The Xbox 360 Scene 101 - Understanding The Basics
Jul 28, 2014 23:19:16 GMT
gir, bokohareem, and 2 more like this
Post by BL on Jul 28, 2014 23:19:16 GMT
This guide is meant for users that are new to the xbox 360 scene and are unaware of the various terms used. I have tried to make each description as simple as possible. If you want me to add something else to the list of terms then please let me know by posting a comment below.
This Guide is Divided into the following parts.
1. Flashing and Modding
2. Game Burning and Verification
3. Downloading
4. The Scene
Sections which will be added soon:
1. JTAG/RGH terms and applications
2. Console Modding tools and applications
3. FAQ and commonly asked questions
1. Flashing and Modding:
Dashboard/Kernel = Dashboard or kernel of a drive is the official software installed on a xbox 360 console by Microsoft itself. Microsoft releases frequent dashboard updates to add new features and to fix bugs in the xbox 360 console.
Xbox 360 Drives : The Xbox 360 console uses drives from various manufacturers and these drives have varied since the launch of the console in 2005. Every drive type of the console has a different requirement for running backups.
Identify your PHAT console's drive:
or see the following
www.llamma.com/xbox360/Xbox_360_DVD_Drive_Comparison.htm
Identify your SLIM consoles's drive: See the following
team-xecuter.com/forums/showthread.php/63164-How-to-find-a-identify-360-Slim-dvd-drive-versions
Flashing: Flashing is the process of writing (installing) a custom firmware to the xbox 360’s dvd drive. After a console is flashed it is then able to play games that we burn ourselves.
LT firmware: Lite Touch or LT firmware is custom software that is installed (flashed) on a xbox 360’s dvd drive so that we can play backups on the console. There are two most commonly used LT firmwares right now:
LT+ 2.0: This is the older version of the Lite Touch (LT) firmware.This firmware allows us to play game backups on our console. Despite this being the older version of the LT firmware, there are various xbox 360 drives whose latest firmware is LT+2.0 (these drives are listed below)
LT+3.0: This is the latest version of LT firmware and allows us to run every xbox 360 game released since the launch of the console.
LTU v1.2: LT Ultimate or LTu is the latest xbox 360 firmware for Slim Consoles with Liteon DG-16D5S and Hitachi 0500/0502 drives. LTu is based on the LT+3.0 firmware and works exactly like that. The major difference in LTU is that for it to work (flash your drive), you will need to extract your console's dvd key by RGHing it first.
Latest firmware for each xbox 360 drive :
JTAG = JTAG is a hardware mod performed on xbox 360 consoles which have a dashboard version of 2.0.7371.0 or below. Performing a JTAG is more difficult as compared to a firmware flash. A JTAGed console however has more features as compared to a flashed console.
RGH = RGH or Reset Glitch Hack is a hardware mod (similar to JTAG) an can be performed on most xbox 360 consoles with any dashboard version. There are two types of RGH:
RGH 1 : The Rest Glitch Hack 1 is done on consoles that have a dashboard of 14699 or below.
RGH 2: The Reset Glitch Hack 2 is done on consoles that have a dashboard of 14699 or above.
Note: The RGH and JTAG hardware hacks have the same functionality and give the same output. The only difference between the hacks is how they achieve this output and how these hacks are done.
ODDE devices: Optical Disc Drive Emulators or ODDE is a recent addition to the xbox 360 scene and give us the ability to play xbox 360 games without flashing or JTAGing our console. An ODDE device is installed inside the xbox 360 and it emulates the console’s dvd drive making it think that the game is being played from the drive itself when actually the games are run from a Hard Disk. ODDEs are a very easy way to play xbox 360 games and are more cost efficient as compared to firmware flashing. The two most popular ODDE devices are X360key and Wasabi360.
Comparison between firmware flash, JTAG/RGH and ODDE devices:
2. Game Burning and Verification:
XGD2: Xbox Game Disc 2 (XGD2) is a type of Xbox 360 discs that allows up to 7.3GB of data to be stored in the disc. XGD2 discs were primarily used between 2005 to September 2011. XGD2 discs are still used be developers but they do this very rarely. XGD2 games can be burnt properly using any dvd drive.
XGD3: Xbox Game Disc 3 (XGD3) is a new type of discs introduced by Microsoft in September 2011 which allowed developers to store up to 8.13GB of data in the disc and enabled various anti piracy features to tackle burning of backups. XGD3 games cannot be burnt properly using any dvd drives and have to be burnt using specific drives that support the burnermax firmware.
