for PlayStation 3. Either way, it’s looking promising for some hard Xbox 2 news in January, instead of all that junk speculation.

Xbox 2 announcement expected
Posted on Monday, October 18 2004

The Consumer Electronics Show has confirmed that Microsoft chairman Bill Gates is set to give a pre-show keynote speech in Las Vegas on January 5th next year - with a public announcement of Xbox 2 widely expected.

Gates will speak on Wednesday, January 5th at 6.30pm PST, the night before the opening of the CES event - which is the largest trade show of any description in North America, and is expected to attract 130,000 professionals from 110 countries over its three-day span.

The Xbox 2 announcement, which was originally rumoured to be planned for the Game Developer's Conference earlier this year, is now hotly tipped to feature in Gates' keynote, after the GDC announcement turned out to be regarding Microsoft's XNA development platform.

Gates has always taken a direct interest in the Xbox project, and originally planned to announce Microsoft's entry into the console market in his CES keynote in 2000; the announcement was ultimately delayed to the Game Developers Conference that year, but Gates used his CES keynote a year later to show off a near-final design for the system and exhibit early game software, including Munch's Oddysee and Malice, for the first time.

Many of Microsoft's key game development partners already have early versions of Xbox 2 development hardware, with the platform - codenamed Xenon - thought to be based on a multi-processor design using IBM's Power5 CPU architecture and ATI's next-generation Radeon graphics unit.

XBConnect 4.1 build 420
Posted on Monday, October 18 2004

We have just released XBConnect 4.1 build 420. List of additions and fixes below:
1. Added 'sticky' color and bold to chat.
2. Removed IRC channels when changing rooms
3. Added 5 new skins.
4. Removed top panel above chat.
5. Added column size memory to server list.
6. Fixed sorting on server list.

Work has already begun on the next new feature set. We are coordinating with the Mac guys with Aquaduct to make sure they are ready to support these upcoming features as well. I think you'll like what we have coming down the pipe. :)

http://www.xbconnect.com/

Doom X v1.1B
Posted on Saturday, October 16 2004

Carcharius & LikkleBaer have released an updated version of their Doom port to the Xbox, heres whats new:

* Fixed weapon sound bug
* Fixed freezing when controller is unplugged
* Renamed XBE to 'default.xbe'

More info about the Doom port Here

DosXBox v4.01-HCl !
Posted on Saturday, October 16 2004

A new modified version of the 286/386 PC emulator DOSXBox has been released. Heres whats new:

* Fixed a bad memory leak in libsdlx 0.10 while changing the videomode (some games do this rather often)
* Fixed ctrl-f9
* Added some basic config options to the config tool,
+Abandoned readconf, since it was too crude and wasn't working properly, adding more config options instead.
+Post on dosxbox forum for config options requests
Note that changing the ramsize is hard to do while dosxbox is already running.
Added options:
-cpu_cycles [number] - Set Cpu Cycles
-frameskip [number] - Set frameskip
-cpucore [normal/simple/full/dynamic] - change cpu core, mostly for testing the dynamic one.
-stretchx [number] - set x stretch
-stretchy [number] - set y stretch
-screenx [number] - set x screen position
-screeny [number] - set y screen position
-writebat [filename] - write .bat file with config settings
* Dynamic core added, unstable at the moment, it'll run hello world, but thats about it, still need to find out why.
* Fixed loading of dosxbox.conf
* Starts mystuff.bat on bootup.
* added networking support - untested

TODO:
I'll be trying to get the dynamic core to run properly without crashing.. since the normal core is too slow for newer games.
Also on my todo list is mapping the controller to mouse, and virtual keyboard

Microsoft announces Xbox holiday bundle
Posted on Saturday, October 16 2004

Microsoft today announced the details of its Xbox holiday bundle. Beginning October 31, gamers who still have not yet purchased an Xbox will be tempted at retail with a package containing the console, the ever-present two-month free trial coupon for Xbox Live, and two Live-enabled sports titles.


EA Sports' NCAA Football 2005 will join Microsoft Game Studios' Top Spin in the bundle, which will retail for the current Xbox SRP of $149.99. Having released last year, Top Spin is the older of the two games, but features one thing that NCAA Football will never have: Anna Kournikova.

