Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with 360

I'm going to bloody well fix this Xbox myself.

Frasermoo — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 18:11:33 -0800

Help me fix my Xbox 360. I'm looking for documentation on a tried and tested fix for the red rings on the 360. Having been through multiple consoles, I've decided to try the X clamp fix myself. Has anyone here done it themselves? What instructions did you follow? Was it successful?

Does Xbox 360 have a proxy option with authentications?

omaralarifi — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 11:17:06 -0800

Does Xbox 360 have a proxy option with authentications such as username and password with it? Or PPTP w/ authentications. Also does it have a VPN support?

What are some ways I can extend the functionality of an Xbox 360?

HC Foo — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 14:22:25 -0800

Is there anything cool you can do with a banned xbox 360? I'm considering picking up a banned xbox 360 for about $30 from a friend. I already have a non-modded 360, so I don't need a gaming machine. I'm interested in adding functionality through hacks.

Is there anything cool you can do with a modded 360 (Linux, homebrew, media center, etc.)? I'm not interested in playing burned games.

Any suggestions for websites where I can learn more would be awesome as well.

can I use an Atom eeeBox as a Media Center "server" for an XBOX 360 "client"?

bartleby — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 14:21:48 -0800

XBOX 360 as Media Center hackery: what's the minimum hardware I can get away with to serve as the Media Center PC "server" to the 360's "client"? NOTE: I am aware of things like MythTV, XBMC and TVersity that can act as replacements for a Media Center PC, and display content from there. But I'm not asking about those on a full PC as a solution - I'm asking about something minimalist to act as a Media Center "server" and using the XBOX 360 as a "client" that does the streaming and display.

I'm going to do a case mod on my 360 because the thing is so damn LOUD it makes a lousy home theatre. I got a replacement case (Lian Li XB01)that promises to be much quieter.

Opening it up, it definitely looks like there's room for something small and quiet like an eeeBox or a mini(micro?)-ITX motherboard to also live inside the case, running headless and acting as the Media Center PC, adding MCE features to the XBOX 360. But it's gotta be small, very quiet, and have minimal cooling needs.

I already have an eeeBox (Atom N270 @ 1.6 ghz, 1gb RAM) at home. I'm not using it for anything, since I first got it to use as a mini HTPC and found out that it's NOT up to doing something like watching Hulu on an HDTV; between the streaming, processing, and HD output, it's underpowered.

But as I understand it, the XBOX would be doing all the video output processing; so I'd just need something to be the Media Center "backend", on the same router/switch as the 360, and stream from that backend to the 360's frontend.
Do I have that right?

If I could get everything I want, it would:
-enable Hulu watching through the 360, like PlayOn does on a windows box

-allow me to hook up a Hauppauge USB TV Tuner stick or ATI TVWonder unit and record/watch HDTV (since the eee's Atom would have a hard time doing video transcoding on the fly, if it could just capture and then play back after chewing on it for a day, that would be fine - I'm almost never watching anything the day it's on anyway.)

- for super extra bonus points, it would run on Linux. Since it's going to be always-on, internet connected, and headless, I'd like to not have to worry about malware, windows crashes and patches, etc. But that may be asking for too much.

Any Media Center or XBOX 360 experts out there able to advise?

Help a lazy gamer out.

juv3nal — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 22:07:01 -0800

Is there a site that tells me which version of multiplatform (ps3/xbox360) games is the better one to get with regard to bugginess/availability of DLC etc.? I know that I can go look up individual reviews for specific title/platform combinations, but is there a specialist site that tracks the differences in a more at-a-glance manner?

I just want to play UNIRACERS!

Bageena — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 11:20:30 -0800

Argh. I've installed the drivers, I've searched high and low online, nothing is helping, so I'm coming to ya'll: how can I get my Xbox 360 wireless controller (connected to my PC via the charge and play kit via a USB port) to work on my computer? Specifically, I want to play ROMs with it. ZSNES and project 64 are the two emulators I'm trying to puzzle out right now. I've installed the 360 drivers (I'm running a 64 bit copy of Windows Vista Home Premium), it shows up in my Device Manager under 'Microsoft Common Controller for Windows Class' as 'Xbox 360 Wireless Controller via Play & Charge Kit' and says it's there and fine.
HOWEVER... under Control Panel - Game Controllers, there's nothing. I open it up, there's no controllers on the list. I click advanced, I go to choose my preferred device, again - nothing. Not on the list. When I plug the controller in, the computer makes a noise and the light on the charge part of the controller shows it's plugged in, but the controller doesn't turn on (not sure if it's supposed to actually) and it certainly doesn't seem to be working with my ROMs.

Help Mefi, help! Pretty please?

