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Six Ways to Upgrade Your Old Xbox

gamepro.com — The era of the Xbox may be over and Microsoft may have abandoned it, but the original console still has some life left. Great article on how you can maximize your investment.

Who dugg this? Made popular Mar 1, 2007

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  • asif5th, on 10/12/2007, -3/+33XMC is where its at. Get that, 400GB HDD, and you can FTP 720P video over. Plays every file format known to man. If only Media Center supported Divx, Avi, Xvid..it would take off like Apollo 13. :|
  • inactive, on 10/12/2007, -2/+19xbmc supports divx nd many more formata.
  • Juntistik, on 10/12/2007, -0/+17"XMC is where its at. Get that, 400GB HDD, and you can FTP 720P video over. Plays every file format known to man. If only Media Center supported Divx, Avi, Xvid..it would take off like Apollo 13."

    You don't need to install a new hard drive (although it is encouraged) You can simply watch all your videos on your network share. the video doesn't even need to touch the hard drive! Yes it supports DivX/Xvid. sexiest media center around. Dirt cheap too.
  • vanadium77, on 10/12/2007, -0/+16XBMC is probably the best console application ever produced. I've got a 120GB drive in it, shares assigned over my network to my various archives, over 500 streaming International TV stations (most are live, not taped) thanks to my own little XBMC-TV project (look it up on Google, round V), and a crapload of scripts (Apple movie trailers, YouTube, Google Video, etc) for even more functionality.

    Really, for what it is, it's an absolute perfect use for an old Xbox (and you can still play all your games on it, to boot)!
  • enforcerpsu, on 10/12/2007, -0/+15A softmod is so easy, even caveman could do it.
  • z00k, on 10/12/2007, -1/+16Heh, I have my Xbox Softmodded right now running UnleashX as the main Dashboard and then XBMC running as an Application when needed... It really has made my console alot better... Hell You name it my xbox can probably do it... And yes people, the xbox can run linux.

    A few sites to keep in mind:
    http://www.xbox-linux.org/wiki/Main_Page
    http://www.xbox-hq.com/
    http://www.xbox-scene.com/
    http://www.llama.com
  • Barnolde, on 10/12/2007, -0/+14Upgrade it by sticking in a big HDD and then put XBMC as your main dash.

    300GB HDD = more games, emulators and movies than I know what to do with.
  • totorototoro, on 10/12/2007, -3/+15"maximize your investment"? Come on, it cost only $150 3 years ago...anyone who played KOTOR, Halo, etc. has already gotten their money's worth.
  • KitchenRaider, on 10/12/2007, -1/+13My cousin sold every system he ever owned just so he could buy a 360. Xbox, PS2, PSP, Gamecube, and all the games. I think he's crazy.
  • inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+10everything i've done with mine has been mentioned except you could also slap some emulators on the hard drive and play some retro games :-)
  • WolfDV, on 10/12/2007, -0/+9nothing beats having a utorrent fueled media server, streaming all sorts of tv/music/movie content to the various XBMC enabled xbox's networked around my house.

    XBMC absolutely rocks . . best homebrew on the planet

    also as a nice perk, playing Super Smash Bros 64 (using Surreal 64 on a modded xbox )is a wonderful experience, 480p / better texture filtering / optical sound output / more comfortable controllers. and not to mention all the great pc ports, and other perfectly emulated systems.
  • KissTheRing, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8Just use XBMC as your Dashboard OS it'll do everything that Avalaunch or Evox will do but you have all your media apps, plus I like the FTP server (xbox version of filezilla server) better than anything else.
  • Evi1d33d, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8I bought my friend's Xbox for $50 just so I can install XBMC on it. It's worth every freakin' penny.
    For H.264, you'll be lucky if you can run standard def smoothly, the xbox just doesn't have enough processing power to run it but it's getting better with each mplayer update.
  • kyriakos, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6has anyone tried playing HD resolution divx/xvid in xbmc? I think its just too cpu-intensive for xbox to handle. some of them play properly some just keep losing frames.. does copying to hard disk make things better? (i always play over network)
  • DTJunkie07, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7I had a kid at my high school (he ended up being the valedictorian) mod mine and I gave him an 80 gig hard drive to put in there and that was probably the best $100 (hard drive plus labor) I ever spent. When the hard drive starts to fill up I just burn the games on a dvd and I'm set. But XBMC is really where it's at. I highly recommend modding your Xbox to anyone out there still sitting on the fence.
  • Visnik, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6"has anyone tried playing HD resolution divx/xvid in xbmc? I think its just too cpu-intensive for xbox to handle. some of them play properly some just keep losing frames.. does copying to hard disk make things better? (i always play over network)"

