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THE LATEST XBOX EMULATION, MODCHIP & SCENE NEWS

March 2005

Has Microsoft stopped Xbox production? Not exactly
Posted on Thursday, March 31 2005

Has Microsoft killed production of the Xbox in anticipation of the launch of the Xbox 360 later this year? Microsoft revealed last week that there was indeed a shortage of the consoles because of their “surging popularity” (hmmmm…), but now SPOnG is “confirming” that Microsoft has ended production of the orginal Xbox altogether and isn’t planning on making any more. Seems like it’d be a little early for Microsoft to be doing that, especially given that the Xbox 360 isn’t due out for another eight months or so, right? We’re still waiting for Redmond to issue an official statement, but Larry Hryb, Director of Programming for Xbox Live, is squashing the rumor on his blog, saying that “We are NOT pulling the Xbox from stores. Xbox consoles being in short supply since they are popular and stopping production are two VERY different issues.”

Xbox 1 Not Extinct
Posted on Thursday, March 31 2005

Larry Hryb, aka Major Nelson, Microsoft's Xbox Live Director of Programming, has gone on record to deny that recent Xbox shortages are a tactical move on the part of the Seattle giant to pave the way for the next-generation Xbox Xenon.
Recent days have seen a glut of stories swirl around the net stating that Xbox one was being pulled from shops and that retailers can expect no more deliveries of Uncle Bill's big black box. Reports that the worldwide stock of unsold Xbox units had shrunk to a mere two million and a lack of big name titles on the schedules post-E3 also fuelled the widely spread belief that Microsoft had all but abandoned Xbox one.

Well not according to Hryb, who writing on his personal website has attempted to slay the rumour dragon. Clearly ready to pull no punches as he hoists the Xbox One standard high, Hryb writes:
"There are a few stories floating around this vast thing we call the Internet today that say the Xbox has been pulled from retailers. Furthermore, people are saying that we have "reached our targets and want to get ready for the next console. Let me be perfectly clear: We are NOT pulling the Xbox from stores.

"Xbox consoles being in short supply since they are popular and stopping production are two VERY different issues. Don't believe the mis-information that is filling your browser/inbox/rss feed. Now, back to your regularly scheduled rumor-mongering."

While Hyrb admits that his blog is "my personal opinion and is not read or approved by anyone before it is posted", it would seem unlikely a senior Microsoft employee would go on record without knowing what he was talking about.

However it is almost certain that Xbox Xenon will launch before the end of this year so it would seem a natural progression for Microsoft to slowly wind down its stock as it prepares for the key next-generation Christmas launch.

But what do you think? Should MS send Xbox one the way of all flesh or would you like to see it preserved for posterity and even overlap into the next-gen? Let us know in the forums below...

Xbox pull confirmed at retail and by publishers
Posted on Wednesday, March 30 2005

SPOnG has received emails that indicate a complete withdrawal of Xbox hardware in the coming months, with claims surfacing today of a total end to generation one Xbox production.

According to senior sources within publishing, retailers are being instructed not to list Xbox hardware in their next catalogue publications. “They are telling us that they have reached their targets and want to clear the way for the next machine,” we were told, with our source speaking under terms of anonymity. “It’s reached the point where the amount of money they lose per unit, combined with the fact that they might well eat into their own [Xbox 360] market share, means that continuing the run is just not feasible.”
Of course the big question remains of exactly how many Xbox hardware units are still available. “There are only two million units left and no more will be produced,” continued our source. “There are 400,000 allocated for the whole of the European territory. After that there will be no more. It was confirmed to me that Microsoft has no plans to manufacture the original Xbox once the new console hits the market.”

Xbox Doom 3 Leaked
Posted on Wednesday, March 30 2005

In a striking case of deja vu, those eager beavers on the internet have managed to leak the Xbox version of Doom 3 a mere week before it was due to hit store shelves.
Word has it that the Collector's Edition has been leaked, including not just Doom 3, but singleplayer and multiplayer versions of both Doom and Doom 2. Just like the PC version, internet users have already begun to threaten the sales numbers for the game before it even hit the streets, creating a Hell on Earth for Activision and Id. Poor sales were blamed on the leak of the PC version, so we can only hope that the majority of gamers will resist temptation and buy the game when it's released next week.

Goits of Rage Updated
Posted on Monday, March 28 2005

Goity a week ago released an update to his Beats of Rage Mod called Goits of Rage, this is what he posted in the GP32X forums:

I have updated Goits of rage,
Mainly music, and scenes and stuff have been updated, and bugs

Join the Revolution In the Forums
Posted on Sunday, March 27 2005

The forums we have hosted by the Dreamcast site DCEmu are now begining to get really popular and we have added the recent topics mod so you can see the latest discussion from the forums of your choice.
Help this site and promote the scene you support by joining our forums Here.

