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What IS "Wave 4"?
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A regular, retail Xbox 360 disk is split into several sections or "partitions". One of these partitions is known as the "video partition". Before March 2009, this partition simply contained a video that would play if you inserted the disk into a regular DVD player, the video would basically tell you that you were an idiot and need to put it into an Xbox 360 to play it.
Sinds 15-5-2009 is installeren wij deze nieuwe 1.6 firmware versie
waarmee alle nieuwe spellen zonder problemen te spelen zijn!
As some of you know by now, Microsoft has started including the
NXE (Fall '08 Dashboard Update) on new game discs.
They added this update into the video partition on the disc,
which of course makes the partition larger than it always has been on older games.
Previously there were 2 known good sizes for the video partition,
they were known as "wave1" and "wave2".
One of the security features in all iXtreme firmware from 1.0 to the current version 1.5 is a
check on the size of the video partition to make sure it matches either wave1 or wave2.
The firmware will not boot any game that does not match wave1 or wave2,
this is done to prevent booting bad backups and getting banned on Live.
Since these new games have a larger video partition that does not match either wave,
they do not boot. They are calling these new games with the larger video partition
"wave3" and our hacked firmware will need to be updated to accept this new
size as a good value. c4eva has already started working on this and the
new firmware will be released for all drives shortly.
This new firmware will be version 1.51 and will simply add support for the new video partition
size so that backups of new games will boot. All drives will need to be updated to 1.51 in
order to play backups of new games! c4eva has also stated that he plans on releasing
firmware with 0800 mode (for ripping original games) for every drive in the near future.
This means that all 360 drives, including Hitachi, will then be able to be used to rip
original 360 game discs. This will be a feature of iXtreme version 1.6 which will come after 1.51.
Fueled by the greatest holiday lineup in video game history,
consumers spent more holiday dollars on Xbox 360 consoles, games
and accessories than any other platform in the month of November according to NPD.
#1 in Game Sales:
Four of the Top Ten Titles are on Xbox 360,
compared to three on the Wii and two on the PS3.
Xbox 360 holds the #1 title
with "Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare" (Activision),
selling nearly 1.5 million units on Xbox 360, compared to 444,000 units on the PS3.
#1 in Total Revenue:
Xbox 360 leads in total revenue with $763 million compared to
$587 million for Wii and $364 million for PS3 according to NPD.
#1 in Game Quality:
Xbox 360 delivers the highest-rated games lineup this generation,
with 6 out of the top 10 rated games through the end of November according to Metacritic,
the world-wide authority in entertainment reviews.
A new release of ixtreme firmware, for all versions of drive
Features (v1.4) Disc jitter fix
Note:
Everyone is wondering why people were getting banned a few weeks back.
Here is a short summary of our speculation:
There are specific timers within the challenge/response protocol that may be checked
by MS to determine as criteria for banning. We believe they are measuring one or more
to find discrepancies.
While a lot of this is speculation, and a lot of data is inaccurate as far as replication
due to different mechanics, there may be specific timers that can be easily read.
One that we are focusing on has to do with the degree's of disc rotation,
which will generate a sum (0,90,180,270) and embed that data within the
Security Sector file. Now, we recently have noticed a change within games in
regards to that Challenge/Response timer.
We recently found out that new games ripped with kreon drives will give back a degree,
that in combination with ixtreme jitter, will produce a 360 degree value.
This would be a unacceptable range (should only be 0-359).
This is a detectable and possibly a criteria for the recent ban waves.
Also, this would explain why some users got banned playing the same games that
others played, and did not get banned.
The point of jitter is to randomly give back proper values.
With that in mind, a random jitter value from a kreon drive,
with a random jitter from a ixtreme drive will rarely give back a 360 degree value.
This new ixtreme will wrap that value to ensure that no 360 degree value can be submitted.
Now, a note of recommendation, due to statistical findings.
We have spent days ripping *thousands* of security sector's with various drive/software
combinations and have come to the following:
The most accurate/valid SS replication is done with a samsung
drive using Schtrom 360 xtract or XBC.
So far, we have seen only a very small percentage of 6701 rips in comparison to kreon.
