Xbox 360 Modding

So I had a friend that asked me to help him mod his xbox 360. From what I remember it was a pain when I first did it back in 2006. As there wasn’t that many guides out on how to do it and was real manual process. As I did some research on getting the latest firmware I came across probably the best 360 modding resource I have seen to date. http://www.ixtreme.net/ is home to modding forums for the 360. There is tutorials for every kind of 360 drive, fixing 3rod, best dual layer dvds, and several other tools to help you complete the task. Using the site and JungleFlasher, I had my friends 360 modded in under 5 Mins (Does not include opening the damn sucker – see youtube for videos on how to open). I did run into a few hicups but fairly easy using the Jungleflasher tutorial guide. Great job done by the JungleFlasher team. Remember modding your 360 will void your warranty and it is illegal to download backups! I am not responsible if you use this information for wrongful purposes. Also there are chances you will be banned from Xbox Live and/or bricking your 360. Use are your own risk. Modding the 360 isn’t as exciting as the original xbox which can be turned into a full fledged media center. That is my next project.

iXtreme Site

JungleFlasher Tutorial

Xbox 360 to get several new features

Xbox 360 is to get a motion sensing game play, similar to the wii but you don’t need to hold a controller.. its called project natal, not due out till 2010. They have also added app integration – Twitter and Facebook apps added to the console. Also Zune Marketplace will offer 1080p videos, Netflix integration enhancements and last but not least the ability to download full games.

Windows Media Sharing Network Service has Stopped Working Fix!

I enjoy the ability to download divx files or convert video to divx format so they are available to stream over tp my PS3 or Xbox 360. I was prompted by an error everytime I tried connecting to my machine via the PS3 or 360 – basically stating the server is no longer available. At the same time my Vista machine prompted me with ‘Windows Media Sharing Network Service has Stopped Working.’ I was totally stumped why this was happening now and didn’t have any issue before. I was able to narrow down the problem since music streamed just fine and only video was having a problem. With some research online the problem is caused by the latest release of Divx codec. (Version 6.8.4) I was unable to find any sort of resolution to the problem.. so here it is..

So how do I fix this?
Well all you need is to uninstall that version of divx codec. Download an older version (I had a 6.8 sitting on HD so I reverted back to that). You can get 6.8.2 from here. Please post links if you find version 6.8 somewhere. Once you install the 6.8 codec. Power up your PS3 or Xbox 360 and you should be able to stream video media from your machine.

Xbox 360 Pro $299

Microsoft is dropping the price of xbox 360 pro bundle down to $299. Great news for anyone still looking to grab one. I’ve been pro 360 for sometime, but since getting MLB 08 and GTA4 for PS3, my 360 is doing a great job collecting dust. (Story)

Xbox Live Issues

Xbox Live is still having issues. This is leaving many students that are on break unhappy.

PS3 better than XBox 360

I recently purchased a PS3 and I was surprised by its performance vs the Xbox 360 console system. Don’t get me wrong, I love my Xbox 360 game play is great. But I was really blown away by PS3’s media center function. It quickly picked up Vista machine that was on the network. I just had to allow the connection from my pc and I was ready to stream media to it. Sure this wasn’t the only reason I think the PS3 is better than 360, check out the complete list below

Games: Basically right now The 360 has the same games as PS3. There aren’t many exclusive titles for the consoles. (tie)
Video Playback: Both systems support Divx playback which is a winner on both. But the PS3 shows better colors, and great picture quality. PS3 totally wins the category because it comes with Blu Ray. Xbox 360 still has a add on player for HD-DVD, which is lame and hogs additional space. HDMI standard. Older 360 have component cables(PS3)
Audio Playback: Both systems with solid performance. Neither System support 7.1. (tie)
Media Center: I was just amazed how smooth PS3 navigation and setup was through media center. Media Center on 360 looks dual. Microsoft should seriously consider revamping their Media center for console. (PS3 by a mile)
Price: 400 vs 300. PS3 wins this because for an extra 100 bucks you are getting Blu Ray player(PS3)
Overall: Microsoft totally pushed 360 out earlier and there is a reason that it is the market leader. But it truely lacks the hot technologies. PS3 comes with wireless controller that doesn’t have a heavy rechargeable battery in it. 360 wireless uses 2.4 Ghz frequencies. This can be an issue with the router, wireless speakers and house phones all running at 2.4 Ghz. I enjoy the PS3 bluetooth controllers. Again 360 lacks hdmi, HD-DVD and built in wireless.

Divx Playback for consoles

Yes its been out for weeks now. I finally ran a few test of mine own to check out the Divx playback on both the PS3 and Xbox 360. Both systems did a find job playing back regular divx files. Since both systems support HD picture, I thought why get standard divx quality when you can get HD divx quality. There are a few things I found. Most regular HD divx files do not play on either console. This is because the audio is not supported. In files tested, DTS and x.264 does not work. HD files with AC3 audio compression worked great.

The Xbox 360 played flawless, smooth picture with no lag. I used a direct ethernet connection for the 360 coming from my router.
On the PS3 I used the wireless connection, there was a lag a few times but really just outstanding picture. The PS3 is connected to a larger HDTV vs the XBOX 360, but the Sony does a better job with colors for divx videos overall. As supporting divx playback is huge step for both consoles, Look for an update in the near future to support mkv (HighDef).