146w ago - Today XCM has announced that their new XCM XFPS Live Adapter with wired headphone support has arrived for XBox 360 consoles.

The XFPS Live is an innovative keyboard and mouse adapter for the Xbox 360. Not only is the XFPS Live compatible with all standard PS/2 input devices but also modern USB keyboards and mouses.

You'll also have auto fire functionality at your fingertips. But the latest improvement in the XFPS line is the ability to use Xbox 360 wired headset!

Now you can talk strategy with your teammates and friends or trash talk to your enemies while you snipe them down or give them headshots while using your keyboard and mouse.

Below are the full XCM XFPS Live Adapter specifications:

• Compatible with xbox 360 wired headset
• Compatible with PS3 controller
• Compatible with PS3 controller sixaxis tilt function
• Brings all new auto fire functionality to the Xbox/Xbox 360 wired controller and PS3 controller
• Compatible with most PS/2 or USB keyboard and mouse combinations, those expensive FPS set-ups have not gone to waste!
• Instant plug and play technology
• Ideal for use with all FPS titles such as Call of Duty and Halo...

171w ago - Today Microsoft's Major Nelson has announced that XBox LIVE is being discontinued for Original XBox consoles and games as of April 15, 2010.

To quote: I wanted to let you know that on April 15, 2010 Microsoft will discontinue Xbox LIVE service for original Xbox consoles and games, including Xbox 1 games playable on Xbox 360.

Our first step in this process will be to turn off auto-renewals for those members who only use Xbox LIVE on a v1 Xbox. While I can't comment on the specifics, this change will allow us to continue evolving the LIVE service with new features and experiences that fully harness the power of Xbox 360 and the Xbox LIVE community.

We did not make this decision lightly, but after careful consideration and review we realize that this decision will allow us unprecedented flexibility for future features.

Xbox LIVE general manager Marc Whitten has posted this letter to the community which provides additional context.

A Letter from Marc Whitten: Discontinuation of Xbox LIVE for Original Xbox Games

Dear Xbox LIVE Members,

On April 15 we will discontinue the Xbox LIVE service for original Xbox consoles and games, including Xbox v1 games playable...

177w ago - The inevitable has happened according to a multi-page thread on XBox-Scene (linked above), it appears Microsoft is now beginning to ban homebrew XBox 360 consoles running freeBOOT or XBReboot from XBox LIVE.

This move comes just under two months from their last XBL ban wave, and while there are guides to unban your XBox 360 from LIVE and to prevent XBox 360 HDD crippling, it appears the safest route if you use XBox 360 homebrew is to simply keep the console off XBL.

To quote from -DeToX-: "Well.. it seems new bans have been handed out, just now.

I just have over 7 people with XBR/FreeBOOT consoles report to me that they have been banned, and I as well have. However, anyone who played hacked games with these people remain untouched.

I was playing MW2, when I was disconnected...

180w ago - With the recent XBox 360 freeBOOT v0.02 and XBReboot v0.05 releases comes more progress today.

Surazal has revealed that the difference between a demo and full XBox Live Arcade game is only a few hex-edit away, as follows:

• Arcade Demo to Full Converter (ADFC) v0.1 is the Xbox 360 Arcade Demo to Full Converter.
• Yaris-Swap v0.02 is a program that will patch any Xbox360 arcade game or downloadable content from a trial version to the full version.
• Find a copy of Yaris (this game was chosen as it runs everywhere as full).
• Open the pirs file in your favorite hex editor (filename was FB9310B8893A3FD01C443A29AC246493393E399558 )
• Copy everything from 0x22C to 0x25F inclusive.
• Shown as selected on this image below (guess you don't need to find Yaris if you want to just copy the values highlighted).
• Open your destination (in my case Castle Crashers filename: F9432A7FE407A3C196C95D0FFD4A540937FD4EEC58)...

183w ago - Update: As expected, according to FinancialPost.com Microsoft stated, to quote: "Piracy is illegal and modifying an XBox 360 is a violation of the XBox Live Terms of Use. Microsoft is well within its legal rights to ban these users from XBox Live."

Today IncGamers.com (linked above) have reported that Abington IP, a law firm specializing in consumer class actions, has started an investigation into the recent XBox Live bans.

Users who were banned from the service may wish to fill out the form available and take part in a Class Action Lawsuit against Microsoft if you were not refunded a prorated sum for the time left on your subscription.

To quote: "An investigation is currently being conducted regarding business practices of Microsoft with respect to its recent cancellation of certain modified Xbox consoles for use with Xbox Live.

As has been reported widely in the media, tens of thousands of Xbox owners have had their modified Xbox consoles banned from Microsoft's online gaming service Xbox Live. Although modification...