Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with xbox

I am such a noob

MrVisible — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 08:56:12 -0800

How do I get better at first-person shooters on the Xbox360? I've never been into the FPS genre. I like RPGs and various third-person games for the most part, and I'm most used to a computer interface as opposed to a console gamepad.

But the Xbox360 is a beautiful machine, and the line between FPS and RPG has been erased by titles like Mass Effect and Oblivion and Bioshock. The problem is that these games assume that you're pretty familiar with the FPS interface, and because of the structure of the game you don't get much time to practice.

Are there any games out there that include a pretty good training area or an opportunity to learn the two-stick control system before dumping you into situations where your skill with the system is the only thing keeping all your NPC buddies from getting fragged? I'm not looking to be uber-1337 at Halo3, but it'd be great to not have to re-do every fight scene in Mass Effect five times before moving on with the plot.

Thanks!

Gaming for the new oldbie

vizsla — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 16:39:28 -0800

I'm 40ish. I know nothing about modern gaming. I used to love adventure games back in the 80s like Zak McKraken, KGB and Thermonuclear Wargames. I have some time on my hands and want to take the plunge into the modern world of gaming. Where do I start? I had a look at those role-playing multi-user games like Second Life and I just don't see the point. Maybe I'm missing something. I like games that involve some (if not, a lot of) thinking. I guess I used to enjoy SOME games that involved a lot of manual dexterity - I did play Wolfenstein 3D when it first came out. I am not a huge science fiction fan. I like games that teach you something maybe. But again, I shouldn't put too many restrictions down - I might surprise myself. So I guess I'm looking for ideas for games and platforms to play them on. Again, I know nothing - never owned any gaming equipment before so please don't assume I actually do know what I'm looking for!

Component video plus optical audio hook-up for original Xbox?

obiwanwasabi — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 20:08:05 -0800

What the best way for me to connect my original Xbox to the component inputs on my CRT TV and my Dolby Digital receiver? So we've recently joined the late 20th century with a widescreen CRT TV. It's got component in (but not HDMI), and claims to 'support' up to 1080i. Yes, I know the end result is anything but real HD, but it looks much nicer than composite or even S-video.

I'd like to hook up my original / modded Xbox running XBMC to the TV and my ancient but perfectly OK Onkyo TXDS474 receiver, because apparently I can switch it to NTSC, turn on a bunch of HD modes ranging from 480p to 1080i and get a lovely crisp picture. This was cheap and easy with my PS2, DVD player etc. However, things seem far from straightforward on the cable front for the Xbox.

It seems I can:

- fork over a small fortune to import a secondhand Xbox HD AV thingy, then plug in standard component / optical cables; or

- fork over a slightly smaller fortune for a Monster Xbox component cable, plus a slightly larger fortune for a Monster optical audio cable (because the video cable won't take a standard TOSLINK cable - curse your souls, Monster).

Alternatively, there seem to be some doodads on eBay that claim to do what the HD AV kit does, or what the Monster cable does, for much, much less than a fortune. However, I have no idea if they're any good. I'm terrified I'll end up with something that's just routing composite through component coloured RCA plugs.

So, hive mind, what do you suggest? If you've seen a cheap HD AV kit, or something else that will do the job, or have one of the eBay doodads and are happy with it, I'm all ears.

My xbox - is it modded?

zippy — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 00:14:23 -0800

I just got an original xbox from a yard sale. Short of finding a game backup and trying to run it, or opening the case and looking for a hardware mod, is there any way to tell if it's modded?

Help me show him the truth

arniec — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 12:15:16 -0800

Help me convince my friend of a basic networking truth. He sent me an e-mail saying he was assigning static IPs to all the devices on his home network so the signal would be stronger. More details inside: My friend has the following set-up: His cable modem goes to his router. His router feeds wall jacks throughout his house. In his basement is a single CAT-5 wall jack, but since he has several devices there he got a switch, so the wall jack goes to the switch, which then goes to his DirectTV and his XBox 360.

This worked fine in this set-up for months. But a couple weeks ago he stopped being able to receive On Demand programming. If he plugs the DirectTV right into the wall jack it works, but through the switch it does not.