Difference between XGD2 & XGD3 : Apart from the size difference between the two discs another major difference between them is that XGD3 discs include more anti piracy checks meant to tackle game burning of backups. Due to the higher storage space of XGD3 games it is also not possible to properly burn game backups from these discs using any dvd drive. For this reason a custom firmware was released that, after being installed, allows specific dvd drives to burn such backups properly.
Burnermax Firmware: Burnermax firmware was released by the developer C4eva in December 2011 with the purpose of burning XGD3 games properly. The firmware allows specific drives to burn XGD3 games completely on a normal dual layer disc. The burnermax firmware is a custom firmware for your computer’s dvd drive and not your xbox’s. The burnermax firmware can be installed to a total of 16 dvd drives.
List of Drives Compatible with the Firmware:
Burnermax Payload tool: The burnermax Payload tool is a software created by the developer C4eva that allows a wide range of PC dvd drives to burn XGD3 games properly. The payload tool was released by C4eva in December 2012.
List of Drives Compatible with the payload tool:
thegamescene.boards.net/thread/4/burnermax-payload-tool-drive-compatibility
Truncating: Truncating is a process of burning XGD3 games. People who do not have a burnermax firmware and burnermax payload tool compatible drive use this method to burn XGD3 games. In truncating, the dvd drive cuts the ISO to make it fit into a normal dual layer dvd. The size of a full XGD3 burn is 8.13 GB while the size of a truncated burn is 7.9GB.
Overburning: Overburning is another process of burning XGD3 games. Like truncating, this method too is used by people who don’t have a burnermax compatible drive. In Overburning the PC drive burns the ISO as much as possible on a DVD drive but does not cut the ISO (as done in truncating). The size of a full XGD3 burn is 8.13 GB while the size of a overburnt copy is 7.9GB.
Ripped Truncated/Overbunt Fix File : This is a 182MB file that is used to fix an ISO extracted from a truncated or overburnt disc. As mentioned above, a ISO burnt by truncating or overburning is not completely transfered to a dual layer dvd and 182MB is left out. By using the truncate fix is 182 MB you can fix your truncated or overburnt ISO to make it 'FULL' again and burn this 'FULL' iso using a burnermax compatible drive.
Overburning vs Truncating: It is usually seen that overburning is more reliable then truncating and gives better results. The reason behind this is the way both methods handle the burn process.
Problem with overburning and truncating:
There are two main problems with these methods:
1. These methods are not a reliable way to burn XGD3 games and their results can vary a lot. This can result in bad burns and inability to play XGD3 games.
2. Games burnt using these methods are not safe on XBL and can result in your console receiving a flag or a ban.
Liteon IHAS : Liteon IHAS is a type of dvd drives that are recommended by everyone to be used for XGD3 games. The reason behind this is that these drives are compatible with the burnermax firmware and burnermax payload tool.
Cross Flash: Crossflashing is a term used in the xbox 360 scene which means indicates the process of flashing a non-Liteon IHAS drive into a IHAS drive. There are a total of 10 such drives that can be flashed into a IHAS drive. The following is a tutorial or flashing your dvd drive
team-xecuter.com/forums/showthread.php?t=73461
Abgx360: Abgx360 is a software used to verify and check a Xbox 360 ISO. Abgx360 allows users to verify the integrity of an ISO by matching it to the database of games maintained by the abgx360 team. This tool is widely considered as one of the best ways to check whether a game is safe to play on a xbox 360 console.
AP and CIV checks: Anti Piracy (AP) and Content Integrity Verification (CIV) are various checks or methods implemented in discs by Microsoft that check whether a user is playing an original copy or a backup copy of a game. Failing these checks multiple times in quick succession can result in your console getting flagged for a Xbox Live Ban.
AP 2.5 and 2.6: AP 2.5 and 2.6 are a disc protection method used by Microsoft to stop users from playing backup games on their consoles. There are a total of 6 XGD2 Ap2.5/2.6 games while every XGD3 game has Ap2.5/2.6 protection. A list of such games and more details on Ap2.5 can be found below
forums.xbox-scene.com/index.php?showtopic=728912
3. Downloading Games:
Region Free : Games marked with the tag Region Free can be played on any console irrespective of the console’s region.
NTSC-U : Covers the North American region. Games marked with this tag can be played on consoles originating from North America
PAL : Cover Europe, Australia and Pacific region. Games marked with this tag can be played on consoles originating from Europe, Australia and the Pacific.