Now, given that, i think it is important to inform that this value was previously normal
with older games. It may or may not be normal with *every* new game,
but with some so far.
So, if you are planning on backing up your purchased games,
please try to use samsung with schtrom 360 xtract or XBC for the most reliable
replica possible!!!
This *could* mean the difference from being banned on xbox live, or not.
Now, as always, remember that you are modifying your console *at your own risk*.
If you make a backup of your game and play it on xbox live, you will always run a risk
of getting your console banned.
This release also comes with firmtool 1.2, here is the changelog:
- Added support for Samsung ms19
- Added prompt for Samsung firmware to copy version strings.
This will allow for those who want their ms25,ms21,or ms19 to report as a ms28.
- Added Xtreme/iXtreme version detection in the hacked source
- Added extra check of BenQ key range for odd BenQ firmware revisions
- Rewrote firmware and version detection. Works properly with all spoofed firmware.
- Added spoofed firmware detection
The Xbox 360 supports DivX and XviD as of today, which may make some of you with big file
collections (like us) as giddy as a kid in store with puppies made of candy.
We threw our entire collection of movies, TV shows and random clips at it and found that the 360
can play back pretty much anything. Here are some notes.
You can play files off of a CD/DVD.
This feature wasn't listed on the Xbox Team's website as one of the supported locations for
playing back content, but this is fantastic for homes that have wireless networks (or no network at all).
In fact, reading off a disc is probably the best way to ensure your movie won't cut out in the middle
due to network congestion (unlikely) or someone turning off the computer accidentally (fairly likely).
It supports almost all files.
It played back all TV shows we threw at it, including My Name is Earl, 30 Rock,
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Battlestar Galactica, and The Venture Bros..
Most of these, and most TV downloaded TV shows, are encoded in XviD format.
As for DivX, that's supported back to version 5.0.
AC3 Audio is supported.
Nice! AC3 support was added in the Spring Update,
but it's nice to see it working with DivX/XviD. 5.1 is supported!
It's not entirely perfect. It's 90% of the way there, improved handling of different video dimensions,
better playback controls and Windows Media Center Extender support will make this the
perfect DivX/Xvid implementation.
4 December krijg je deze update als je verbinding
maakt met Xbox Live.
yea!! : divx support! :)
As promised, Microsoft is bringing some early gifts to your Xbox 360 just
prior to the holiday season.
Beginning at 0200 a.m. PST on Dec. 4, the Xbox 360 Fall Dashboard Update will
be available for all connected Xbox 360 consoles free of charge,
bringing an array of new features and enhancements to the leading gaming and
entertainment system.
Among the key new enhancements are the previously announced Xbox Originals
game download service, Family Timer parental control feature,
and expanded social networking experiences.
Xbox 360 owners can also look forward to enhanced navigation, profile and video
features and Xbox LIVE Arcade Hits.
This free update will be digitally distributed over Xbox LIVE to the more than 8 million
Xbox LIVE members worldwide (Xbox LIVE Silver and Gold) with no disc or hard drive
required. Gamers without an Xbox LIVE account can easily sign up for the free network
by connecting their console to a broadband internet connection.
New features and enhancements include:
MORE DOWNLOAD OPTIONS:
* Xbox Originals -
With this new service, announced on Nov. 13, consumers can download-to-own full original Xbox
games that were previously only available at retail.
The digital shelves will always be stocked with classic titles, such as
"Crash Bandicoot: Wrath of Cortex" "Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge,
"Halo," "Fable," "Fuzion Frenzy," "Psychonauts," and more as the catalogue grows over time,
at 1200 Microsoft Points per game.
* Xbox LIVE Arcade Hits - On Xbox LIVE Arcade, the Arcade Hits program kicks off where some
of the best selling Xbox LIVE Arcade games will become available at permanently reduced
prices, making it easier than ever for everyone to build a library of downloadable games!
The first games to become Arcade Hits will be "Bankshot Billiards 2" and "Lumines LIVE,"
which will be available for 800 Microsoft Points each, and "Marble Blast Ultra," "Small Arms"
and "Zuma Deluxe," which will be available for 400 Microsoft Points each.
