Mashie Design Visual Audio (MDVA) Review
MODTHEBOX! :: Sunday, January 08, 2006
“The concept for the MDVA was derived from one of Mashie’s older projects dubbed Anemone which took first place in the Summer 2002 CPL Consummate Computer Competition (C3). The MDVA includes a green coloured PCB circuit board that is protected by thick black acrylic and includes pre-drilled mounting holes for simple installation into a standard case. The overall appearance is the MDVA is very clean with access to the rear of the PCB. Towards the bottom left of the PCB is the location for a 4-pin Molex connector which provides power to the unit while the right side includes a 3-pin header for the bundled Audio Y-cable.”
Updated Linux Xbox-DVD Unlocker
Xbox-Scene :: Sunday, January 08, 2006
[QUOTE]
Ok, here’s a new version of the Linux version of the unlocker. You’ll need to apply the kernel patch (linux-2.6.14-mediachange.patch) to properly see the unlocked disk capacity. It just adds an IOCTL that calls saw_media_change(). You’ll get an error if you don’t apply the patch. However, for some reason dd won’t produce nice images (maybe it has something to do with its error handling (tried with “dd conv=noerror bs=2048 skip=32 if=/dev/hdd of=disc.img”)), so I’ll probably need to write a proper dumper that stores the “bad sectors” in a separate file for future purposes.
But wait! There’s something more. Perhaps you have heard of FUSE? FUSE stands for Filesystems in Userspace. I wrote a small FUSE driver that allows one to mount the XBOXDVDFS discs directly to the filesystem. You’ll need to get FUSE from http://fuse.sourceforge.net and install it (“./configure ; make ; make install ; modprobe fuse” – remember to insert the kernel module). Then you can compile the xboxdvdfs.c driver:
# gcc -o xboxdvdfs xboxdvdfs.c -lfuse
Now, assuming you have not unlocked the DVD drive yet (which is “/dev/hdd” in this example), you run:
# ./unlocker /dev/hdd
# mkdir /mnt/xboxdvd
# ./xboxdvdfs /mnt/xboxdvd /dev/hdd
Root directory table at sector 1685288 (size 2048 bytes).
Looks like a XBOXDVDFS filesystem.
# ls -l /mnt/xboxdvd
You can also specify an image file instead of a device to xboxdvdfs (should work, but my images were broken). This stuff should be all moved to kernel space (one IOCTL for unlocking the drive) and the filesystem into a proper kernel filesystem. Sorry for the crappy source (no proper error/exit handling), but it seems to work for now and it’s userspace so it shouldn’t hurt your system :-) The xboxdvdfs driver should be able to mount Xbox 360 images too, if I’ve understood correctly (should be the same format?).
Facing The Bitches of Death
Twitch Guru :: Sunday, January 08, 2006
This is the second part of our interviews with women gaming clans. Last week, we spoke to the Dominating Divas; this week, it’s the Bitches of Death.
Xekanirelle These women like to play first person shooter (FPS) PC games against guys. They are an international clan of women, and pretty hardcore as online gamers go.
XboxMediaCenter (XBMC) 2006-01-01 CVS T3CH build
Xbox-Scene :: Sunday, January 08, 2006
>> T3CH released a new CVS compile of XboxMediaCenter(info).
This T3CH-compile is a BAREBONE package (with just a few thirdparty scripts and with just the default skin) compiled with XDK v5849.
Here’s the added stuff from the changelog since the 2005-12-25 CVS release:
* added: http api “getshares” and “getmedialocation” now accept “files” as a share type
* added: Conditional window origins for dialogs.
* added: Builtin functions SetVolume(percent) and Mute.
* added: Info values for Player.GetVolume (int + label) and for Player.IsMuted (bool)
* added: Play action on a folder in videos will build internal playlist recursively and start playing immediately
* added: ListItem.Thumb and ListItem.Label to the InfoManager.
* added: new Http Api command “getmedialocation”.
* added: advanced configuration option for path substitution; look in xboxmediacetner.xml for details.
* added: custom slideshows in My Pictures via m3u playlists (only images are queued into the slideshow)
… rest of changelog (including many fixes): here.
Keep in mind this is a CVS snapshot of the current development tree. It’s not an official (stable) point release. Use only if you know what you are doing.
Pacific Storm (PC) review
Strategy Informer :: Friday, January 06, 2006
New review of Pacific Storm (PC): check it out
Chessmaster 10th Edition v1.03 Patch
Gamer’s Hell :: Friday, January 06, 2006
Chessmaster 10th Edition v1.03 Patch check it out
Quake 4 @ Bytesector
Bytesector :: Friday, January 06, 2006
“The story is pretty much a standard Quake storyline in that you play a single marine (Matthew Kane) in a battle against an alien race known as the Strogg in an effort to wipe them out and prevent further attacks on Earth. For the first little while, you\’ll run and gun your way through the Strogg forces with very little story except for what is necessary to give reason for you moving to a new location. After not too long though, you will hit the fun part.”
HardwareOC Quake 4 Benchmark, Age of Pirates: Caribbean Tales Trailer
Gamer’s Hell :: Wednesday, January 04, 2006
– HardwareOC Quake 4 Benchmark check it out
– Age of Pirates: Caribbean Tales Trailer check it out<br< font=””>
World of Warcraft (PC) Patch and The Moment of Silence (PC) Review
Strategy Informer :: Wednesday, January 04, 2006
New patch for World of Warcraft 1.9.0 has been added at:
check it out
We’ve also added a review of The Moment of Silence (PC) at:
check it out
Saitek P2600 Rumble Gamepad Review
Futurelooks :: Wednesday, January 04, 2006
SAITEK has long been making some of the most kick ass joysticks and gamepads. With some already great products under their belt, SAITEK has surged forward again with the P2600, featuring force feedback action and a highly ergonomic design.
DH Review: Xbox 360
Driver Heaven :: Monday, January 02, 2006
The next generation of gaming is finally upon us. Microsoft?s Xbox 360 has finally hit store shelves all over the world, but with the hefty price of $300 for a core package and $400 for the premium setup, is it really worth your money? In this review, we’re going to dissect every aspect of the 360 to find out if it truly enters a new era in gaming.
Sniper Elite Xbox Review
Gamer’s Hell :: Monday, January 02, 2006
Review – Sniper Elite Xbox Review check it out
Ice Age 2: The Meltdown Game Announced
Gamer’s Hell :: Monday, January 02, 2006
Ice Age 2: The Meltdown Video Game Announced check it out