Search for Xbox Live gamers via email address

billtron — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 16:07:38 -0800

Is there a way to search for xbox live friends by email, the way there is for everything else on the internet these days? I am certain that some of my friends and acquaintances have xbox live gamertags, but I don't want to write a general email to everyone who might. Also, if you want another xbox live friend, you can find my gamertag in my profile. Right now I have three friends, and they are never online when I am. Please help me correct this affront to humanity, metafilter.

Can I use a standard 3.5mm headset with the Xbox 360 if I have a 2.5mm adapter?

GilloD — Thu, 07 May 2009 06:35:40 -0800

Is it possible to use a standard headset with the XBox 360 if I snag a 2.5mm adapter? More inside. So, I lost my XBox 360 headset a while ago. That was fine for a long time, I wasn't really playing much and almost never online. Now, for a variety of reasons, I'm playing online semi-frequently and not having a headset is really bumming me out. I poked around online and found the pack-in set for 20 bucks and while I guess that's fine, I have an absolutely functional headset here at work I'd like to use.

It's a standard headset, 3.5mm jacks for mic-in and audio-out. I know the controller on the 360 only accepts the 2.5mm sub-micro for something and then has weird plugs on the left and right for something else.

As I have a totally acceptable set of headphones, I'm really only interested in the mic. Can I take my functional 3.5mm headset, pop a 2.5mm adapter on and go for it? Or am I going to need to pay out for the approved headset?

Should I buy an Xbox 360 Arcade?

teem — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 05:46:47 -0800

Should I buy the Xbox 360 Arcade, or would a different model Xbox 360 be a better option for me? I want to play games. Based on the games I want to play and what other features I want from a console I've narrowed it down to the Xbox 360. However I've been out of the console loop for a long time and don't know which Xbox 360 model to buy. The Arcade is cheap (plus I can get a couple of free games with it -- regular games, not the bundled arcade games), but there must be downsides.

What I want to do with my console is, not surprisingly, play games. GTA IV, racing, FPS, and action/adventure games are my cup of tea. I'm not likely to use it for online gaming, and I'm not interested in my console being a media centre. That is, I won't be downloading movies or music onto it. I just want to buy games, play them, saving every now and then. Multimedia I can live without, but I'd hate to find that the cheaper model can't play certain games now or in the future.

As an aside, I used to be a big PC gamer and feel much more comfortable with the keyboard/mouse combo for games such as GTA or FPSs, so the possibility of buying and using those peripherals would be great. That said, I'll survive if it can't be done.

Any advice would be great, keeping in mind that I really have no idea about how things work on the Xbox 360.

Can't switch between XBox and Computer on my LCD Monitor

ODiV — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 16:33:06 -0800

How can I switch between my XBox 360 and my Computer on my LG 22" widescreen monitor? I have a 3rd party VGA adapter for my XBox. It only works with the LCD monitor (Model L226wtx-bf) if there is no signal on the DVI from the computer.

I can run another computer into the VGA input and switch between both computers just fine using the Source button. If I try to do the same thing with the XBox, It will not switch to Analog. I get a black screen for a second or two and then it goes back to the DVI.

If I have the XBox running and displaying on the LCD, I can boot up the computer and the VGA continues to work until I switch over to DVI. Then I can't get back to the XBox.

old mac Mini is too Mini for TV

penciltopper — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 15:06:44 -0800

I have an old G5 PowerPC Mac Mini that would be just right to repurpose as a DVR/HTPC. But the weak onboard graphics are preventing joy. Is there a way I can offload the graphics processing workload to an auxillary device? It's an old G5 powerpc mini, still works just fine; but it's an orphan at the moment, with no purpose in life.
So I thought I'd try hooking it up to my TV and using it as a HTPC of sorts.

DVI output to my TV at 1080i works for DVD player, torrented .AVIs via VLC, etc.

But if I try to watch Hulu through it, the picture is choppy if it works at all. Especially for 480p streams.

I'd also like to use something like Elgato's EyeTV to capture over-the-air HD TV broadcasts and play them back later. (Watching the signal live is unnecessary, but would be a bonus.)

But I'm pretty sure the Mini can't handle that processing load?

Elgato seems to have a couple of devices like the turbo.264 that mention that they do the transcoding/processing of the video, offloading it from the attached Mac's processor.

Would this help? If not, is there some other kind of external graphics card or add-on device I can use to externalize the graphics processing workload, so the old hardware in the Mini isn't crippling?

Desired end state is that I am able to watch recorded OTA HD shows and "live" Hulu/other video streams

I have a NAS drive to hold recordings, and an XBox 360 (all three are on same wired network) if that helps.

1080i preferred, HD only (I can skip analog)
$250 max budget (so I'm not just going to buy a new Intel Mini)

Anyone have any experience or suggestions?