With free trial downloads for every game and over 100 games to choose from,
Xbox LIVE Arcade offers something for every member of the family.
NEW WAYS TO KEEP UP TO DATE AND CONNECTED:
* Inside Xbox - A new direct feed brings current news straight from Xbox.com into the
Xbox LIVE Dashboard providing members an easy,
predictable entry point where they can discover what's new in: game releases, events,
and Xbox LIVE Marketplace offers.
* Enhanced online profile - Members interested in sharing a few more details about
themselves will have the option to go beyond their motto and further personalize their
profile with an expanded bio. The extended bios will be visible to "Friends Only" or
the entire Xbox LIVE community.
* Expanded Friends List access - A quick and easy way for gamers to expand their personal
community on Xbox LIVE, members will be able to see the Friends Lists of other Xbox LIVE
members, boosting their social networking experience on the service.
ENHANCED OVERALL EXPERIENCE AND CONTROL:
* Enhanced Parental Controls - Family Timer, a strong and flexible new addition to the
Xbox 360 Family Settings, enables parents to set the amount of time their Xbox 360
can be used on a per-day or per-week basis by their children or other members of the household.
* New video features -
The convenience of full-screen movie previews and enhanced
video codec support further expand the options when it comes to the Xbox 360
entertainment experience.
* Easy-to-use navigation features
- With several noteworthy changes in the
Xbox LIVE Dashboard, from the new Game Store button to the Video Store button to enhanced
visuals and descriptions in the video library, Xbox LIVE members can find what they want,
when they want it.
These features are just some of the new enhancements Xbox 360 owners can expect as part of
the Fall Dashboard Update.
On December 4th a list of all the new features and improvements will be posted at:
http://www.xbox.com/live.
De hype rond Halo 3 heeft de laatste tijd bespottelijke vormen aangenomen.
Nog nooit hebben wij gamers, als één grote groep gezamenlijk zo uitgekeken naar een enkele game.
Dit verlangen dat door Bungie zelf is geschapen, door Halo 2 zo abrupt te beëindigen,
bereikt nu zijn climax met de wereldwijde release van het langverwachte laatste deel in de trilogie.
Opnieuw kunnen we in de huid kruipen van de held wiens gezicht ons tot op heden onbekend is gebleven.
Heeft Bungie zichzelf overtroffen en kan Halo 3 de hooggespannen verwachtingen waarmaken?
Of wordt Halo 3 na wat lijkt een eeuwigheid wachten misschien toch de teleurstelling van het jaar?
In een gesprek met de investeerders heeft Robbie Bach, president van de Entertainment and Devices
divisie bij Microsoft, laten weten dat de Ring of Death problemen van de Xbox 360 zijn opgelost.
Hiervoor is het ontwerp van de Xbox 360 aangepast en verbeterd.
Onlangs werd de Xbox 360 garantie al verlengd naar 3 jaar, omdat Ring of Death issues bij
meer consoles voorkwamen dan Microsoft in eerste instantie wilde toegeven.
Uiteraard los je met extra garantie niets op als het probleem zelf niet wordt aangepakt.
Dat lijkt nu ook zover.
Robie Bach vertelt in het gesprek met de aandeelhouders het volgende over de Ring of Death
issues en het nieuwe ontwerp:
It's a design challenge that we've had to work around and create a new design to solve that problem,
and for the interaction of a variety of different components. And so that's a Microsoft design question,
not some component manufacturer's problem or our manufacturing partner's problems.
It's something we've had to work on. We know we have a much better design in the market now.
We verified that.
Volgens Spong is dit nieuwe ontwerp waar over wordt gesproken de Xbox 360 Elite.
Zelf denk ik dat de verbeterde hardware in alle Xbox 360 units die vanaf nu worden geproduceerd,
zullen worden geïmplementeerd.
Dat is dus de Xbox 360 core, premium, de Xbox 360 Elite en de Halo 3 Special Edition Xbox 360.
Waar ik ook nieuwsgierig naar ben, is of onder dit nieuwe ontwerp ook de 65nm Xbox 360 valt.