He then assigned his DirectTV and his XBox 360 static IPs and the On Demand programming worked through the switch.

He believes the switch is causing weaker signal and the static IP is strengthening the signal to his DirectTV which, as an IT network tech, I know is NOT the case. And I've told him this but I cannot convince him that it's not a signal issue since he has seen the "evidence" that a static IP fixed the On Demand issue that a static IP didn't.

So (a) why would his DirectTV not work through a switch with a dynamic IP and (b) How can I explain in complete laymen's terms the fundamental networking essentials concepts of digital signal transmission through shielded twisted pair cable is NOT effected by the IP addresses being static or dynamic?

Getting an Xbox360 cheaply connected to a wireless network

Blazecock Pileon — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 14:39:03 -0800

I'd like to connect an Xbox360 to a home (AirPort-based) wireless network on the cheap. What bridge would you recommend for this purpose that is:

Inexpensive

Reliable

Works with a secured AirPort network

Thanks!

Wireless solution for Xbox and XBMC?

Otis — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 05:57:21 -0800

What's the best wireless solution for connecting an original X-Box with XBMC for streaming MPEG-2 video? I have an xbox in a back bedroom with XBMC. In the living room is a Linksys wireless G router. I'd like to stream MPEG-2 video that I have captured with a Hauppauge PVR-150. What's the best wireless solution for the X-box and XBMC? Linksys WGA54G Wireless G Game Adapter? Original Microsoft adapter? I'd like to hear what is actually working well for people (not really what would work in theory).

For what it's worth, I know streaming video over this distance will work. I have an old Gateway wireless DVD player that streams MPEG-2 content from this router (when it decides to work, which is about 50% of the time). Looking for a more dependable solution. Thanks!

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.

Xbox 360 Preowned, Fail?

tybeet — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 09:34:48 -0800

Pre-owned (refurb.) Xbox 360 - good idea or bad idea? I'm looking at buying an Xbox 360 but I'm wary ever since the rate of failure, but maybe that's in the past since I haven't heard any recent rashes of console-deaths.

I've noticed lately that there have been a lot of refurbished Xbox 360 consoles floating around, and I assume there's a connection here between the failure rate of yesteryear and these refurbs. If I can save $100 on an xbox 360 premium (i.e. $200 rather than $300) would it be worth it? I want this thing to last at least 2 years.

Has anyone bought a refurbished Xbox 360 specifically? I'm worried about buying it and having it die, but maybe in the repair process, since it's not going out the door with poor quality-checks and is being repaired where it's already failed, it'd be even less likely to fail again. Any thoughts?

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.

Digital noise recording to Mac Pro

wubbie — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 19:24:44 -0800

I'm trying to record audio on my Mac Pro from a hardware source using the digital Line In on the Mac, but am only getting "digital noise" as the recording. I'm trying to record audio from a hardware source (in this case, an Xbox 360) by hooking up the Xbox's digital Audio Out to the Mac Pro's digital Line In via optical cable.

However, when I set the Mac's Input to Digital In and record, only noise is recorded (it's a loud, fast-tempo clicking sound, like a baseball card flapping in a bicycle spoke.)

I've tried recording with a few different apps, including Audacity, Garageband, and Audio Hijack Pro, all with the same result.

The strange thing is that Audio Hijack's preview (and a shareware app like LineIn's) passthrough "preview" of the input is fine. I can hear the audio source from the Xbox 360 playing through the Mac, but the recording is still just digital noise, with no sign of the actual audio intended to be recorded.

Is there some reason this shouldn't work? Do I need to use specific frequency settings for the recording? Is there some sort of "protection" in OS X (or 360) in place to prevent this sort of recording? Or is it a bug in the Mac Pro and/or OS X?

Noiseless gaming tips

phatmonkey — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 10:49:49 -0800

Which second hand Xbox 360 should I buy to minimise noise? I understand there is a new "Jasper" motherboard coming out for the Xbox 360 soon, but I would quite like to play GTA IV over the summer break, then possibly sell it on before I leave for uni.