Halo2 Leak News
Posted on Friday, October 15 2004

A member of the Bungie team posted this on thier forums

Did Bungie get hacked or something?
Of course not. This is almost positively the work of some jerk in the manufacturing plant who pocketed the game is it is being printed in mass for world release on the 9th of November.

What can I do about it?
For starters: STOP POSTING LINKS TO LEAKED INFORMATION WHERE THE PUBLIC HAS EASY ACCESS TO IT.
Clearly, this leak is highly illegal. By posting links to where it can be downloaded, or even by posting links to screens of the leaked game, you're contributing to the problem by spreading the leaked information. Further, you may spoil the game for people who have worked hard to keep their first experience of Halo 2 pure.
As such, expect harsh reprimand for the posting of leaked information. A link or offer to give out a link via private media on the forums will get you banned permanently. The same goes for any kind of leak-related spoiler information. Further, you risk having your XBox Live account's ability to play Halo 2 crippled as we can and will ban gamertags from access to vital parts of Halo 2's online experience. We are NOT kidding around here. There will be no warning, no appeal, you'll just be gone.
If you come across a link to the leaked game, do not reply to it, do not post about it in other forums, do not in any way spread the problem.

What is Microsoft going to do about this?
There's no doubt in my mind that Microsoft has people tracking down whoever was responsible for this. I hope whoever it was thought that leaking the game was worth his job, I hear the Microsoft legal team employ some very effective ninja.

Surreal64 FDB v3
Posted on Friday, October 15 2004

FreakDave has released a new version of his modification of the original release of this Nintendo 64 emulator for the Xbox, heres whats new in this release:

* Added: You can now change Surreal's Vertex Processing mode
* Added: You can now choose between 5 texture filter modes
* Added: Some credits :)
* Fixed: Cleaned up some code

No downloads but more information on Surreal64 Here

Halo 2 leaked onto the Internet
Posted on Thursday, October 14 2004

Microsoft has launched an investigation into the leak of a version of Bungie's forthcoming Xbox title Halo 2, which has made its way onto Internet piracy sites and newsgroups almost a month before the title is due to launch.

The pirate copy of the game, which is thought to have begun circulating last night, claims to be a PAL version with French text, suggesting that it may have been leaked during the localisation process for the hugely anticipated game.

"Microsoft has learned that a version of Halo 2 has been posted to various newsgroups and web sites," the company said in a statement this morning. "We consider downloading this code or making it available for others to download as theft."

"We are currently investigating the source of this leak with the appropriate authorities," the statement continued. "Microsoft takes the integrity of its intellectual property extremely seriously, and we are aggressively pursuing the source of this illegal act."

However, perhaps mindful of the debacle last year where Valve appeared to blame the leak of Half-Life 2 source code and materials onto the Internet for a major delay to the game, Microsoft has also moved to reassure customers that the game will still arrive on November 9th to 11th worldwide - saying simply that "the launch of Halo 2 worldwide remains unaffected."

While the leak of the game is certainly embarrassing for Microsoft, the huge size of the file - almost three gigabytes - and the fact that it won't be possible to play the pirate version on Xbox Live mean that it's unlikely to seriously impact sales of Halo 2, which remains on track to become one of the biggest-selling titles of the year.

Xbox U.S.A.: Solderless with most chips on V1.0 to V1.5 Xbox !
Posted on Wednesday, October 13 2004

News from Divineo UK

The U.S.A. is compatible with all chips that route the D0 connection to the missing pin4 of the LPC. Being the originators of the solderless adaptor we have combined our experience and your valued input to improve our design. The USA is not compatible with version 1.6 boxes at present but a solderless solution is currently being investigated. Xodus USA, no frills. Just good quality at the best value around.

X3 Bios Build 1879 !
Posted on Wednesday, October 13 2004

Here is a new build with some major bug fixes. We require as much testing as possible please. There may still be a bug in FTP (DIR's xferring folders as 0kb files - We need to know your EXACT Xbox configuration if you have this problem (version / ftp client etc) - We have tested working perfect with FlashFXP. Please post bug / test reports to this thread.

