Xbox Fully Pirated
Here is the press release from InfoTech…
PIRATED games and modification chips for Microsoft’s Xbox gaming console have reached Philippines shores, and at least two stores in Metro Manila are now selling premodified Xboxes and offering modification services to those who already have Xboxes.
It was just a matter of time before illegal copies of Xbox games and the mod chips needed to run them reached the Philippines, and to date at least 28 pirated Xbox games are in the country and at least seven modified Xboxes are now operational in Manila.
The first known batch of Enigmah mod chips from Hong Kong arrived June 21 in Manila. As this column was being written, one Xbox has been converted by a store in the Quiapo area and another in the Mandaluyong area. Five premodified units were also flown in from Hong Kong, and these have all been bought since June 21.
Like mod chips used for other game consoles such as Sony’s PS2, the Xbox chips disable security features built into the console. With a mod chip soldered into the Xbox motherboard, owners can play bootleg copies of games burned onto CD or DVD discs, or games designed for other regions that normally would be blocked by the regional encoding system.
The first Xbox mod chip to be announced was the Xtender (May 24) followed by the Enigmah (June 15). Another group is currently working on the Messiah X, from the makers of the original Messiah for the PS2. The first batch of modified Xboxes had the Xtender chips in them, but users encountered problems with their units so the Enigmah is now being used. The Enigmah chip, measuring less than two inches long and wide, has to be soldered to 29 points on the Xbox motherboard. The Messiah X will reportedly have only 13 soldering points. After the mod chips are installed, the Xbox, whether US or Japan version, can now play all Xbox games from all regions, including the ability to play bootleg Xbox games.
For the sake of science and in the interest of advancing his technical knowledge on the intricacies of game console electronics, this writer subjected his own US Xbox to the modification procedure on Wednesday. This was two days after the very first known Xbox modification procedure took place in Quiapo on June 24. However, since the writer’s goal was merely to confirm that the mod chips and the pirated games actually work, he has vowed to have the mod chip removed (yeah, right) after going through a few bootleg games and making sure that his Xbox was still in proper working condition.
And what do you know? It actually did work. But at first it didn’t. After soldering 29 points of the chip unto the Xbox, we tried it out and the unit just hung on us. It froze every time you booted it up. That was when the electronics expert performing the procedure (let’s just call him Master Chief) was informed by his boss that a jumper setting had to be obtained for older US Xbox versions. When the jumper setting was obtained from the Master Chief’s Hong Kong suppliers, my Xbox went under the knife anew."
Thanks to Infotech for this news on our competition, the Xbox.
Source: InfoTech