Since a new one is coming out so soon, it doesn't make sense to me to buy a new one which will lose a whole load of value if I want to sell it on again. eBay seems the best choice. Any other ideas?

Now, I am rather finicky about the noise that my technology makes. I have heard horror stories about the early 360s sounding like jet engines, from both the fans and the DVD drive. What models should I be aiming for to minimise noise? What questions should I be asking eBay sellers to check for these things? I would also like an HDMI port.

Some may suggest the PS3, but all my friends are on Xbox Live, and it's rather expensive. I prefer the Xbox's game lineup too (Halo 3 for example). If you think it'd be a better choice, convince me!

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!

For now, I'll be using Xbox Dead. (handle: StupidComputer!)

reductiondesign — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 22:03:40 -0800

PowerBook&NetworkingFilter: Dialogue box freezes after I choose System Prefs > Sharing. Help? Alright. I'm trying to bridge the connection between my wireless network and my ethernet port (in order to get my Xbox 360 online). Trouble is, once I click on Sharing in the System Preferences menu, it stays on loading forever. (Forever = I let it run for forty-eight hours. Nothing.) All other programs work while this happens. Nothing else appears to be wrong with my system. Any ideas what might cause this?

Details:
PowerBook G4 w/ Leopard
Wireless adapter and ethernet both built-in
Wireless network is password-protected
Linksys router

I'll respond to any questions within a day--more details available if necessary.

Name That Tune/Video (Center)

ill3 — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 03:13:45 -0800

Naming Filter: Hive mind, please help us name our open source OS X media center application! I have been impressed by the hive mind's creativity when it comes to naming things, most recently the Lawyer Golf Team.

Sorry for the long explanation that follows, however, I think coming up with the best name is going to require a little bit of context.

I'm currently working on an open source project (free as in beer and speech) that is a recent fork of the well known and highly regarded XBMC project. In fact, I shamelessly plugged it here in an ask.mefi answer earlier. As many of you may know XBMC originally was called XBox Media Center. It was an app that could be run on a hacked XBox that allowed you to play media on your XBox (divx, h.264, mp3s, etc) pulling the media either from local disks or across the network using windows shares, ftp, etc. What made it a media center, rather than just a media player (like the excellent VLC and Mplayer) the application also has a great skinnable navigation and metadata system. XBMC will scan your media library (which in most cases would be located on a computer somewhere else in the house) automatically guess what piece of media the particular file was, and download and associate the appropriate meta-data. This would allow you to look for movies or songs based on Genre, Year, etc, all while flipping through the DVD's or CD's cover art. The interface is also optimized for use with a remote control, to make it easier to use from the couch than say QuickTime. It's easier seen than explained, here is YT video of it in action running the xTV skin (a skin inspired by Apple Tv).
A little over a year ago the core XBMC.org team decided to start porting what many consider to be the best media center application ever written, to other platforms starting with Linux. They have made great progress and they have already have a highly usable application for Linux. About 6 months ago myself and a few others decided to embark on an OS X port of the application, based on some amazing progress that the head of the new OS X port had made in just a few weeks. There was already quite a bit of pent up demand, as many thought the Mac Mini was an ideal HTPC (Home Theater PC) platform, again discussed here. We started out as a part of the larger XBMC team until very recently, both teams decided that we had enough philosophical differences that it made sense to amicably split up. Up until the project had been called XBMC on OSX and/or OSXBMC. We have currently been using the OSXBMC name as a place holder until we come up with a better name. There are a few reasons for wanting a name change, the big ones are :
- Having XBMC in the name does not differentiate us enough from the original XBMC.org project (the original XBMC guys have politely asked us to make our name a little more distinct) and it perhaps it makes it seem like an XBox is required to use the application.
- Something a little less "acronymy" would be nice, more in the tradition of Mac apps.
- It's possible that someday we will release versions of our (keeping in mind that at this point "our" software is 98% composed of XBMC's code) on platforms other than OS X, so we would like to get away from having the platform in the name.

The project's home page is http://www.osxbmc.com if anyone could possibly want or need any more information.