VGA Splitter or KVM for my Xbox 360 on my monitor AND TV?

xdeliriumx — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 07:02:52 -0800

Xbox360Filter: I have an Xbox 360 with a VGA output which I use on my Samsung computer monitor. I want to be able to have it hooked up to my TV (which has a VGA input as well) at the same time. In order to connect my VGA to both my monitor and my TV do I need a VGA switcher? Can I use a KVM splitter to do this? AND if I get either of these can I have my xbox displaying on BOTH at the same time as well as the option to switch back and forth? I would ultimately like to be able to play on either individually or both at the same time.

With that said, can anyone direct me to the cheapest solution for what I need? I like newegg.com but didn't know what I should be getting exactly.

Should I get a hard drive for the Xbox 360?

wastelands — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 19:19:32 -0800

Xbox 360: should I get a hard drive for it? I'm a cheapskate. I plan on playing only single player games and I don't need Netflix streaming or movie downloads (already use my PC for that). All that said, is it worth paying extra for something more than the "Arcade" version of the console? If so, is the "Pro" version the best bet, or can I score a hard drive and install it for a lot cheaper?

(I'm a longtime PC gamer, so this console gaming world is very mysterious to me.)

Another console purchase guidance question.

drpynchon — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 16:59:15 -0800

Can an PS3/Xbox 360 perform most of the media functionality found on an original Xbox with XBMC? So I have an itch to get back into gaming and as it is I'm torn between the PS3 and the 360. I don't much care for the BR player functionality of the PS3 or Netflix on the 360 so that's off the table, however I'd love whatever I pick to replace my original Xbox with XBMC.

Currently, I have XBMC attached to a DNLA-capable 2TB NAS with my media (straight DVD copies, and Xvid/DivX avis, MP3s/FLAC, some photos). I love it, but do wish I could run h264 HD video.

Can either of the new systems fill in for the XBMC, and if not, where are they lacking (in terms of functionality, ease of use, interface)?

I'm essentially down to basing my decision on this, online play, and any trends in exclusive games I may prefer.

How to merge online and offline Xbox 360 profiles

chris88 — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 19:09:38 -0800

How to "merge" my offline Xbox 360 gamer profile into my new online gamertag for Live play (without losing achievements,points, etc gathered offline) I've been playing XBox 360 offline for awhile, but have only recently decided to move online and occasionally dabble with XBox Live.

To do this, I got on the XBox site and got myself a shiny new Gamertag.

Thing is, my online gamertag and offline game profile (the latter with all my achievements, points, games played etc) are under two different names, as the name I use for my gamerprofile is a common one and was not available when I went to use it as my online gamertag.

I'm wondering two things - firstly, how can merge things so I have my offline profile become my online one, and secondly, I understand there is a cost involved in terms of Microsoft points - can someone confirm that for me?

Thanks so much!

Xbox netflix woes.

Ponderance — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 08:45:41 -0800

I just joined netflix to watch it on my x-box 360 and the movies look terrible, what can I do? I joined netflix to watch movies online via my xbox 360. I have DSL an ancient 2wire router and the official Xbox wireless network thingy. I tried to watch "Music Man" and it was so blurry and pixelated it was unwatchable. How can I increase the speed of the wireless connection? My connection is upwards of 4-500 kbps, but obviuously the xbox isn't pulling that speed. What am I doing wrong???

Please help.

Use Xbox360 Filter: Belkin Router as a Wireless Adapter?

Master Gunner — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 02:48:24 -0800

Use Belkin F5D7230-4 for Xbox 360 Wireless Adapter? Okay, situation follows: I just got an Xbox360, and it obviously doesn't come with a wireless adapter (DOH!).

I happen to have an extra Belkin F5D7230-4 wireless router hanging around. What I would like to do: connect my Belkin F5D7230-4 to my existing wireless network (as a Bridge? I don't know...), and connect my Xbox360 to the Belkin F5D7230-4 with an Ethernet cable, so I can play online.

So, to sum it up: I want to connect the Xbox360 to the Belkin F5D7230-4 with an Ethernet cable, which would, in turn, connect via wireless to my home network.

1. What is the proper term for what I am trying to do?
2. What do I need to do to accomplish this?

Please make it as simple as humanly possible.

30" Apple Cinema Display with Xbox 360 and PS3 (all HDMI) problems.

spinko — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 08:54:28 -0800

30" Apple Cinema Display with Xbox 360 and PS3 (all HDMI) problems. I have bought probably $100 worth of cables and still it doesnt work. Tried PS3 HDMI > HDMI to DVI converter > 30" cinema doesnt work
Tried Media player > HDMI to DVI converter > 30" cinema doesnt work
Tried Xbox 360 > HDMI to DVI converter > 30" cinema doesnt work

I have bought a pack of leads for both Xbox 360 and PS3 to work on monitors. The only problem is that the leads go from hdmi to DVI male. As the Cinema display only has a DVI male to plug in it wont work.