    I do, Mostly my wife watches such things as CSI Miami in HD Dvix, plays just fine. We also rip DVDs with DVD Shrink and keep them on the server HDD (1.5 terraybytes of drive space just for use with the XBMC) and stream them over with just a wireless G addaptor throughout the house. This works just fine to. Put all our DVD's away and just stream them. the XBMC Rocks.
  • Otto, on 10/12/2007, -3/+8XBMC for the win, definitely. I bought a used xbox just to use it specifically for that. Way nicer than any other media center device.
  • sherlockian, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5I built a card reader in order to transfer the mechassault 'sploit to my memory card.
    All ran pretty smoothly, and I quite literally use it more than my 360 when it comes to media.
    With the 360, you have to set up the Zune software if you haven't already bought the Media Center Edition of XP.
    Additionally, the 360 isn't exactly supportive of everyone's favorite formats, such as xvid, divx, rmvb, etc.
  • dmorel, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5everyone else already said it, but I'll say it again...

    Xbox Media Center.

    For years we've been hearing about the "digital hub" that would bring our computer media to the living room.
    Crap device after crap device has failed to do that, except for XBMC, which has been doing it for years. I would have happily paid twice what the console cost for the feature set and quality of performance I get out of these modded units.
    There is no solution as user friendly (provided you can get the mod done if you're not inclined that way) and as solidly performing that I've seen at any price.

  • AReallyGoodName, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5The thing is, MS has to obey DRM, patents and copyright law so they will always be lacking in features. Look at how they were recently sued for infringing MP3 patents.

    The open source XBMC on the other hand is never going to be worth suing and can thus contain every codec known.
  • pegisys, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5@kyriakos

    it can do 720p divx/xvid, but considering most downloadable HD videos are encoded with x264/h.264 the xbox is not quite up to the task

    I built a htpc about 6 months ago and haven't tried playing any HD on a xbox since so something may have changed since then, but considering it's a 733 celeron I doubt it
  • Pulpx, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4I donated mine to charity. There are a lot of kids who can't afford any system after all.
  • MaynardJK, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5Avalaunch is good. I like that Qwix is set up to run with it from the PC. XBMC is still so much better though.
  • nebbo, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4XBMC, Big Ass Emu. Disc, backed up games on the hard drive with awesome load times. I use my X-box more than any other console I've ever had.
  • PlayWithFire, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3for those who like pictures, here's a great tutorial
    http://forums.afterdawn.com/thread_view.cfm/311710
    i used this method to mod a dozen xboxes.
  • DNAspark99, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3My xbox was gathering dust until I got it chipped. Suddenly it's more use than it ever was. Seriously if you've got one and havn't modded it yet....WAKE UP!
  • XSforMe, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4There is a company in Japan which will not only Mod the orignal Xbox, but it will chip in a faster Celeron (1.44 Ghz) along with it. There will be enough muscle to decode and view h.264 and even high definition video. The company is called FriendTech. Granted, you definetly loose your ability to Xbox Live, but you gain the ultimate Media Center. The console has an aditional switch which allows you to go from regular speed to "turbo" (much like the oooldd PCs of the 80s)