Als je dan toch de hardware verbetert en het Ring of Death probleem oplost,
stap dan ook gelijk over naar 65nm chips, zodat de productiekosten dalen,
de Xbox 360 koeler wordt, minder koeling nodig heeft en daardoor ook minder stroom verbruikt.
Een win-win situatie voor Microsoft en gamers.
We zullen geduldig wachten op nieuwe informatie hierover, dus stay tuned.
Microsoft heeft de garantie voor Xbox 360-consoles met één jaar verlengd
na het nieuws dat maar liefst een derde van de consoles met de 'red ring of death'
te maken zouden kunnen krijgen.
Steve Ballmer noemt de implicaties voor Microsoft 'pijnlijk' en hoopt
dat zijn bedrijf ervan leert.
De topman van Microsoft sprak vorige week met financiële analisten.
"We moeten leren van onze fouten. Het is pijnlijk dat deze misstap ons zoveel geld gaat kosten,
maar we moeten op onze klanten blijven letten."
De misstap gaat Microsoft inderdaad flink veel geld kosten: ongeveer één miljard dollar.
Dit bedrag gaat naar reparaties voor probleemconsoles en naar mensen die hun console al
hadden laten repareren. Door de nieuwe garantieregeling zorgt de Xbox 360 voor een verlies
van bijna twee miljard dollar over het laatste kwartaal.
Het kwartaal daarvoor was de console goed voor een verlies van 1.28 miljard dollar.
Met deze nieuwe firmware wordt het mogelijk om het bannen door
Microsoft van gemodde Xbox 360's te voorkomen.
Als het goed is kan Microsoft het nu niet meer zien als je met een
omgebouwde Xbox 360 op Live speelt.
Dit zullen we bij Xboxservice zelf nog uitvoerig testen.
Vooralsnog is deze nieuwe firmware enkel nog maar beschikbaar voor
de Samsung dvd's drives. Aan een versie voor de Hitachi drives wordt gewerkt.
A new firmware replacement for the TS-H943 xbox360 drive
Features
(v1.0) Defeats all current and some future Xbox Live detection attempts
(v1.0) Boots ONLY Stealth Xtreme Xbox 360 backups
(v1.0) Boots ONLY Stealth Xtreme Xbox 1 backups
(v1.0) Boots all Xbox 360 originals
(v1.0) Boots all Xbox 1 originals on Xbox 360
Use on Xbox Live at own risk!!
Thanks to everyone on #FW, Xboxhacker.net , Xbox-Scene.com, M
axconsole.com and Xbins.Org for their support.
Microsoft heeft een manier gevonden om te detecteren of een Xbox 360 is uitgerust met een
gewijzigde firmware voor de dvd-speler.
Als dit het geval is, wordt de console geband van Xbox Live.
De gewijzigde firmware staat de gebruiker toe om gekopieerde spellen te draaien,
wat Microsoft uiteraard niet graag ziet.
De verwachting was dat de fabrikant er wel iets tegen zou ondernemen en dat is dan ook gebeurd.
Sinds een paar dagen wordt consoles met een gemodde drive de toegang tot het Live-netwerk ontzegd.
Hoe Microsoft de mod precies weet te detecteren is nog niet duidelijk.
Het valt samen met het uitbrengen van de Halo 3-bèta, maar sommige mensen die deze niet
hebben gedownload lijken ook te kunnen worden uitgesloten.
Daarnaast zijn er ook gebruikers die aangeven dat ze ondanks een gemodde drive nog gewoon
toegang hebben. Microsoft bant echter vaak met enige vertraging,
dus het is mogelijk dat ze later alsnog worden uitgesloten.
Ook het omgekeerde komt voor: sommige mensen klagen dat ze met een ongemodde Xbox geband zijn.
In hoeverre dit waar is moet overigens nog blijken.
Volgens een verklaring van Microsoft wordt online spelen met gemodde consoles niet toegestaan
omcheaten te voorkomen.
Overigens wordt alleen de gemodde console de toegang ontzegd;
de Live-account van de gebruiker blijft gewoon actief.
