An important first note: it is not illegal to mess with hardware for the Xbox, etc. It is usually associated with pirating, but that isn't always the case.

Anyway, so I've been looking a lot online into how to flash the Xbox 360 so it can play backup games and I'm having a hard time finding simple questions, as I'm quite a newb to the whole thing and still trying to figure out whether it's worth it to mess with it or not.

A few questions:
-Would flashing the 360 make it so I'm unable to use Xbox Live?
-Could I play backup games online?

How risky is it to actually try to flash the Xbox 360?

Hope that link helps.

Once they catch you and ban you 360 from Live, yes.



Until they catch you, yes.



Not worth the risk.

Especially seeing as I don't believe for a second that you have legit backups of games you own in the first place.

b&

Once you're banned from Live that particular 360 is banned forever. It marks that machine's unique EEPROM ID so aside from buying a broken 360, desoldering that EEPROM, desoldering yours, switching them and re-soldering you're stuck. So remember that and don't ever, EVER play a backup game with Live. What I typically tell friends (I don't own a 360) is that if you want to play a modded game (like playing Guitar Hero 2 custom songs) disconnect your ethernet cable and remove your hard drive before playing.

Holy crap.
If you honestly have to go through all that then **** it.

How are backups any different than the original DVD? Can't you just rip the .iso an re burn it?

Sure, but it involves either modding your 360 to read it off over the network or taking apart a DVD drive to switch discs without opening it.

Which is why I am 99.9% certain he has illegal copies of those games

yeah. "backup" copies my ***.

.

Why would you have to do that? Do normal drives not read Xbox DVDs?

They use special encryption, just like pretty much every other game disc ever.

My 360 has seen my weiner plenty of times.

How else would I play Gears naked?

I wouldn't now, I haven't owned a game system since the PS1.

I don't know why everyone is so worried about whether I'm genuine about wanting to back games up or not.



How does this make any sense? Backing up your own games is different than trying to get ones for free. The purpose of this process is so you can make backups of your own games, and to allow for them to be able to work on the Xbox. Once it's flashed you can just put in either the backup or the original and it will play, that's the purpose, you don't have to open the Xbox every time or anything like you're claiming.

You totally misread. You have to open up a dvd drive (and only certain models work!) in order to make a backup.

Here's a better and less illegal method: put your game in its case when you're done. I know, crazy thought.

Heres an even better less illegal method: Don't pirate games, because we're all painfully aware that "backup" means "illegal copy."

When you consider your 360 getting banned and you having to replace it, or voiding the warranty to do this mod and having it red ring on you, you're much better off to just keep your warranty and replace any game discs that get ruined.

Or just having 2 360s.

The only reason right now to 'legally' play backup games is to play custom songs on Guitar Hero II. That's basically the only 360 game that can be modded.

The modding of it isn't illegal, it's using a modified bios to get around copyright protection that is illegal.
Also, modding it is a breach of the Microsoft agreement, which is why you will get permanently banned form xbox live if you use 'back up' games online.

But, fine-print studying aside, and inferring aside: let's assume you really do want to play games you really own.
In which case: chipping your x-box 360 for the purpose of backing up your games is really, really stupid.
1, you are risking damaging your xbox by doing so
2, your xbox will no longer be repaired by microsoft
3, it's not hard to take care of your games, just don't leave them lying around uncased
4, playing backup games online is likely going to get your xbox banned

It's not playing backup games that will get you banned, it's having a modified firmware. Be it on the system, or just on the drive.

Compared to the Xbox, the 360 is locked down hard. It really sucks, because there is so much great homebrew for the Xbox. The only thing you can do with the 360 is play burned copies, which is stupid and far from worth it for previously mentioned reasons. Homebrew, emulators, etcetera is why I want to get a PSP. It's like a freaking portable Xbox as far as the homebrew scene goes.

Microsoft currently charges $99 a year to play homebrew on the 360, and by fall the subscription requirement will also be lifted and you'll be able to download homebrew for free over Xbox Live. What are you whining about?

i doubt it applies here... but the only legit reason one may want to be able to make and use backup copies is if they have idiot children because idiot children like to frisbee games when changing them making the above point moot

(and some people are just total morons who wonder why their games suddenly stop working after leaving it uncased data side up for a few months then wiping the dust off in a circular motion on their shirt... same kind of person that loses their game manuals and/or cases... i still have boxes for PC games i bought over 10 years ago)

children shouldnt be allowed to play xbox 360 games because they're all shooters

oh yeah i forgot not enough ps3 fanboys reminding me

know what's funny? the only console you can't run homebrew on through official means is the wii

but its okay because wii is for babbys

rage against the machine

unf unf I got a bike and you can ride it if you like

People like that you that ruin the games industry. Why would you mod your xbox 360 in the first place? It can already play the games you legitimately own.

Sure, you might think that you're short changing the multinational EA games company by getting pirate copies, but you're also short changing the game designers and artists who are relying on that money to come in. Without it, they lose their job security.

On smaller productions, they quite frankly need the income from selling those few extra games, that people like YOU are ripping.

I'd like to hope that massassi would not support crap like this.

I'd like to hope that Massassi would refrain from convicting people when we have no evidence that they are doing anything wrong.

I'd like to think that massassi would use sensible arguements in place of wit, as there is such a strong undertone of xbox 360 piracy to this thread, that you'd be strangely immune to miss it.

I don't want to start a flame war, so actually point out WHY it's not so great to mod your xbox 360 instead of retorting wit. This is a discussion forum, you're open to discuss it.

If you think everyone should just copy each other's "back up" disks or whatever else you want to call illegal copies of games, then maybe all the game developers should just give up their jobs now. As someone hoping to get into the field, yes, I'm annoyed at people who pirate games.

I even think modding Guitar Hero 2 is questionable, what's the point in buying Guitar Hero 3 if you can just make your own songs on the previous game? It's just undercutting the people who provided the entertainment in the first place. It's because of things like this happening, that game developers and publishers have to resort to such extremes like, putting unique serial codes in every pc game, banning modded xboxs online instantly etc etc.

Maybe I'm wrong, but I think it's a serious lack of respect to the people who worked to try and give you a little fun. I don't think it's unreasonable to pay them for that.

If the only difference between GH2 and GH3 is the songs, then I find them making another game and expecting everyone to shell out the money just to play some different tracks questionable.

Hell I had assume you could just play songs off the hard drive (I'm not a GH fan, so sue me)

Game modifying is fine with me, hell that's the main reason why pc gaming is so great, all the (legal) mods out there, mixing the game up.

Also: since when is it called flashing?
I originally came into this thread expecting a "pimp my ride" kinda deal. Which worked along with the sentence of:
"An important first note: it is not illegal to mess with hardware for the Xbox, etc. It is usually associated with pirating, but that isn't always the case."
Obviously the next sentence gives away what the thread is really about =\

because it's stored in firmware?

WiiWare = XBLA ... so, no?

Is it wrong that I bought a flash cart for my DS just so that I could play the FFIV remake before it is released in America? I'm planning on getting it the day it is released here.

Fall 2008 is so far away.

I didn't miss it, I even contributed to it.

Er. We are?

No one is saying it's okay to pirate games.



This is exactly your problem. You immediately assume everyone is guilty, and it's your duty to stop them! So, he wants to mod is xbox. He might be doing it to pirate games. He might not. We have no way of telling if he's a pirate or not. You can choose to help him, or you can choose not to, but you shouldn't condemn him when you have no evidence that he's done anything wrong.

GH3 has different songs, online play, more unlockable goodies, slightly better graphics