    http://www.friendtech.com/pages/xbox.htm

  • caddyalan, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Good idea... pretend that it's like an Atari 2600. I would do that.
  • Dimensio, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Getting additional use out of a gaming console that you would otherwise no longer use would constitute getting more from the investment.
  • bigdawg, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2XBMC was the only reason I bought the original xbox. I haven't even played a game on it at all. I needed a way to get my content (tv shows, video, music) to my home theater setup and that was by far the best option available. I use it just about everyday. It was fairly easy since it is just a soft mod, as long as you just want to stream stuff over your network and not store much on the hard drive. That's why there will be no Apple TV for me.
  • radio1mike, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Can't say enough about XBMC.

    I got an XBox when Halo 2 came out. After getting tired of that, I modded and chipped the XBox and use XBMC as my dash. Great stuff. Got the new MC360 skins- awesome.

    Anyone who has an XBox should mod and add XBMC.
  • Arkz, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3@ kyriakos Google?
  • cmdrNacho, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2if MS was smart.. they would of implemented XBMC functionality in the 360 and then that would really be the center of the entertainment system. I have an xbox hooked up to every tv. Sony and MS's offering of media center are really lacking, even apple tv will be lacking compared to XBMC. I wish MS would really have recognized what they could of accomplished had they really pushed people to use XBMC ( or something comparable). MS first missed out on the web and handed it over to Google, and they are gonna miss the home entertainment as well.
  • flippedcracker, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2i play tecmo super bowl on mine all the time.
  • jb1359, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I too am a believer in modding the Xbox. After seeing Kevin Rose do this to an Xbox back a couple years ago on the ScreenSavers, I was sold. Went out and bought a used v1 xbox, threw in a mod chip and a 200gig hd and haven't looked back since. Xbox games off the hd, emulators, streaming music, pics, video, weather, rss and list goes on. i can't praise it enough. Best investment ever.
  • kinghowdy, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2I'm sorry but I love my original XBOX(es)! I have one at home with XBMC loaded and all the gaming and video goodness. The other one I have sitting in a closet running XBOX-Linux with Wine and uTorrent with the web interface. It took some time to setup but once I did it, totally worth the $150.
  • Juntistik, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3Evolution X is horrible. very outdated and old. Go with Unleash X or Avalaunch. Even if your a beginner.
  • darkamster07, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1how would I go about installing OS X on my Xbox, cause I would love to.
  • bobothn, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2XBMC ftw also you can install windows 98 on a moded xbox if you try hard enough.
  • JFitzpatrick, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I bought an xbox with some games and controllers off eBay for around $80, threw a modchip in it, and a $150 500 gb seagate drive that was on sale at the time at newegg.com and I couldn't be happier. Combine that hardware with broadband and a crapload of xisos on the various p2p networks and I've been enjoying a sweet home media center that plays a crapload of games that I never played the first time around when they came out.

    I even installed xlink kai to play online against other people... and be reminded that I'm now an old ass guy with a mortage and a kid and thus suck terribly at games like Halo 2 =) I dunno what happened between playing thousands of hours of Half Life in college and now... but I've lost the FPS magic.
  • junkyinny, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Anyone who hasnt Softmodded their boxes is crazy ;) its worth softmodding the box just to play the emulators.. play every nintendo, supernintendo, sega, atari, etc.. all off a dvd full of roms.. and softmodding takes like 4 minutes to perform.. get a memory card, have a friend copy the hacked save game on it, get a copy of splinter cell for 3.99 at ebgames, and your on your way!
    http://www.techfreaks.org/articles/modxbox.shtml
  • Netmindstorm, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3The mention using Evolution X dashboard and if you are doing your first mod, that probably is the best choice. My preference is avalaunch or unleashx, but it may be for no other reason that I started off with evo and just wanted to try something different.
  • tavisjohn, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I have really tricked out my xbox. I have a modchip, Replacement front panel that includes an LCD screen, 2USB ports, and an IR reciever to power it on and off. I have 3 250gig HD's installed with a switch system. I can choose whatever drive I want to boot to. One drive is for XBOX Games. (I can store over 40 games on the HD, and not need the CD's to play) Another drive is an emulation drive, I can play games from some of my fav systems: PS1, NES, SNES, TG16, Atari 2600, 7800, ScumVM PC games, and even many DOS games! (And many more, I do not feel like listing them all) I even found cheap LCD Screen addon so I can play games and such without a TV!!! The last drive is the one I experiment with new dashboards and such. I also test upgradeing software on it... It is also the mediaplayer drive.