I purchased a DVI-D female to DVI-D female converter to bridge the gap. Will this work?

Older versions of .avi on the Xbox 360

GaGaLoc — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 14:06:09 -0800

How do I play old .avi files on my Xbox 360? I know that the 360 does not support older versions of the .avi format so I'd like to know the best way to "up-convert" my videos to one of the newest versions. Any suggestions, preferably free?

Xbox 360 won't connect, thus limiting my 'rocking out' time.

cgomez — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 15:27:03 -0800

I've been using my Xbox 360 for almost a year without any networking problems. As of two days ago, it will not log into Xbox Live and the problem has gotten worse. I've been using the Xbox 360 on my network with an Apple AirPort Extreme (802.11n) and a cable internet connection without issue. On Thursday, I tried to get online and it wouldn't sign in - the network test failed on the MTU stage. I didn't have time to troubleshoot it then, so I waited until this morning. Now that I've been working with it, I tried swapping ethernet cables, power it off, along with my router and cable modem and such, now it won't even get an IP address. I even went so far as plug the 360 directly into the modem and restart the modem.

Is there a way to reset the 360 completely (and not lose my profile, downloaded content)? I'm certain that there is something on the 360 that is causing the problem. I've reset the 360 network settings to default, but they weren't change in the first place.

This is quite frustrating, please help. All logical attempts at remedying this have failed.

Why doesn't my XBox 360 know it's an XBox 360?

boombot — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 09:41:11 -0800

Borrowed Call of Duty 4, for the XBox 360, from a friend, and each time I try to play a message appears informing me that I need to insert the disc into an XBox 360, which is where it is. The message is static, and when trying to do anything with the controller, the DVD control overlay appears. What's going on here? Google searches point to some similar experiences, but not much in the way of solutions. The disc has been cleaned several times and while not in perfect shape is certainly not damaged beyond playability.

Can I play old US Xbox games on a Japanese 360?

MostHolyPorcine — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 06:47:54 -0800

Can I play old US Xbox games on my Japanese 360 using the backwards compatibility function? Google-fu has failed me, hive mind, please help.

I'm living in Japan and got a great deal on a used 360 (bunch of people bought one for Blue Dragon and then sold it to the second hand shops...I only paid about US$100 for a 40 gig system). I'm not having any problem finding region free games in English, or Japanese games with English support.

HOWEVER...I am planning on moving back to the states relatively soon, and will be taking the system with me. Back home, I have a huge pile of old first gen Xbox games. Will I be able to use them on my Japanese system? Does region coding even come into play with the 360 emulator? If so, were most Xbox games region free or region coded? If they were region coded, any idea if there was significant english support for Japanese released Xbox games (I can buy plenty of old Xbox games here, but I don't want to bother if they're all in nihongo!)?

Thanks!

Can you recommend some good, lesser known XBOX 360 games?

PlayWithFire — Mon, 19 May 2008 00:18:55 -0800

I've been keeping track of pretty much all the xbox 360 games out there, but i am sure i missed some great games. So, can you recommend some games that are lesser known? Also, games that got poor or average reviews, but are actually fun to play?

Can my 360 use my laptop speakers?

MostHolyPorcine — Fri, 09 May 2008 22:57:24 -0800

How do I get my Xbox 360 to use my laptop speakers? I just bought a 360 and a VGA adapter cable. I have an external LCD monitor that I've hooked the xbox up to with no problem. But now I am trying to figure out how the heck I am supposed to get sound. I tried plugging the red and white cords with the small adapter into my microphone port and selected line in but to no luck. Is there something I am doing wrong or is this just not even possible?

Help me spend less/more money.

uncleozzy — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 08:06:56 -0800

How bad does XBox 360 look on a standard definition TV? It's April, and for 6 months I've been telling myself that I'd pick up a 360 when GTA 4 came out (it's basically the only game I would put significant play time into). It's about that time, but as much as I'd like to pick up an HDTV as well, I just don't feel that the price point is right yet (I'm in the market for something in the 37" range; even the very cheapest ones are still mostly $700+).

In any case, the basic question is, how disappointed will I be at the 360 on my 27" SDTV? I've heard reports of fuzzy, hard-to-read text and general dullness. Truth, or fanboy hyperbole?

I can afford to buy both if there's a compelling reason (also it's baseball season, which is a fantastic excuse), but buying all this crap at once--none of which I actually need--makes me kinda squirmy.

Thanks, folks.