[1879]
* fixed non working hdtv on conexant / focus
! 480p on xcalibur still not working - bughunting in progress
* fixed non booting games
* fixed system link problem on 1.6 - we need test reports
* fixed savegame corruption on 1.6 - we need test reports
* fixed problem when entering passwords. note: passwords are 8 chars max!
+ ftp can now move files across drives, but note, this doesn't work with directories atm. XBOX API function "MoveFileEx" only moves files across drives, not dirs.
+ [TEMP. DISABLED DUE TO XCALIBUR 480P BUG] X3CL now displayed in 480p if hd pack attached
+ [TEMP. DISABLED DUE TO XCALIBUR 480P BUG] flubber now displayed in 480p if hd pack attached
! When using FTP try to use a decent client like FlashFXP - we have zero issues. Using Internet Explorer ftp or some other client maybe not be 100%
+ Disabled the "3" Logo and put the XBOX text back on startup animation in preperation for your custom .x files on a later build.
* Fixed X Logo positioning on different camera angles.
! X3 Flubber is a bit different - needs cleaning up - didnt have time for this build.
! FTP Rename still broke - will fix it on next build.

Download at usual Places.

Buy your Xecuter 3 Modchip at Divineo USA & Divineo China & also Mr Modchips

XBCD v1.03
Posted on Wednesday, October 13 2004

Xbox Controller Driver Updated

Added support for the spring and friction effects in the Rumble DLL. Fixed some of the registry entries for the force feedback effects.
* Removed all of the needless floating point math in the driver to make it more stable.
* Added XP Visual Themes support to the Setup Utility and fixed the flickering effect in it.
* The XBCD installer can also be run silently now.

http://www.redcl0ud.com/xbcd.html

Xbox as Windows Media Extender for Windows Media Center Ed. 2005
Posted on Wednesday, October 13 2004

Today at the Los Angeles Shrine Auditorium, Microsoft's Chairman and Chief Software Architect Bill Gates laid out his vision of the future of multimedia. He launched Windows Media Center Edition 2005 and reintroduced Windows Media Player 10. An array of gadgets for the living room, bedroom and on-the-road were demonstrated.
Microsoft has offered versions of the Media Center system, which allows people to watch and record live television, listen to music and DVDs, and view digital photos, for about two years. More people are using PCs as entertainment hubs in their living rooms.

For the bedroom the consumer can buy the Windows Media Extender, made by Linksys, which will turn your bedroom TV into a full Media Center computer. The extender will feed off the tuner and hard-drives of the main Media Center computer elsewhere in the house. Mr. Gates showed off the next conversion kit that will turn the Xbox into a Windows Media Extender.
For around $80, the company will soon offer technology that allows Microsoft's Xbox game console to serve as a conduit for music and videos.

Premod Xbox Console Shop Guide
Posted on Tuesday, October 12 2004

Console Hardware News have started to reopen and update their famous shop guides, because shop guides can be so massive, they have been split up into specific areas, the first new guide is the Premodded Xbox Console Shop Guide which features shops that deliver worldwide with a mass of different premodded packages and with the latest Xbox Modchips fiited inside.

Check out the new guide Here

Xecuter3 Bios Bug Blitzing Update
Posted on Tuesday, October 12 2004

First of all thank you to everyone who has given their input into the final tweaks needed to the X3 Bios for Gold Release.
The main bug was with HDTV Video Modes - this seems to have all been solved now, we have even managed to have the startup flubber and animation output in 480p Smile

We have found the bug with Outrun2 and 007:AUF not booting direct from disc - there seems to be a memory leak in our DirectX code - this is being solved as we speak. In the meantime if you have this issue simply disable the X3 Flubber back to the Xbox default flubber.
There is also a small bug with saved games files on a v1.6 - this is being investigated.
There are a few other minor FTP bugs which are being fixed also - nothing too serious.