NTSC-J: Covers Asia (excluding China). Games with this tag can by played on consoles originating from Asia (excluding China)
NTSC-C: Games marked with this tag can be played on consoles originating from China only.
File-Hosts: These are online services that allow users to store and share files. There are various websites which use these services to share their games.
Link Protection Services: These websites are used to protect links from being displayed publicly to increase their longevity and to protect them from being exposed directly to bots.
Download Managers: In the Xbox scene download managers like Jdownloader and Internet Download Manager are used to make download links using file hosting sites easier to manage and organize.
4. The Scene :
The Scene: The Xbox Scene is a collection of groups and people who work day in an out to enable playing of backups, applications, homebrew etc on the xbox 360 console.
Scene Release Groups: Release groups are groups of individuals who release content in the scene which is then leaked to the general public. Examples of these groups are Complex, Marvel, RRoD, SWAG,ZRY etc.
P2P: Anyone who does not belong to the xbox 360 scene directly is part of the P2P.
C4eva: C4eva is an individual who is the pioneer of the Xbox 360 scene. Every major contribution to the Xbox 360 scene is attributed in one way or another to him/her. Some of the major contributions of c4eva are the Xbox 360 firmwares and the Burnermax Firmware.
Team Xecuter: Team Xecuter is a group of individuals who are have contributed enormously to the Xbox 360 Scene. Their tools and hacks are used by almost everyone to flash, jtag and rgh consoles.
Team Jungle: This is a team of Individuals responsible for the software JungleFlasher which is used in flashing Xbox 360 consoles.
Team ABGX: This team consists of people who manage the abgx360 online database and control the development of the abgx360 tool.
Team Matrix: This is a team responsible for creating various solution for the JTAG and RGH hacks. Their products are considers to be some of the best in the xbox 360 scene.
Online Release Databases: These are database maintained by individuals that track the latest xbox 360 releases. Two major release databases are abgx.net and orlydb
Topic Owned to CS
This Guide is Divided into the following parts.
1. Flashing and Modding
2. Game Burning and Verification
3. Downloading
4. The Scene
Sections which will be added soon:
1. JTAG/RGH terms and applications
2. Console Modding tools and applications
3. FAQ and commonly asked questions
1. Flashing and Modding:
Dashboard/Kernel = Dashboard or kernel of a drive is the official software installed on a xbox 360 console by Microsoft itself. Microsoft releases frequent dashboard updates to add new features and to fix bugs in the xbox 360 console.
Xbox 360 Drives : The Xbox 360 console uses drives from various manufacturers and these drives have varied since the launch of the console in 2005. Every drive type of the console has a different requirement for running backups.
Identify your PHAT console's drive:
or see the following
www.llamma.com/xbox360/Xbox_360_DVD_Drive_Comparison.htm
Identify your SLIM consoles's drive: See the following
team-xecuter.com/forums/showthread.php/63164-How-to-find-a-identify-360-Slim-dvd-drive-versions
Flashing: Flashing is the process of writing (installing) a custom firmware to the xbox 360’s dvd drive. After a console is flashed it is then able to play games that we burn ourselves.
LT firmware: Lite Touch or LT firmware is custom software that is installed (flashed) on a xbox 360’s dvd drive so that we can play backups on the console. There are two most commonly used LT firmwares right now:
LT+ 2.0: This is the older version of the Lite Touch (LT) firmware.This firmware allows us to play game backups on our console. Despite this being the older version of the LT firmware, there are various xbox 360 drives whose latest firmware is LT+2.0 (these drives are listed below)
LT+3.0: This is the latest version of LT firmware and allows us to run every xbox 360 game released since the launch of the console.
LTU v1.2: LT Ultimate or LTu is the latest xbox 360 firmware for Slim Consoles with Liteon DG-16D5S and Hitachi 0500/0502 drives. LTu is based on the LT+3.0 firmware and works exactly like that. The major difference in LTU is that for it to work (flash your drive), you will need to extract your console's dvd key by RGHing it first.
Latest firmware for each xbox 360 drive :
JTAG = JTAG is a hardware mod performed on xbox 360 consoles which have a dashboard version of 2.0.7371.0 or below. Performing a JTAG is more difficult as compared to a firmware flash. A JTAGed console however has more features as compared to a flashed console.
RGH = RGH or Reset Glitch Hack is a hardware mod (similar to JTAG) an can be performed on most xbox 360 consoles with any dashboard version. There are two types of RGH:
RGH 1 : The Rest Glitch Hack 1 is done on consoles that have a dashboard of 14699 or below.
