Open-Source Xbox Modchips

DonatusIgnis writes "Our Australian company has decided to release the PCB designs for all of our Xbox modchips back to the modchip community. We are starting with our modified version of the CheapMod, and the Protel PCB files are already available on our website. Once we are sure that this is the right way to go, we'll also release the design for our multi-bios modchip in the next few weeks. Considering how much every modchip manufacturer owes to the Xbox pioneers who blazed the trail before us, it would be great to see more companies giving their work back to the general modchip community under an open-style license." See the Aussiechip homepage for FAQs and details - interesting stuff.

Question:

[Sheetrock]

How does one go about actually figuring out how a console such as the Xbox authenticates things to begin with? The level of complexity of the hardware would seem to make a task like this, well, complex, and I've always been curious about where people start.

Re:Question:

[apirkle]

Have a look at the paper Keeping Secrets in Hardware: the Microsoft XBox Case Study [mit.edu] by Andrew "bunnie" Huang, XBox hacker extraordinaire.

Also have a look at his xbox hacking page [xenatera.com] for lots of other goodies.

Re:Question:

[nathanh]

Same way you figure out anything. Pull it apart.

It helps to be knowledgeable about hardware and software and authentication in general. I'm guessing there's not much (if anything) in the Xbox that isn't well documented by the past 30 years of computer textbooks. The trick is in knowing enough that you can pull something apart and go "that bit there is a foowhatzit defrobulator using a gharblizing codifrier". If you're not sure then make an educated guess.

It also helps to have the right tools. You can't just stare at a bus or a ROM and magically divine what they do. At one point you're going to need some tools hooked up to the right wires.

Once you've got those two obstacles out of the way you just need that special ingredient called "determination". That's the rarest ingredient on the planet.

Disclaimer: I've never hacked on the Xbox, though I've hacked on other things.

How long will this last?

[ThePeices]

This information is quite valuable, both in the way that people can cheaply build their own modchips, but it is also valuable in a free (as in freedom) way too. Im guessing its only a matter of time before M$ notices and sets their lawyer bloodhounds to Ceace and Decist this information off the net. Get it while you can i guess, unless it becomes widely mirrored.

Re:How long will this last?

[NanoGator]

" Im guessing its only a matter of time before M$ notices and sets their lawyer bloodhounds to Ceace and Decist this information off the net. Get it while you can i guess, unless it becomes widely mirrored."

Until somebody comes up with a killer reason to mod the XBOX (i.e. a DivX player? I dunno, I think it'll need to be stronger than that...), there'll be little legal defense against MS's lawyers.

Simply put, the best defense they'll have is that they have legit reasons to use the XBOX in a less-than-originally0designed way. However, since this type of mod could potentially mean piracy of XBOX games, MS's argument will be that piracy's the motivation for this project. If there's not a strong rebuttal (like VCRs had about time-shifting...) then there's very weak legal ground to stop MS in its, that is assuming that the DMCA doesn't immediately obliterate its legality.

This whole business about hacking the XBOX to run Linux is irresponsible. I mean seriously, why doesn't the people running it just paint "SUE ME!" on their asses and moon Redmond?

My point isn't to poo poo the project, but rather encourage development of the 'killer app that really works best on the XBOX' before developing the crippling blow to their protection that'll unlease MS lawyers against them. There isn't a whole lot that's particularly special to the XBOX here. At least with the PS2, one could make the argument that the Emotion Engine is a unique chip to play with.

Re:How long will this last?

[Anonvmous Coward]

"I mean seriously, why doesn't the people running it just paint "SUE ME!" on their asses and moon Redmond?"

Makes you wonder what the consquences of a Slashdot Mooning would be, doesn't it?

Remind me what the point is again. Seriously.

[Kris_J]

Okay, there's a great-looking self-published book about hacking the Xbox, there's an Australian site that will sell me mod chips and/or give away their designs, there's the xBox itself that's so cheap I can buy it out of the week's housekeeping money...

Given that I've got two PCs already, can anyone tell me what the end product is actually useful for? I mean, really interesting projects that the Xbox is particuarly suited to.

Re:Remind me what the point is again. Seriously.

[msimm]

If you need to be told it's obviously not for you (:I don't understand either:).

Re:Remind me what the point is again. Seriously.

[aminorex]

Single-service application servers for the home.
I can upgrade the mail server while the game and
web and fileservers stay up, which saves me from
complaints by my other family members.

You can pick up a used Xbox for about $90 now.
It's low-power, and compact. If I were operating
a business, my stack of Xboxen would be a colocated
rack of 1U servers, but as this is not a profit
center, I'll go with the disposable bic instead of
the classic zippo.

This isn't really an ''open'' license

[Tom7]

Though you can look at their schematics (if you have the same software as them), the license isn't really "open source" in the sense we've come to love. They place restrictions on how you can use the designs (not for anything that might cause injury) and how you can distribute them (can't build anything commercial). They can revoke the license at any time. So, for instance, you couldn't use these in a GPL project. Check out the license [aussiechip.com.au].

This is in fact a nice step, but not all licenses are created equal!