Bungie confirms Halo 2 expansion
Posted on Saturday, March 26 2005

Call it Halo 2: Combat Expanded. After much speculation, Bungie today announced plans to release an expansion for its popular first-person shooter, Halo 2. It will not, however, contain a single-player portion that many hoped might wrap up Halo 2's abrupt campaign mode ending.

The additional content, appropriately called Halo 2 Multiplayer Map Pack, will contain nine multiplayer maps of varying shapes and sizes. Xbox Live users will have the chance to start fragging one another on four of the maps in late April. Two of the maps will be free, and the other two will be available for $5.99. The remaining five maps will be downloadable for $11.99 on June 28.

Those Halo fanatics who still prefer their multiplayer old-school, via LAN, needn't worry: The entire collection will be available in a packaged retail version on June 28, for $19.99. The retail version will also come with a few bonuses. There will be an "animated side story" detailing events from the single-player portion of Halo 2, set in New Mombosa. There will also be a documentary focusing on the map designers, strategies for playing on the new maps, and detailed overviews of each battleground. The disc will also contain all Halo 2 updates and fixes, as well as, presumably, the first bonus map, Foundation. This particular bonus map was unlockable and later released to the masses over Xbox Live. Bungie has also discussed putting in "possibly one or two other little treats."

Gamers who aren't thrilled about shelling out some coin for additional content will still get the opportunity to play the maps...later. The entire collection will be made absolutely free via download "by late summer."

The first batch of maps to be released over Xbox Live will be titled Containment, Warlock, Sanctuary, and Turf. Each map was created after Halo 2's release last November, and each isn't of your typical "one base on one side and another base on the other" architecture.

The first of the two free maps, Containment, is a large playing field in the frozen tundra of Delta Halo. "One of the largest Halo maps ever," Containment gives Spartans and Elites the option of navigating the terrain by chugging around in vehicles or hoofing it to the many teleporters. A switch in the middle of the playing field, completely exposed to potential snipers, opens vehicle access to the looming bases, similar to the gate in Zanzibar. Containment was designed for large battles, with capture the flag specifically in mind.

Warlock, the second of the two free maps, is loosely based on the map Wizard, which appeared in the original Halo. Built from the ground up to take advantage of Halo 2's graphics engine, Warlock is a small- to medium-sized map with four-way symmetry, making it perfect for such games as four-team territories. The map has a castlelike quality to it, with a shrine jutting up from the middle of the field.

Turf is an urban map set in Old Mambosa. The streets are lined with storefronts, complete with playable interiors, and a catwalk system above the streets, which can be manipulated, thus making this map two-tiered. The initial development on Turf was handled with capture the flag and territories in mind, but Bungie has deemed it "surprisingly flexible."

The final map in the April bunch is Sanctuary. This map, on the surface, looks awfully similar to the stone Covenant stronghold set in the mountain from the single-player game. The map is focused on team-oriented play and features several creeks, pools, and waterfalls.

Little is known about the five remaining maps, save for their names: Terminal, Elongation, Gemini, Backwash, and Relic.

Once available, the free maps will be integrated into the Xbox Live matchmaking sets, and the two premium maps will have their own playlists (for those gamers who bought them). As all the maps become universally available, they'll be integrated into the matchmaking system. In addition, Bungie will be altering the current playlists and will introduce an entirely new two-on-two playlist.

Xbox blows up in Sweden
Posted on Friday, March 25 2005

Fast becoming the story that won't end, the Xbox power cord saga has been given a new lease of life after an Xbox blew up in the face of its Swedish owner, despite having one of the all-new 'safe' power cords installed.

"I got sparks in my face and the whole apartment smelled of the burn," explained the unfortunate Anahi Reinoso to Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet last week.

This follows on from Microsoft's February Xbox power cord recall attempt, where the company provided new 'safe' power cables to users for free, to replace the old faulty, and potentially dangerous, ones.

However, despite claiming it was the cables that contained faults, Xbox technical enthusiasts discovered a problem with the hardware, specifically the soldering joints and Firefox power unit.

Suggestions that the problem was with the hardware itself where given extra weight when people started to receive the new power cables. Instead of resembling standard PS2-like leads, they featured a massive box that, according to experts, is simply designed to act like a fuse, nullifying a threat of a fire inside the console.

Still, it appears the leads can't even achieve this task if the Swedish report is anything to go by.

We contacted Microsoft this morning but they were unable to offer any further comment on the official statement made earlier this week,

1 million Xbox 2s for Europe by end of year + not backward compatible? !
Posted on Thursday, March 24 2005

One million Xbox 2s will be available across Europe by the end of the year, according to MCV. That figure will rise to 1.5 million by the end of March 2006, a source at a major games publisher has told the industry publication.