Here are some details about the Xbox360 LIVE bans I got directly and indirectly from GaryOPA,
Commodore4eva (C4E), Iriez and others. Of course don't take any of this info as 100% confirmed,
noone knows exactly based on what data MS is banning ...
it's just an analysis of what they think is happening and what MS might/can be checking.
C4E thinks MS is probably detecting and banning consoles from LIVE by tracking usage of backups via
timing of the challenge response (c/r) on the drive over the last few weeks or months.
A modified FW will reply much faster to the the Challenges requests (stored in a table)
than an original firmware (seek on drive).
They probably do this test more than once and can ban you if you're above a certain average.
FuzzyLogic also found that microsoft is sometimes doing additional checks on discs: PFI/DMI
(so images without these sectors (or if using an old FWs without support for PFI/DMI) can probably
be detected easily), drive inquiry (reads ascii string from drive), and capacity (reports capacity of disc)
are requested. Strange thing here is MS requests 0x8000 bytes for PFI and DMI, while it should
normally be 0x0800 bytes. TheSpecialist pointed out that the remaining 0x7800 bytes contains the
relocated SS and PFI on burned discs ... which would make it very easy to detect backups for MS.
C4E however told us this would not work on TS drives as its cut off to 0800 even if more data is asked,
it's unconfirmed how modified HLG FWs drives respond to this atm.
The "read capacity check" will also work as detection on HLG because, unlike the newest TS FWs,
it doesn't have true 'stealth media' yet, these drives are reporting back the burned disc based size of
PFI instead of the correct PFI.
Apparently there's also an issue with SS (Security Sector) extracted from Hitachi-LG, some necessary
data is screwed ... which means that probably only the Toshiba-Samsung / kreon setup has been
extracting correct SS.
Another thing they are probably detecting (but probably not using yet to decide to ban or not) and log/flag
is if you ever booted your Xbox360 with DVD SATA cable not connected to your Xbox360 (E64).
Many people did this to power their drive when they wanted to flash it
(power connected to 360, SATA to PC).
So it's highly suggested to use an external power to flash next time.
It's also possible MS also bans based on stuff like bad credit card info for your country, running a
NTSC machine with euro-address/credit card (or inverse), having out-of-region (arcade) games
and demos on your HDD, unofficial 360 HDD, internet downloaded gamesaves etc.
There's no clear view on all this yet.
For now, C4E believes Microsoft is not detecting modified FWs or detecting FW changes/updates.
Using a special FW they did not detect any debug commands sent to the drive by MS
(they went through the dash/kernel updates with the special FW as well and did not detect any debug
commands there either).
So they think either: A/ MS is not doing any FW detection right now, and only previously
(maybe on request of MS servers while playing on LIVE?),
or B/ MS is banning based only on the timings of the drive, ss/pfi/dmi checks, capacity, drive inquiry and c/r verification.
We also got information C4E is working on an "iXtreme Online" FW for Toshiba-Samsung drives,
a Hitachi-LG version and maybe even BenQ version might follow later.
The new FW will have less features than the current Xtreme FWs: no single-layer (DVD5) support,
no ripping of games (0800 mode), but more features to safely play from burned discs
(emulate the exact speed and timings of the original games) and prevent booting from un-safe discs
(without PFI and DMI or bad SS -
so discs not passing the 'Stealth Check' (using Xbox Backup Creator(info)(info) for example)
re not going to boot on the new firmware), or images that aren't exact dumps of the original.
There's no official ETA (maybe this weekend though for TS drives), and of course no guarantee MS
will never ban you based on new checks (that's the risk it takes if you want to be part of the modding
community ;))
The HLG FW will take a bit longer as it'll require true 'Stealth media' etc added.
This new FW will of course be made mostly for new consoles being modded, because even
if you're not banned from LIVE yet there's no way to know if MS already has info/logs
on your console ID regarding timings or other stuff so even changing to this new firmware in the near future may not stop that console ID from being banned in the next wave of MS bans.
If your console is not banned yet, it's highly suggested you don't boot any burned discs, originals should
be ok, even when offline (MS might be storing results of some checks in flash), until the release of the
new FW.