RGH 2: The Reset Glitch Hack 2 is done on consoles that have a dashboard of 14699 or above.
Note: The RGH and JTAG hardware hacks have the same functionality and give the same output. The only difference between the hacks is how they achieve this output and how these hacks are done.
ODDE devices: Optical Disc Drive Emulators or ODDE is a recent addition to the xbox 360 scene and give us the ability to play xbox 360 games without flashing or JTAGing our console. An ODDE device is installed inside the xbox 360 and it emulates the console’s dvd drive making it think that the game is being played from the drive itself when actually the games are run from a Hard Disk. ODDEs are a very easy way to play xbox 360 games and are more cost efficient as compared to firmware flashing. The two most popular ODDE devices are X360key and Wasabi360.
Comparison between firmware flash, JTAG/RGH and ODDE devices:
2. Game Burning and Verification:
XGD2: Xbox Game Disc 2 (XGD2) is a type of Xbox 360 discs that allows up to 7.3GB of data to be stored in the disc. XGD2 discs were primarily used between 2005 to September 2011. XGD2 discs are still used be developers but they do this very rarely. XGD2 games can be burnt properly using any dvd drive.
XGD3: Xbox Game Disc 3 (XGD3) is a new type of discs introduced by Microsoft in September 2011 which allowed developers to store up to 8.13GB of data in the disc and enabled various anti piracy features to tackle burning of backups. XGD3 games cannot be burnt properly using any dvd drives and have to be burnt using specific drives that support the burnermax firmware.
Difference between XGD2 & XGD3 : Apart from the size difference between the two discs another major difference between them is that XGD3 discs include more anti piracy checks meant to tackle game burning of backups. Due to the higher storage space of XGD3 games it is also not possible to properly burn game backups from these discs using any dvd drive. For this reason a custom firmware was released that, after being installed, allows specific dvd drives to burn such backups properly.
Burnermax Firmware: Burnermax firmware was released by the developer C4eva in December 2011 with the purpose of burning XGD3 games properly. The firmware allows specific drives to burn XGD3 games completely on a normal dual layer disc. The burnermax firmware is a custom firmware for your computer’s dvd drive and not your xbox’s. The burnermax firmware can be installed to a total of 16 dvd drives.
List of Drives Compatible with the Firmware:
Liteon IHAS 124-B
Liteon IHAS 224-B
Liteon IHAS 324-B
Liteon IHAS 424-B
Liteon IHAS 524-B
Liteon IHAS 624-B
Liteon IHAS 322
Liteon IHAS 122-B
Asus DRW-24B3LT
Asus DRW-24B3ST
Asus DRW-24B1LT
Asus DRW-24B1ST
Dell PLDS DH-16ABS
HP DVD1270i
HP DVD1260i
Plextor PX-L890SA
TEAC DV-W524GSB
Liteon IHAS 224-B
Liteon IHAS 324-B
Liteon IHAS 424-B
Liteon IHAS 524-B
Liteon IHAS 624-B
Liteon IHAS 322
Liteon IHAS 122-B
Asus DRW-24B3LT
Asus DRW-24B3ST
Asus DRW-24B1LT
Asus DRW-24B1ST
Dell PLDS DH-16ABS
HP DVD1270i
HP DVD1260i
Plextor PX-L890SA
TEAC DV-W524GSB
NOTE: Drives marked in blue color can be cross flashed into a Liteon IHAS x24 drive and then flashed with the burnermax firmware.
Burnermax Payload tool: The burnermax Payload tool is a software created by the developer C4eva that allows a wide range of PC dvd drives to burn XGD3 games properly. The payload tool was released by C4eva in December 2012.
List of Drives Compatible with the payload tool:
thegamescene.boards.net/thread/4/burnermax-payload-tool-drive-compatibility
Truncating: Truncating is a process of burning XGD3 games. People who do not have a burnermax firmware and burnermax payload tool compatible drive use this method to burn XGD3 games. In truncating, the dvd drive cuts the ISO to make it fit into a normal dual layer dvd. The size of a full XGD3 burn is 8.13 GB while the size of a truncated burn is 7.9GB.
Overburning: Overburning is another process of burning XGD3 games. Like truncating, this method too is used by people who don’t have a burnermax compatible drive. In Overburning the PC drive burns the ISO as much as possible on a DVD drive but does not cut the ISO (as done in truncating). The size of a full XGD3 burn is 8.13 GB while the size of a overburnt copy is 7.9GB.