The same source has also hinted that NextBox would not be backwards compatible with current Xbox games, which has led to suggestions that many publishers are now delaying the release of significant titles in order to, as MCV puts it, "ensure they are made next-gen ready to insure against ongoing shortages".

While there's still no official confirmation from Microsoft, it's widely expected that Xbox 2/Xenon will be launched globally in November.

Xeon WIP Report
Posted on Thursday, March 24 2005

Keith posted this at Emufanatics

SF_ has posted a small work in progress report over at NGEmu's forums. Was posted on the 22nd, but NGEmu is experiencing some stability issues lately so took awhile before I saw the update.

Here is what _SF_ posted on the forums. ( Note: Questions are from another member and the answers are from _SF_)

"Are you going through each xdk like caustik has to, or have you found another method?"

I'm making it lower-level, so the XDK version shouldn't matter anymore. I'm busy with other stuff though so it's taking a while.

"And what is this new emulator you say you are working on?"

Maybe I'll reveal it later, but it's not really ready right now. It does have some interesting stuff in it that I'd like to show though.

"Good to see you're alive and you're at least a little active with the project :)"

Thanks, I'll try to put in some more work on Xeon. :D

KI-Emu X Beta 2 !
Posted on Wednesday, March 23 2005

LikkleBaer's has updated lantus' U64-X Emulator project. Heres whats new in this release

- Now runs from disc as well as HDD. (see notes in nfo)
- Fixed reversed HP and HK controls.
- Fixed inverted directions when resizing screen.
- Optimized display settings and screen size.
- UI has been given a facelift.
- Added nice loading screens. (mainly for disc users)
- Included DATs to ensure correct ROMs are used.

No Downloads but some info on the Lantus u64-x release
Here

BDiamond FBAxxx 2005-03-20 build
Posted on Monday, March 21 2005

- updated to FBA v0.2.95.23
- added 19xx Asia (CPS2)
- added Alien vs Predator Asia (CPS2)
- added Puzz Loop 2 (CPS2)
- added The King of Fighters 10th Anniversary (Kof2002 bootleg/hack)
- changed the way buttons are configured (much more simple now, simply press the button you want to assign)
- corrected support for 128MB XBoxes, I guess no more "slowmotion" (still untested because of a fried 128MB Xbox...)
- corrected Diagnostic mode problem with cave games, you can now go in and out of diagnostic mode by selecting it in the menu or with the 1st player BACK + WHITE combo during gameplay
- removed Autounibios (causing a lot more trouble than anything, option for lazy people)
- removed no CRC check (if CRC are checked, there is a very good reson)
http://fbaxxx.fr.st/

Halo 2 Expansion?
Posted on Saturday, March 19 2005

Gamespot has coverage of the appearance on an official Korean Xbox site of a "Halo 2 X-Pack". The possible expansion is another possible way for Bungie and Microsoft to get the heavily foreshadowed ending to fans of the series. From the article: "Such a Halo 2 expansion could be a twofold boon for Microsoft, adding another incentive for gamers to join its online service and squeezing further dollars from the nearly 7 million gamers who already have Halo 2."

Pearl & SPICE
Posted on Wednesday, March 16 2005

News Source: Xbox-Chipz

No it's not a game just new products, Xbox-Chipz is a well established site selling various xbox chips & other bits.

New Products include:
Xenium SPICE: Solderless chip for all xbox versions. Xenium SPICE
Xbox S Controller Cases: Pearl White/ pure solid white case. SCASES

Other products:
Hard Drives Formatted + Software.
X-ecuter chips.
Modded Xbox's with/without larger hdd.

XBOX - XENIUM SPICE NOW IN STOCK AND SHIPPING !
Posted on Monday, March 14 2005

News from Divineo UK

Stock has now arrived, and is available for order!

Forums Upgraded and Reopened
Posted on Saturday, March 12 2005

The DCEMU Forums are now reopened, they are now using the Vbulletin Forum software and are faster and much better than before.

The Forums cover every console out there including the Nintendo Gamecube, PS2, PS3, Xbox, Nintendo DS, Sony PSP, Dreamcast, GameBoy Advance, GP32, Nokia N-Gage, UIQ, Gizmondo, Tapwave Zodiac and much more.

Check out the worlds best multi console forums at this address. http://www.dcemu.co.uk/vbulletin/

Join now and support your favourite console.