All in all everything is being nailed so the next Bios release should be pretty much there. Then we will start on adding our next batch of features planned for Christmas.
Once we go Gold we will release a comprehensive manual for every feature of X3 Config Live. If you have any other bug reports please post them to our X3 Bugs Section on the forums - thanks.

http://www.teamxecuter.com/

Halo2 Goes Gold
Posted on Tuesday, October 12 2004

Microsoft Game Studios announced today that Halo 2 for Xbox , the most-anticipated video game of the year, has gone gold and will ship simultaneously over three days to 27 countries in eight languages. Halo 2 will be available on November 9 throughout North and South America, Asia, Australia and New Zealand, in France, Belgium and Switzerland on November 10, as well as in Japan and the rest of Europe on November 11.

Xbox Announces Limited Collector's Edition Of Halo 2
Posted on Monday, October 11 2004

Xbox®, the future generation video game system from Microsoft®, today announced it will be releasing a Limited Collector's Edition of the highly anticipated Halo 2, that includes a copy of the game plus a 2nd DVD packed with extra content. Xbox gamers will be able to get their hands on this unique offer, available across the UK from 11th November for an estimated street price of Ł44.99.
The Limited Collector's Edition of Halo 2 is, a 2 disc set that will come in a very collectable and stylish metal box. The 2nd DVD features extra content such as a Making of Halo 2 documentary, features on game design, animation, music, outtakes of cinematics and characters, art galleries - from concept to game, commentaries from the development team, and much more.

DoomX v1.0 Beta
Posted on Monday, October 11 2004

This is it! The long-awaited revival of Doom on the Xbox. It's based on lantus' DoomX(info). Lots of new features and improvements to enjoy. So have fun ^_^.

What's New:
* New title screen
* MIDI music
* WAD selector
* Fixed weapon select bug
* Menu sliders fully functional
* New control system and button mappings
* New Per-WAD save system
* Selecting 'Quit Game' now returns to the WAD selector
* Various additional bugfixes

More info and screenshots Here

OpenXDK v0.04.1
Posted on Monday, October 11 2004

A new release of the legal devkit for the Xbox, heres whats new:

* Well, I inadvertantly checked in some of the automake/autoconf files that contained some hardcoded paths to my local workspace. Sorry! Please update to the latest build.
* I also have added a binary package that contains just the cygwin-precompiled OpenXDK libraries and header files. Unzip it into /usr/local and you should be able to compile your own programs.
* Lastly, I added the ability to launch XBE files using either XLaunchXBE() or execve()) APIs. This gets us much closer to being able to write a dashboard of some sort. What is still outstanding is how to get a list of files. I am investigating using the POSIX opendir/readdir/etc API to do so (I might also provide an API that looks more like the Microsoft FindFirstFile... we'll see!).

OpenXDK does not (and probably never will have) have the same API as the official XDK. The MS XDK is heavily based on DirectX, which I do not have the source code for, so I have to use something else.
* SDL (http://www.libsdl.org) is what I have chosen to base OpenXDK multimedia capabilities on. It has video, audio, joystick, events, threads, file, networking support as part of its API (note that only video, joystick and events have been implemented so far in OpenXDK, but that will change over time)
* I have only tested using Cygwin GCC on Windows 2000. I have *not* tested on Linux. However, having said that, I don't believe that it will be a huge step to move to being able to compile on Linux.
* The OpenXDK compilation process produces i386 Portable Executable (PE) files. These are Win32 applications that are post-processed by a utility called CXBE(info) to convert to an XBE. To compile under Linux, you will need a GCC cross-compiler that produces i386 PE executables (not ELF). You will then need to run a Linux version of Caustik's CXBE to convert to an XBE (I have already received an email from someone who says they have ported CXBE to compile/run under Linux)
* OpenXDK does not currently have audio, networking or usb support (the first two are my number 1 priority)
* I am currently in the middle of integrating code that will allow OpenXDK to launch other XBE files. This functionality combined with the existing SDL capabilities should be enough to write an open dashboard.
* Lastly, please bear in mind that OpenXDK is a work in progress. It is missing some functionality, but it also has a bunch of good features that mean it is getting closer to being suitable for real XBOX development.

http://www.openxdk.org/

Dos Xbox v4 HCI-Beta
Posted on Saturday, October 9 2004

DosXbox has been updated, heres whats new:

Updated DOSXBox to use the latest cvs dosbox sources (8 oct 2004, 0.62+)
Compatibility increased, it might've gotten a lot faster too, haven't tested its speed.
BETA cause some keys are still broken, and i haven't tested it extensively

Crystal Boxes Flood UK (Europe): 99GBP incl. 3 games
Posted on Thursday, October 7 2004

Reports that M$ have now stopped production of Black Xbox and are now manufacturing all cases in the popular Crystal format in preperation for the Christmas bonanza.