Ripped Truncated/Overbunt Fix File : This is a 182MB file that is used to fix an ISO extracted from a truncated or overburnt disc. As mentioned above, a ISO burnt by truncating or overburning is not completely transfered to a dual layer dvd and 182MB is left out. By using the truncate fix is 182 MB you can fix your truncated or overburnt ISO to make it 'FULL' again and burn this 'FULL' iso using a burnermax compatible drive.
Overburning vs Truncating: It is usually seen that overburning is more reliable then truncating and gives better results. The reason behind this is the way both methods handle the burn process.
Problem with overburning and truncating:
There are two main problems with these methods:
1. These methods are not a reliable way to burn XGD3 games and their results can vary a lot. This can result in bad burns and inability to play XGD3 games.
2. Games burnt using these methods are not safe on XBL and can result in your console receiving a flag or a ban.
Liteon IHAS : Liteon IHAS is a type of dvd drives that are recommended by everyone to be used for XGD3 games. The reason behind this is that these drives are compatible with the burnermax firmware and burnermax payload tool.
Cross Flash: Crossflashing is a term used in the xbox 360 scene which means indicates the process of flashing a non-Liteon IHAS drive into a IHAS drive. There are a total of 10 such drives that can be flashed into a IHAS drive. The following is a tutorial or flashing your dvd drive
team-xecuter.com/forums/showthread.php?t=73461
Abgx360: Abgx360 is a software used to verify and check a Xbox 360 ISO. Abgx360 allows users to verify the integrity of an ISO by matching it to the database of games maintained by the abgx360 team. This tool is widely considered as one of the best ways to check whether a game is safe to play on a xbox 360 console.
AP and CIV checks: Anti Piracy (AP) and Content Integrity Verification (CIV) are various checks or methods implemented in discs by Microsoft that check whether a user is playing an original copy or a backup copy of a game. Failing these checks multiple times in quick succession can result in your console getting flagged for a Xbox Live Ban.
AP 2.5 and 2.6: AP 2.5 and 2.6 are a disc protection method used by Microsoft to stop users from playing backup games on their consoles. There are a total of 6 XGD2 Ap2.5/2.6 games while every XGD3 game has Ap2.5/2.6 protection. A list of such games and more details on Ap2.5 can be found below
forums.xbox-scene.com/index.php?showtopic=728912
3. Downloading Games:
Region Free : Games marked with the tag Region Free can be played on any console irrespective of the console’s region.
NTSC-U : Covers the North American region. Games marked with this tag can be played on consoles originating from North America
PAL : Cover Europe, Australia and Pacific region. Games marked with this tag can be played on consoles originating from Europe, Australia and the Pacific.
NTSC-J: Covers Asia (excluding China). Games with this tag can by played on consoles originating from Asia (excluding China)
NTSC-C: Games marked with this tag can be played on consoles originating from China only.
File-Hosts: These are online services that allow users to store and share files. There are various websites which use these services to share their games.
Link Protection Services: These websites are used to protect links from being displayed publicly to increase their longevity and to protect them from being exposed directly to bots.
Download Managers: In the Xbox scene download managers like Jdownloader and Internet Download Manager are used to make download links using file hosting sites easier to manage and organize.
4. The Scene :
The Scene: The Xbox Scene is a collection of groups and people who work day in an out to enable playing of backups, applications, homebrew etc on the xbox 360 console.
Scene Release Groups: Release groups are groups of individuals who release content in the scene which is then leaked to the general public. Examples of these groups are Complex, Marvel, RRoD, SWAG,ZRY etc.
P2P: Anyone who does not belong to the xbox 360 scene directly is part of the P2P.
C4eva: C4eva is an individual who is the pioneer of the Xbox 360 scene. Every major contribution to the Xbox 360 scene is attributed in one way or another to him/her. Some of the major contributions of c4eva are the Xbox 360 firmwares and the Burnermax Firmware.
Team Xecuter: Team Xecuter is a group of individuals who are have contributed enormously to the Xbox 360 Scene. Their tools and hacks are used by almost everyone to flash, jtag and rgh consoles.
Team Jungle: This is a team of Individuals responsible for the software JungleFlasher which is used in flashing Xbox 360 consoles.
Team ABGX: This team consists of people who manage the abgx360 online database and control the development of the abgx360 tool.
Team Matrix: This is a team responsible for creating various solution for the JTAG and RGH hacks. Their products are considers to be some of the best in the xbox 360 scene.
Online Release Databases: These are database maintained by individuals that track the latest xbox 360 releases. Two major release databases are abgx.net and orlydb
Topic Owned to CS