    I know I have not even scratched the surface of what I can do with my XBOX, but hey! I have time!

    The down side is that my xbox is about 2.5 - 3 times taller than a stock one. However it really kicks butt!

    The only confusing thing for me is the fact that my XBOX came with a 20gig HD installed, even tho only 8 gig was partitioned...
  • tecdocTi, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2XBMC has no problems with HD content. Streams from our file server and my laptop to the XBMC no problems, no hitches. I would recommend picking one up on ebay just for the fact that this is the best way to tie your computers and TV together. I haven't watched live network TV in months now. I have already upgraded 3 of my friend's xbox' and all are extremely happy. Even Apple's iTV seems like a watered down version of XBMC.
  • amahler, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1My XBox was gathering dust until, on a whim, I decided to see if anybody had done anything to make a modded XBox useful for playing streamed media on a home theater. That's how I found XBMC and now my wife and I use it all the time. We watch more content from online sources with it than stuff from our DirecTivo.

    Everything comes into the house onto one of my Linux boxes which has a perpetual SMB share going that the XBMC uses via 100mbit ethernet. Download content on the Linux box, walk into the living room, sit down, press play. It honestly could not be easier.

    While I'm an acid Mac user and am curious about the Apple TV, it's totally a "been there, done that" device for me right now. I've been doing this stuff for two years now and don't have all the DRM limitations you know are going to come with anything commercial. While friends are flipping out about the idea of watching iTunes downloads on their TV, I'm yawning and saying "welcome to the club... kind of." :)
  • uberdork825, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0All good ideas. I'm probably keeping my Xbox for another year or two.

    My God that laptop is kickass!
  • nzhamstar, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1xbmc, xbmc, xbmc... linux is the to go chaps. I bought an xbox for $75NZD and I'm cranking it in a VCR :) - its probably been done a million times but hey its cool, laptop hdd, wiring up a controller inside so the vcr buttons will work as a controller in media center... the linux one. I don't even know what its called cos haven't got that far yet, I think its evoX or the one someone mentioned UnleashX. Yeah. I love linux. pics - http://s117.photobucket.com/albums/o60/nzhamstar/xbox

    Sorry if I this is bragging... I dont think I'm the hardest modder in the world its ok. ;)
  • JFitzpatrick, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I agree. I put a 500 gb drive in mine (got it on a great sale) and I haven't even filled half of it. I've put tons of movies, around 25 xbox games, thousands and thousands of NES/SNES/Sega/etc roms... and I think I still have roughly 200gb free. I probably should have thrown a spare 250 in and put the 500 in my tower.
  • bobbagoose, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0That's not strictly true, I use TVersity and it works a treat. Streams and transcodes DivX ;) and other video compression on the fly, stream HD and internet videos and radio stations. Pictures from my HDD and Flickr, and of course access your entire music library. I highly recommend getting it if you are at all interested in playing media on your 360.

    All this on XP Home.

    I have also streamed music from Ubuntu to the 360, but it lacks a lot of the functionality of TVersity.
  • robcashbuilder, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0 Does anyone know if there is a size limit to what hard drive I can install in my xbox and what is it if there is one? I was thinking of the 750gig and just loading it with all my movies with dvd shrink.. Thanks
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