UK stores have so far been flooded with a new Crystal Pack at only Ł99 (or 149EUR ... about 175USD) including 3 free games - Dark Angel, Splinter Cell & XIII
All boxes are the v1.6 version - get em while they are hot!

Xecuter 3 Arrives in the USA
Posted on Thursday, October 7 2004

The new king of the Xbox Modchip scene has been released, the Xecuter 3 is the ultimate Modchip. heres some information about it:

The Xecuter 3 is such a leap it is considered 5th generation upgrade. The Xecuter 3 is the only device capable of on the fly bios configuration and more.

Now its arrived in the USA

Divineo USA are selling the Xecuter 3 at these prices:

Buy at retail price : $ 58.99

Buy 05 or more : $ 56.99/piece
Buy 10 or more : $ 55.99/piece
Buy 25 or more : $ 54.99/piece
Buy 50 or more : $ 52.99/piece

Buy your Xecuter 3 Modchip at Divineo USA

Next-generation Xbox to address Japanese concerns over size and software line-up
Posted on Wednesday, October 6 2004

Microsoft VP Peter Moore, head of the company's worldwide marketing and publishing for Xbox, has told a Japanese business publication that the firm's next console will not repeat the mistakes which were made with Xbox in Japan.

Speaking candidly with Nikkei Business, Moore admitted that a number of factors had prevented the Xbox from being a success in Japan - including the size and design of the hardware and the lack of compelling software for the market.

However, he was adamant that the company has learned from the experience of the current generation, saying that "we won't repeat that failure next time" and confirming that the company plans to make its next console smaller, simpler, and better-supported by local developers.

He told the magazine that Microsoft is already offering support to Japanese developers working on Xbox 2 titles, and emphasised that getting Japanese development support for the console in order to create titles with local appeal is a priority for the firm.

Moore also revealed the gulf between Microsoft's next-generation plans and those of rival Sony, saying that "first and foremost, we're building a gaming machine" - a clear distinction with Sony's multimedia ambitions for the PlayStation brand.

However, he did confirm that the company won't be passing up on obvious chances to leverage its position with Xbox, such as using the broadband network gaming system in the console for Voice Over IP telecommunications.

XBOX 2 TO UTILISE HD-DVD?
Posted on Tuesday, October 5 2004

Japanese giants NEC and Toshiba would like to see Microsoft use HD-DVD for Xbox 2, the next-generation DVD format and a competitor of Blu-ray - the disc format Sony is utilising for its next PlayStation.
According to reports, both NEC and Toshiba, avid supporters of HD-DVD (High Definition Digital Versatile Disk) eventually replacing DVD, have relayed their hopes at the ongoing CEATEC Japan Technology Exhibition, near Tokyo.

NEC is reportedly actively working at persuading Microsoft to adopt the new format, while it's said that Toshiba president Tadashi Okamura has commented: "We'd of course like them [Microsoft] to use it."

And that... is it. More on Xbox 2 soon, no doubt.

OpenXDK v0.04 Released
Posted on Tuesday, October 5 2004

A great day for the Xbox Emulation and Homebrew scenes as the Legal and free Xbox Dev Kit gets a much welcome update:

Heres the news:

After a long hibernation, OpenXDK has finally released some more code containing a number of fairly major changes. Highlights include:
* Migration to a GCC-based toolchain. It now compiles using the Cygwin GCC compiler. Unfortunately, as much as it would have been desirable to support both MS and GNU toolchains, the practicalities are such that the MS compilers are no longer supported. Sorry! (Although, theoretically, you should be able to compile your application using the MS compilers and link in the GCC-compiled OpenXDK libraries.)
* It now contains a complete libc replacement (thanks to newlib.) This means that 99% of the normal stdio, memory, sprintf, et al routines are available.
* Multimedia support is provided using the Simple DirectMedia Layer (SDL) and supports video, joysticks and event handling. Video is currently limited to 640x480 or smaller. Only one joystick/pad is supported (but that is expected to be fixed soon.)
* To demonstrate the capabilities of the current OpenXDK framework, the SDL port of Doom (without sound or networking) is able to be compiled and executed. You will need to find a DOOM1.WAD (shareware) and put it in the root of your XBOX's C drive.
* Sound and networking are currently not supported. If you have experience in interfacing with the NVidia nForce MCP-D chip at the hardware/driver level, please get involved!

