Xbox 360 modding.

September 20, 2007 11:11 AM

Xbox360, modded.

The info out there is confusing, I hope somebody here has a good online resource or good solid info, because I wonder, will modding make my console more fragile (the ring of death will come sooner? I'm told modding does not void the warranty, I wouldn't do it otherwise; also, my console's made before Jan 07). Is modding a bad idea for some other reason I don't get now? Thank you.

posted by PenguinBukkake to Technology (5 answers total)

It depends a great deal on the type of mod you do. The only one I've seen done is the DVD drive flash, which requires opening the console and so voids the warranty. Last I heard, it's detectable by Microsoft and will get you permanently banned from Xbox Live, too, so be careful.

As a general rule of thumb, when modding Microsoft consoles, you can definitely expect to be banned from Xbox Live sooner or later. Some retail game discs will screw up your mod (or console), although this hasn't happened hugely much in the past.

The chatter about modding speeding up console failure is voodoo, IMO. Of course, you can break your console if you mess up the mod, but after that you're pretty clear.
posted by pocams at 11:24 AM on September 20, 2007

It does void your warranty. And you definitely need that warranty, because if it blows up (I've sent mine in twice already), and you send it in and they see you 'broke the seal' they won't replace it and you'll have a $300 brick.

Also, they can tell if you're modded and kick you off xbox Live, thus voiding you from online play and system/game updates.

Basically the only thing you get from modding is the ability to play copies of games. If thats all you wish to do and don't care about updates (which some games absolutely need), online play or unexpected death, then its worth a shot.
posted by ijoyner at 11:29 AM on September 20, 2007

Skinning or changing the case or the like will not void the warranty, but as soon as you open up the box, forget it. This is a good book to get if you're serious about voiding your warranty ;)
posted by iconomy at 11:36 AM on September 20, 2007

There is a seal on the 360 case, you can't open it up without voiding the warranty. You can't even change the outer shell without voiding it.

If you are going to be using xbox live frequently, I wouldn't recommend modding your 360. There are stealth firmware and stealth patches for games if you want to test your luck. I haven't had any issues, but then I hardly go on xbox live.

Modding it won't affect any of the hardware or failures.
posted by mphuie at 11:56 AM on September 20, 2007

I thought that the DVD-firmware flash was theoretically undetectable, as the modded firmware can be programmed to give the rest of the console (and Microsoft) whatever response they needed to their validation challenges. This may require more sophisticated cracked firmwares to be developed, though - I'm not sure what the current situation is. (and don't quote me! : ) )
posted by nervestaple at 12:13 PM on September 20, 2007