DailyTech - Coming Soon: XBOX 360 Modchips

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Gadgets Coming Soon: XBOX 360 Modchips
Johnny Parker (Blog) - May 23, 2006 11:02 AM

12 comment(s) - last by Devil Bunny.. on May 24 at 11:45 PM

The firmware is stick in place via a thick layer of epoxy - Courtesy team-xecuter.com

Possible pin-out alternativs - Courtesy x-scene.com

A group know as Team Xecuter is close to creating modchips for mass distribution

The friendly fellows from Team Xecuter thought that those hackers shouldn't be the only ones to be able to play backup games for the XBOX 360 game console, and has announced that the group is very close to releasing a first generation mod-chip for XBOX 360. The mod chip allows for two separate firmwares to coexist in the system allowing for hacked and non-hacked usage.

Unfortunately for the mod-chippers, there seems to be a major obstacle in the way -- epoxy. Epoxy surrounds the firmware chip making it firmly attached to the XBOX, thus hindering the chance to easily access the legs of the firmware IC. This leaves most people with two different options: try to remove the glue (which is next to impossible, short of breaking off the pins) or find alternative solder points. A member of the Xbox-Scene.com forums was able to post one possible guide to these alernate pin-outs, with a mere thirty solder points.

XBOX 360 got its first taste of firmware hacks just last week when the DVD firmware hack for the TS-H943 XBOX 360s was publically announced. The DVD-Firmware hack works by ignoring the non-present media flags on 1:1 game copies.

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Um...Yeah.

By Kilim on 5/23/2006 5:09:00 PM , Rating: 2

Methinks Microsoft has really created a decent set of security into their system.

Maybe it is really only protected by a $0.0001 amount of glue, but protection is protection if it does its job, no matter how simple.

Of course, it probably will be hacked by someone down the line, but if it is only by people who REALLY know what they are doing, Microsoft has nothing to worry about. How many people out there can actually pull this off? I do not think those people are true customers who pay for their software, by and large, so it is a customer base Microsoft should not care about. From a business standpoint.

7 months in, with very smart people working on it, and still no feasible way to hack a 360? Good job microsoft!

RE: Um...Yeah.

By swatX on 5/23/2006 7:59:00 PM , Rating: 2

when you cant secure the software, secure the hardware that runs the software..

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RE: Um...Yeah.

By creathir on 5/23/2006 10:49:37 PM , Rating: 1

If the software were not secure, you would not have to attack the hardware...
You're a lame hacker... or hax0r... whatever you want to be called

- Creathir

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RE: Um...Yeah.

By bpurkapi on 5/24/2006 3:10:50 AM , Rating: 2

It has already been hacked on a firmware level, now comes the time when hackers collaborate and find an efficient way to hack the box. When this is done we will see easy to install modchips or better yet simple software methods. The 360 will be fully hacked soon enough... Taking a look of some of the various projects already in progress you can expect to see non-system hard-drives to be a possibility. The 360 explorer program will evolve as well. Sooner or later the 360 will be like the original, a modders heaven. This is unavoidable, the only thing is that the xbox live service as usual will be the real question. If you want xbox live you will have to have a chip that can turn on and off or simply avoid a chip altogether. And as someone said earlier 30 solder points equals demand for professional solders, it does not really stop anyone from getting the chip. All in all what were we really expecting? There is no way at this stage that any console can be unhackable. And most protection schemes rely on the internet for updates and activation or verification, so no internet no problems...

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RE: Um...Yeah.

By Devil Bunny on 5/24/2006 11:45:30 PM , Rating: 2

Actually it already has been hacked, here's a link to it on Hackaday
http://www.hackaday.com/entry/1234000673073696/

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30!!

By CKDragon on 5/23/2006 9:31:54 PM , Rating: 2

Thirty Solder points! Holy crap...

I had a rough time doing the 5-10 that I did for my original Xbox. Totally worth it, but there were a few points I thought I might have fried the darn thing. If I had to do the 30 points (as described in the alternate method above) on a $400 piece of hardware, I might think twice.

I can see a HUGE market opening up for expert solderers, though.

CK

RE: 30!!

By Vesuvius on 5/24/2006 12:04:29 AM , Rating: 2

nothing compared to the ps2 initially. I believe it had more than 40 wires

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RE: 30!!

By Drexial on 5/24/2006 4:16:50 AM , Rating: 2

yeah teh PSX had a rediculous amound of points.

i honestly dont think it will be too bad, they tood advantage of the developer kit connection last time. they may have removed the easy access like last time. but ill buy one if i can back up my games. makes traveling and LANing alot easier.

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I"ll believe it when I see it.

By jlmadyson on 5/23/2006 4:04:00 PM , Rating: 2

Nuff said, they have been close for how long now? Also I heard they ran into some problems with some glue lol. On the hack side of things MS can patch up the firmware with a click of the button. Like I said I'll believe it when I see it.

RE: I"ll believe it when I see it.

By tuteja1986 on 5/24/2006 1:35:28 AM , Rating: 2

I Just hope it works with xbox live

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Hacked already

By Null7238 on 5/24/2006 1:53:14 PM , Rating: 2

You guys know there is a mod for the 360 already right? It's all done by software though, but it will play backups.

Meh -- it's still only runs signed code.

By isaacmacdonald on 5/23/06, Rating: -1

By isaacmacdonald on 5/23/2006 4:38:11 PM , Rating: -1

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