Xecuter 3 Released
Posted on Monday, October 4 2004

The new king of the Xbox Modchip scene has been released, the Xecuter 3 is the ultimate Modchip. heres some information about it:

The Xecuter 3 is such a leap it is considered 5th generation upgrade. The Xecuter 3 is the only device capable of on the fly bios configuration and more.

2MB Flash Rom With 15 Bios Storage Options
Dedicated 256K Backup Rom with a new Linux based bios (Can be upgraded to any bios you wish)
i2c Bus for X3 Config LIVE!
New Enhanced SPI / i2c Interface
New Enhanced 16xI/O Bus for Full LCD support (and other future hardware add-ons)
All LCD modules to be custom made with adapters so no soldering required (also currently testing with a new 320x200 Matrix LCD)
Flash Protection Control
Mod Disable - Quick Press of Power or Eject (External LED will indicate RED LED)
Quick Press Power+Eject >1 second to boot from 256k Backup Rom (External LED will indicate YELLOW LED)
Quick Press >1 second to boot from 2Mb Flash Rom (External LED will indicate GREEN LED)
HDD Activity LED
LAN Activity LED
LPC/D0 Alignment LED
D0 Control
Wire Install Option + Included Wire adapter
Pin Header Install Option
New No-Solder Pogo Pin Install Option Available
New external programming interface
Compatible with all current bios's
Supplied with all adapters & wires

Bank Modes:
256k/256k/256k/256k/256k/256k/256k/256k/
512k/512k/512k/512k/
1024k/1024k
2048k

X3 Config LIVE!
All X3 Config Live! features are displayed on screen

All works direct from new X3 on any new install.
Select which bios bank to boot from on-the-fly
Switch to either retail bios mode or FULL debug bios mode
Display / Edit bios names from each bank
Full DHCP & Static IP Support
Built-in FTP Server with Boost Mode (Over 11,000kb/sec !!!)
Built-in Web server
Flash BIOS via HTTP
Flash BIOS via FTP
New FTP Based Bios Storage System
Control all BIOS / Mod functions and settings from HTTP & PC App
Enhanced BIOS flash speed
Built-in Onscreen Keyboard
Customize all features of the bios on-the-fly
LBA48 Live Control (Select Partition 6 or 6+7)
IGR Live Control (Enable or Disable)
Quick Launch Feature (select different features to be executed with game pad combos)
Customize start-up animation colours on-the-fly (With Active Colour Picker System)
Customize start-up flubber colours on-the-fly (With Active Colour Picker System)
Change Camera Angles of the start-up animation (select between 15 options or choose random)
User selectable start-up logo
Password your XBOX for extra security
Change your power LED colour on the fly
Set your Internal Fan Speed on-the-fly
Enable or Disable Reset on eject hack
Boot to original MS Dash
Boot to original MS Bios
Load Bios from HDD C, D, E, F and Flash
Load Bios from DVD-ROM and Flash
Format & Partition HDD
Install & Partition Brand new HDD (ready to FTP in less than 5 seconds!)
Lock / Unlock HDD
Set / Display Video Mode
Progressive Scan Control (480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i)
Set widescreen / letterbox
New Audio Options (User selectable background music)
Set / Display Game Region
Set / Display DVD Region
Display HDD Password
Display All Xbox Live Configuration
Display All Network Configuration
Display all Eeprom public and encrypted data
Display Xbox Version
Display Video Encoder Version
Save XBOX Eeprom to X3
Restore XBOX Eeprom from X3
Auto Save Eeprom to X3 on first install
Save Settings to Eeprom
Set default dashboard
Setup custom dashboard selection (5 Options)
Set drive to boot dash from (C E or F)
Set LBA48 settings
Auto Fix of corrupt date / time
X3 Software Integration to other dashboards
Brand new X3 Bios Manager for the PC - MANY new features including full BIOS configuration via built in web server