If your console is already banned this will of course not help you ...
just enjoy the offline playing on that console for now (with some games you could try using 3rd party
networks like XLink Kai(info)) and maybe some day a new exploit will allow you to do more with that
console.
With the amount of posts we see on our forums ... it's clear,
Microsoft decided to start banning Xbox360 with modified firmwares today
(both Hitachi-LG and Toshiba-Samsung drives).
While it's the same release date as Halo3 beta, it seems that people who didn't download
Halo3 also get banned.
They probably detect backup discs (and not the modified firmware) when you play 'em online
(not confirmed yet).
Even people using the new firmwares with disc-jitter added get banned,
so it looks like Microsoft found another way to detect it.
However we also see reports of people with modified firmwares that are not banned (yet).
Microsoft is known to ban with delay though, so it'll probably take a while before we got a good
view on who got banned for what reasons.
Just like on Xbox1 it looks like Microsoft bans the console unique ID (serial), not the LIVE user.
Microsoft will not allow anyone to login on LIVE on a banned console.
Many people on the official xbox.com forums also claim they got banned but didn't have a
flashed firmware ... we'll have to see how that story develops in the coming hours and days.
Update: This was just posted on Microsoft's Games Global Marketing team blog:
[QUOTE]
One of the great things about LIVE and the unified community is that we work hard to create a level
playing field for all gamers and have a no tolerance policy towards inappropriate behavior like
hacking or cheating. As part of our commitment to our members, we do not allow people
that we have detected to have modified their console to connect to LIVE.
This is an important part of our efforts to try and maintain a fair gaming environment for the
large majority of gamers that play by the rules.
This topic is more important than ever given the recent release of the Halo 3 beta.
As a result, some consumers that try to login to LIVE who we detect have illegally modified
their console will get an error code (Status Code: Z: 8015 - 190D) when trying to
connect to the service. These users will not have their account automatically banned from LIVE,
but they will no longer be able to access the service from the console they modified.
We have stated in the past that customers can only enjoy access to the Xbox LIVE community
through the use of a genuine, unmodified, Xbox console and we will continue to enforce
his rule to ensure the integrity of our service, the protection of our partners and the benefits of our users. [/QUOTE]
NullRiver released a new version of Connect360(info), it's a tool to stream your music, images and videos from your Mac OSX to your Xbox 360 console. What's fixed/new: * Choose where your videos are stored * Support for H.264 and MPEG4 videos in MOV and MP4 containers * Support for iTunes Podcasts in the above formats * Bug fixes
Dead Rising ligt inmiddels al ruim 4 maanden in de winkels, in een aantal dagen geleden maakt
Capcom nog trots bekend dat Dead Rising wereldwijd 1 miljoen keer verkocht is.
Reden waarschijnlijk voor een feestje want vandaag is een hilarisch filmpje verschenen op YouTube.
De website mega64.com heeft namelijk een parodie op de gelijknamige game gemaakt.
Het is zeker de moeite waard om het even te bekijken!
Op het internet hoor je Xbox 360 bezitters vaak klagen over de herrie die de console zo af en toe zou maken. Een gamer met alle next-gen consoles in zijn bezit besloot de proef op de som te nemen en heeft onderzocht, met een geluidsmeter, welke console nu écht het meeste lawaai maakt.
En daarbij komt de Xbox 360 toch helemaal niet zo slecht uit de test.
Hij testte alle drie de consoles met een dB meter, op drie verschillende punten. Eerst terwijl de console normaal aan stond en verder niets deed, daarna bij het laden van de harddrive en ten slotte bij het afspelen van een game via DVD (of Blu-Ray in het geval van de PS3).
De resultaten mogen opmerkelijk genoemd worden.
Hoewel de eerste versies van de Xbox 360 bekend staan om het lawaai dat ze zouden produceren, blijkt de Xbox 360 gemiddeld gewoon de stilste console van de drie, zoals in de grafiek hierboven te zien is.
Een tweede plek is er voor de Playstation 3, en gemiddeld genomen maakt de Nintendo Wii het meeste kabaal.
Ook de onderzoeker zelf was verbaasd over het resultaat.