Thanks very much!

forgotten xbox games

subtle-t — Wed, 28 May 2008 10:18:57 -0800

I'm trying to remember the name of an xbox game... It's a game for the xbox (original, not 360). It's set in a dystopian future and is a strategy/adventure type game. The protagonist may or may not collect abilities that are represented by spheres. If I recall correctly, the cover may be black and red/orange. I know this is pretty vague, any help is appreciated.

Xbox original doesn't like DVDs

Carbolic — Sun, 25 May 2008 06:53:44 -0800

My Xbox original shuts itself off. When I try to watch a DVD on my Xbox original it shuts its self down seconds to minutes after the DVD starts (might do the same with games I just haven't tried). It doesn't have anything to do with the DVDs themselves because I've tried several. Anyone have a clue? Better yet, anyone know how to fix it?

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?

XBox original and MP3

Carbolic — Fri, 09 May 2008 10:37:07 -0800

Can I make my XBox (original not 360) play MP3 files?

Does PS3+no internet=FAIL?

ShawnString — Fri, 09 May 2008 06:39:10 -0800

My brother wants to buy a PS3 (or even a Xbox 360) but he doesnt have any sort of internet access (why yes, he does live in a cave) Would that be a major hinderance/hassle or would it just be a annoyance?

Should I wait for Microsoft to get back to me in regards to my Xbox Community Developer Program (XCDP) application?

elavender — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 15:20:18 -0800

Should I wait for Microsoft to get back to me in regards to my Xbox Community Developer Program (XCDP) application? I have recently opened a new website for the Xbox and Xbox Live community. After months of progress and development, I felt it was time to apply for the Xbox Community Developer Program, or XCDP. According to their website, they are accepting applications only for future consideration. Is this really true, though? I'd like to know that, as long as my application was promising, I could still get accepted into the program.

Anyway, after a week and a half of waiting I have yet to receive a response. Does anyone know when the last website was accepted into the program so I could use the time frame as a reference to my application? AND (my real question), should I continue to wait for Microsoft or is it likely a lost cause?

X-Box + GTA = ?

Vindaloo — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 10:23:31 -0800

Which X-Box should I get? OK, so Futureshop has the X-Box 360 in Elite, Pro, and Arcade variations. E-Bay also has the Premium X-Box, like wtf man? How about I get the chipotle version?

I want to buy an X-Box 360 to play the new GTA, which one should I get considering I want to get good quality but at a good price?

My last console was a PS2, and I am a PC gamer at heart, but the new GTA wth multiplayer just looks too sweet to pass up. Help!

When playing Guitar Hero, my eyes do wonky things.

c:\awesome — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 21:10:36 -0800

When playing Guitar Hero, my eyes do wonky things. When playing Guitar Gyro (or watching someone play) on a large screen TV, my eyes become wonky after focusing somewhere other than the screen. It appears as if other objects are "growing" or "breathing" after I draw my attention away from the television.

Does anyone else experience this? What is this optical illusion? I feel like I'm on heavy psychedelic drugs.

Best karaoke game with unlimited songs?

jjsonp — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 16:52:51 -0800

Best karaoke for PC? What we want is some program + service which provides a Konami-like interface with a vocal+ musical track, and with (paid) access to _all_ songs, because what you really want with karaoke is to sing songs you LIKE. And that of course changes as new songs come out.

My wife and I have had a blast over the years playing karaoke-style games on XBox, PS2 (and now the Wii). We much prefer the Konami games to Sony's SingStar - SingStar is nice since it has the original artists & videos, but the absolute time-track on Konami's implementation is far superior if you don't know the song well (which is usually the case at parties).

The fatal flaw of both however is that the number of songs you can access is extremely limited. We downloaded all the songs for Konami via XBox Live years ago - about 80 (and cost about $80), 70% of which were lame songs no one's ever heard or would want to sing. SingStar sells separate genre-based discs, with about 50% of the songs being worthwhile.

I can't believe the recording/gaming industry haven't recognized that millions of game-buyers are willing to pay a dollar a song or whatever to have it in their karaoke collection.

What is out there to provide this functionality? Thanks!