Premodded PS2 and Xbox Consoles in the UK
Posted on Sunday, October 3 2004

Those of you are after Premodded Xbox`s and Premodded Playstation 2`s can now be very happy because Mr Modchips have informed me that they sell a massive range of PS2 Premods and Xbox Premods, heres the full rundown:

First the Premodded PS2s

Playstation 2 with Matrix Infinity
The Matrix Infinity allows this console to play all region DVD movies and all bootable media without button pressing or annoying disc swapping Ł179.00
PS2 Premodified with DMS3 Plus
The easy solution to your install needs. This DMS3 Plus premodifed console does all you could ever want and more besides ! Ł179.00
PS2 Premodified with O2Mod
This very latest next generation Ps2 modification available professionally installed in a new latest version console. Ł184.00
PS2 Silver LE Premodified with Matrix Infinity
The well received and popular Silver LE Playstation 2 complete with ONE silver controller. Professionally fitted with the excellent Matrix Infinity upgrade device. Ł179.00
PS2 Silver LE Premodified with O2Mod
The latest version Silver LE PS2 console professional premodifed with the futuristic highly advance O2mod. Ł184.00

Crystal LE Xbox fitted with X2.6 Lite
Ł199.00
Crystal LE Xbox Modified with Xecuter 3
The special edition Crystal Xbox modified with the highly advanced Xecuter 3. Very limited supply of this highly sought after console and modification device. Ł235.00
LE XBOX Fitted with Xecuter 3
One only of this now highly sought after Limited Edition Green Xbox modified with the highly advanced Xecuter 3 device. Ł295.00
XBox Premodified with Xecuter 3
The standard black version of Microsofts successful and popular entry into the home games console market. Comes professionally fitted with the ultimate xbox upgrade Xecuter 3. Ł169.00
XBox Premodified wth X2.6 Lite
The standard Black Version XBox professionally premodified with the quality and ever so popular Xecuter 2.6 Lite device. This Xbox will do all you want and possibly a little bit more. Ł159.00

Xbomberbox 2
Posted on Sunday, October 3 2004

A new version of the homebrew Xbox game xBomberbox2 is out, heres whats new:

The update is now available. It will only work if you have beta1 and 2 installed. Tou must overwrite the old version (beta 1 and 2).
Sorry for the delay and thank you for your mails and your support. We hope you will enjoy playing the game...
The gallery has been updated, that should give you an idea of what's new in this version.

More info on this game and screenshots Here

X-Addons
Posted on Saturday, October 2 2004

Divineo USAhave posted this news:

We have added the full range of the X-addons.
They go from cool LCD, to special mod to connect your chip to those LCD, and even an infra red on/off switch for your console!

SmartJoy FRAG: Play your First-Persons Shooters with Mouse and Keyboard (for Xbox and PS2) !
Posted on Friday, October 1 2004

News of a major new addon for the PS2 and Xbox from Lik Sang

For all of you out there waiting for Halo 2, Killzone, Doom 3, Unreal Championship 2, Half-Life 2 or any other of the highly anticipated First-Person Shooters, we have good news for you. For all of you who still couldn't dare to step back into the real life from HALO, Counter Strike, Medal of Honor, SOCOM II, Rainbox 6, Return to Castle Wolfenstein or any other addiction keeping you away from daylight, we have got good news for you as well.

SmartJoy® FRAG™ is a unique adapter that allows you to connect standard PS/2 compatible mice and keyboards to your PlayStation®2 or Xbox® console. You will be able to enjoy First-Person Shooters (FPS), or any other game where targeting is important, the way they are meant to be played.

Both versions, for PlayStation®2 and Xbox®, are fully programmable and come with pre-installed key configurations for the best games available on PlayStation®2 and Xbox®. Advanced features such as Deadzone adjustments and mouse control inversion guarantee best gaming experience with your favorite titles.