Xecuter 3 Control Panel and XCM News !
Posted on Saturday, March 12 2005

News from Divineo USA

The X3 Control Panel is a replacement front panel for your XBox Console, giving a professional looking finish and with the option to have your XLCD screen (comes pre-installed), 2 x USB ports (included), all switches and status LED's in position giving a superb look without having to cut or drill holes or to have to do any risky DIY mods to your XBox case.

The XCM is incredibly versatile, not only is it useful as a replacement for damaged and scratched original cases but also is sure to make your PSTwo the envy of all original PSTwo owners with a choice of three incredibly aesthetically pleasing designs.

FBAxxx build 06/03/2005
Posted on Sunday, March 6 2005

New version of the Final Burn emulator for the Xbox, heres whats new:

removed VMM optimisation, but added another optimisation could be sensibly better.
normally corrected emu crash when a rom is not good.

Xenium SP.ICE in stock !
Posted on Sunday, March 6 2005

Divineo USA have posted this news

A truly universal solder less adaptor: the Xodus S. P. (Solderless Pro) adaptor. S.P. is the first (and only) truly universal adaptor designed to work on ALL currently existing Xbox versions and with all LPC based chips. Which support the Xodus protocol of wiring D0 control to pin 4 of the LPC. (All 4th Gen chips except earlier SmartXX versions).

For a limited time only we are offering a special bundle package, Xodus S.P. and Ice (SPICE).

MAMEdox v1.0
Posted on Sunday, March 6 2005

MAMEdOX is a new port of MAME to Xbox based on the MAMEoX project. Heres whats in this release:

Interface improvements/modifications:
* Added Back button to cycle through sort methods (by name, by manufacturer, by genre etc.) The sort mode is displayed at the top of the screen.
* Fixed Screenshots aspect ratio in display modes.
* Clones use screenshot from parent rom.
* Favourite roms are displayed as a different colour (gold).
* 'Show Favourites' filter now replaces 'filter disliked'.
* Renamed some text in UI for accuracy.
New Drivers:
* MAME 0.92 driver added for Super Trio (suprtrio)
Extra Options:
* Soften and Flicker Filter are now configurable.
* Ability to select whether clones use their own screenshot, or the screenshot from its parent rom.
* "Force VMM" is set to 'off' by default, this is to enable the use of the new updated VM.txt
* Miscellaneous Default options changed to be more user-friendly.
General Changes:
* Changed save game location (was 4d414d45 now 4d414d46.)
* Changed save game icon.
* Debug.log logging removed.

FBAxxx Build 05/03/05
Posted on Saturday, March 5 2005

A new release of the port of Final Burn to the Xbox, heres whats new:

* Re-added all software filters
* Re-added some decrypted neogeo roms
* added Puzzle Loop 2 (JAP) support
* fixed sound issues whith PCM2 roms (matrim.zip and kof2002.zip)
* removed pagesize and vmm option (it now uses old vmm with +T+ malloc optimisition, I think it is the best I can get for the moment)
* fixed VMM issues with some roms (All C roms don t have the same size, I dunno why but it is a problem with my optimisation)
* Re-added clockfix on neogeo games

UK Retailers See Conspiracy In Xbox Supplies!
Posted on Saturday, March 5 2005

Gamasutra.com has the news that UK retailers are beginning to be suspicious of the continued shortages of Xbox console supplies. From the article: "So prolonged, and apparently unexplained, have the problems become that conspiracy theories have begun to circulate regarding ulterior motives for the shortages. Many retailers are now openly speculating whether Microsoft has in fact ceased production of the console, in favour of the next generation machine, or is at least limiting its support to larger retail chains." Maybe you should have hung on to the GameCube, huh guys?

PC Engine PD Roms Pack
Posted on Thursday, March 3 2005

Its time to start releasing those Public Domain/Freeware Rom packs again (my old servers died) so today i have a rompack for the PC Engine Console contaning over 200 roms (games, demos and apps). Use them on any PC Engine emulator or PC Engine Flash Cart.

Download Here

SmartXX LT OPX Review
Posted on Thursday, March 3 2005

Console Hardware News have just posted a review of the SmartXX LT OPX modchip for the Xbox, heres part of that review:

As we are used to see from SmartXX, the build quality is once again very good. While the modchip 'feels' a bit less solid then its big brother (probably because the PCB is thinner - done so it doesn't touch the case when you fit the modchip at the backside of the motherboard), the finishing is on the same high level as the SmartXX v1/v2. The modchip also comes with a 1 year warranty (nomatter where you buy it from) which confirms SmartXX's own confidence in their product.
As you can see the shape of this modchip is somewhat special. This is because the modchip can be directly 'quicksoldered' on the back of a Xbox v1.6(b) motherboard. That's also the reason the SmartXX LT OPX has a 'break-off' headerpin, as it's too high when installing the modchip on the back of the motherboard.

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