SmartJoy® FRAG™ for Xbox® and PlayStation®2

Team Lik Sang has been playing with both versions of the SmartJoy® FRAG™ for a couple of days. Not only have we doubled hit rates in all tested First-Person Shooters (you'll never want to lead your squad without it again!), we have also given other games such as Rez ("music shooter") a test run using the adapters to experience them as never before. The adapters survived our Xbox Life Marathon tests without problems, including using of up to four adapters per console!

Advanced Features

You will love the advanced features and the available options (such as the programming mode). The SmartJoy® FRAG™ adapters are probably some of the most sophisticated gaming accessories ever built. Gaming can be as simple as loading a built-in preset (for instance hitting F3 loads a perfect preset for The Chronicles of Riddick), or advanced users can customize any keyboard and mouse control or even adjust deadzone, inverse mouse buttons and control sticks and save their own presets in available memory slots. SmartJoy® FRAG™ was built by pro gamers for only one reason: pure game enhancement.

The retail version of the Xbox® and PlayStation®2 units of the SmartJoy® FRAG™ adapters are supposed to hit the shelves before the end of October, perfectly timed for the upcoming big titles. Place your pre-order now for US$ 28.90 per unit.

The tested beta units of the SmartJoy® FRAG™ came pre-programmed with the following game presets. According to the developers, there will be a page where gamers can exchange experiences and game presets very easy. New presets can be entered (and saved!) by simply typing a key sequence from the site. And of course there are instructions coming in the box (multi lingual, English, French, German and Spanish).

Presets for Xbox®

HALO
Medal of Honor: Frontline
The Chronicles of Riddick
Counter Strike
James Bond 007: Nightfire
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six 3
Return to Castle Wolfenstein
Unreal Championship

Presets PlayStation®2

SOCOM II: US Navy SEALs
Medal of Honor: Frontline
Time Splitters 2
James Bond 007: Nightfire
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six 3
Ghost Recon: Jungle Storm
Return to Castle Wolfenstein
REZ

Closing Comments on Keyboard/Mouse vs. Joypad

We know that not all gamers agree on the usage of keyboard and mouse with a console. So do many with playing a First-Person Shooter with a Controller. Some might not understand the point in using a mouse and a keyboard with a console, others would make some ridiculous claim like "I'd rather have my hands cut off with a rusty axe than play an FPS with a joypad".

But in the end, using a keyboard and a mouse, completely changes the way the game is played. Use of the mouse takes away the need to concentrate on aiming and leaves you free to concentrate on pure tactics. Also, the speed of the mouse opens up new tactics which are not available with a pad.

But again, some of you might not agree with this and discussions about it are welcome in the newly opened SmartJoy FRAG Forums (expect more activity there once the product is actually shipping).


About SmartJoy® - Approved by Gamers Worldwide

The original SmartJoy® Adapter appeared in 1999 and was the very first Dual Shock® to USB adapter. It satisfied thousands of gamers worldwide, even though it wasn't perfect: for example, rumble was not supported, and the driver did not allow you to press left and right at the same time (nowadays required by for dancing games). Several years later, by the time of writing this, SmartJoy® is the most innovative developer for what they call advanced game adapters. SmartJoy® products let you play your PC stuff with PlayStation®2, Xbox® or even Super Nintendo® joypads and joysticks - and now your Xbox® and PS2® titles with Keyboard and Mouse.

The SmartJoy® project was acquired by Lik Sang two years ago, with the intention to drive the whole concept to a new level. After launching Smartjoy-X (world's first Xbox® to USB controller adapter) in early 2003, SmartJoy PLUS (The Ultimate PS2® compatible USB Adapter) right in time for PC based dance applications, and Super SmartJoy® (compatible with SNES9x, ZSNES, MAME, etc) after many emu fans asked for a decent way of playing their classics, the new SmartJoy® FRAG™ marks the next big step on the projects road map. The next useful advanced game adapters are already in development, these guys just can't stop.
You'll find about 40 adapters of different make, for PC, Mac, Xbox®, PlayStation®2, Dreamcast®, GameCube® and also classics right in the SmartJoy Corner, a category dedicated to all console controller adapters. If you are not sure which is the right one for you, try the SmartJoy Comparison Charts, it’s very useful. And if you ever run into troubles with your adapters, have a look at the Smartjoy Forums, dedicated to all kind of adapters.

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