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Dear Fanboys! First off I love your site. I check it multiple times a day as quick relief from work and a reminder to how much I love gaming.
And I have a question for you.
I recently turned on my Xbox only to realize the dreaded red ring of death, for the second time. I am currently waiting on my "courtesy" shippping box from Microsoft. What I wanted to know was if you had heard anything about Microsoft sending out Live Points or expedited shipping for people that have dealt with multiple RROD situations? I am seriously annoyed because not only did I miss double XP SWAT this weekend but today is definitely the 3rd of the "be there in 2 or 3 days" statement from the rep for the package.
I love my xbox and tell everyone that doesn't they have to buy one but I am super pissed about again getting this problem and having to wait around for shipping packaging again. Adding to the annoyance is the fact my wife deployed for 7 months to the Middle East yesterday and I have no gaming outlet until I get it back. In a weaker moment I even considered buying a new one for a week and trying to return it later when my unit gets back. One lesser annoyance was that I paid for the additional Halo 3 maps about 2 months ago and read this weekend how today they were becoming availible for free from Bunige.
Anyway, thanks again Fanboys, keep up the good work!
Chris
gamertag: CGJohnson79
Chris, sadly we haven't heard of MS giving out anything other than complimentary one month Live subscriptions. Still, we felt your letter was worth sharing and, at the very least, we're sure you can find some people with which to commiserate on the comment thread.
When the 360 Elite was released it was supposed to be Limited Edition, right? Did Microsoft change their mind or did they still not sell out of them?
It was initially rumored that the Elite would be a limited edition console, yes, but upon Microsoft's official confirmation it was revealed as the SKU it remains today.
I always assumed you got too many questions so mine would never be answered! Here goes!
How do I play movies and music stored on my computer through my xbox360? Not even the weird formats! Just the wmv files and mp3s? I want to watch my porno movies on the big screen! I've tried to look it up online but its too confusing! Need like a 5 step instruction! Thanks!
adr0n
At the most basic level, all you have to do is open up Windows Media Player 11, turn on media sharing, and tell the program you want to share media with your Xbox 360. As long as your PC and Xbox are on the same network, it should work. For a more detailed explanation, there's a simple guide from Microsoft. Note that you have to have Windows Media Player 11 (which comes with Vista and can be downloaded for XP). If you happen to have a Mac, you should look into Connect360. That's really all there is to it.
What would you consider as the best TV out there for 360 gaming?
Thanks,
Andres
A big one. With 1080p and HDMI. If you wouldn't mind, please pick up two and send one to Fanboy Towers (ATTN: Richard M). Seriously though, you'll want an HDTV that can at least handly 720p and one that handles 1080p if you can afford it / have enough room (1080p TVs are pretty big). Personally, I'm fond of Samsung LCDs. I won't get into the LCD vs. plasma argument (feel free to contribute your own opinion in the comments). It shouldn't be hard to find a sizable TV (say, 37" or so) for under $1000. Whatever you decide, make sure you go see the TV in question. Even if you plan to buy online, head to a store and check out the same model. If you're feeling really adventurous, you might even ask a store clerk if you can hook up your Xbox and test it out. Also, make sure to research whatever brand you're considering. Many bargain brands are cheap for a reason.
Good luck and happy hunting!
Hi Guys,
I told you I would follow up when I got some news so here you go... the plushie companion cube and dice are back in the Valve Store.
Totally unrelated but I am happy to report I unlocked the hardest acheivement on the 360 IMO... "A-NI-MAL!" acheivement on Rock Band (complete drum campaign on expert).
Peace,
DW
aweekapaug
GT: BoXofReIgN NFA
You heard him, folks. Go get your (overpriced) Weighted Companion Cube plushies and fuzzies.
Dear X3F,
I am in love with your website. But if you could fall in love and get married to any video game character who would it be?
Thanks, all weirdness aside
Obese Stickman
The Queen of all Cosmos, hands down.
Hi,
I've got a query regarding fixing broken xbox 360's from the evil rings of death.
We've a console in our house that no longer has a valid warranty. Someone decided to open the box up to have a look (can't trust these electrical engineer students J ) and obviously this breaks the warranty sticker. Now, speaking with the Indian Microsoft office (I presume it was the Indian office as well, they all spoke rubbish enrgrish) they told me I could not get the console repaired regardless if I offered to pay for full repairs. As far as I'm aware, you can't get the console fixed by a 3rd party person (as it's the Motherboard that's broken) and if MS are saying they won't fix it, where can you turn?
I can appreciate MS won't repair for free as the warranty is no longer valid but surely it would make sense to fix the console so I could buy more games?
Any clues?
Thanks,
Graeme
Graeme, the sad truth is that Microsoft will not touch a 360 that has been opened. The only options at this point are do-it-yourself repairs or paying someone else to do them for you. Both come with plenty of risks. Feel free to google them at your own peril. Apart from those options, you can always buy a new one.
Hey X3FB,
I still want to know if Bungie/Microsoft found out who leaked a copy of Halo 2 onto the internet a few years back. Do you think they found them and just had the Bungie Ninjas take care of them?
Thanks,
Pibian
The true mark of a ninja is to kill silently and without a trace. Thus, if Microsoft enlisted the aid of the Bungie Ninjas -- or if they instead opted to use their own (highly paid) corporate ninjas -- we would never know. Assuming the ninjas involved were worth their salt, the leaker is long dead and "presumed missing." If, on the other hand, the leaker has not been identified and the ninjas are still waiting in the shadows to strike, we would like to emphasize that we certainly had absolutely nothing to do with it. At all. Ever. For all time.
Since you asked for questions I figured I'd oblige.
Have you guys thought about organizing community Halo 3 nights? If you already do this then by all means flame away, but please let me know how to join in on the fun.
A lot of the custom games you've been posting under community content (especially the zombie based ones) look like fun but it's tough to get a game going most of the time. I see bungie talking about Griffball which look like a blast, but I have no idea how to get one of these games going.
Thanks,
Andrew
In fact we have considered just such a thing. At the very least, we've considered putting together a bi-weekly session of playing the latest entries in our Community Content feature. The idea would be to play the next two upcoming maps and gametypes. Footage gathered during these sessions could then be used in our Community Content videos. In other words, you could all play with us and be featured in a video, thus launching you to mega-stardom. If this is something that sounds like fun, please leave some feedback in the comments and we'll see if we can't start organizing.
Concerning the difficulty of getting people together for custom games, yeah, it's a pain. The best you can do is start up a lobby and spam your friends list.
If I remember right the Explorer Controller for GH2 has a port in it that was supposedly able to support some sort of pedal or some other add on for the guitar and game. Did Harmonix ever release the add on for the controller? If not, what ever happened to that project?
The guitar manual that comes with the X-plorer controller notes that the port is for effects pedals and that effects pedals are sold separately. As we've seen a full-blown sequel to the game emerge (as well as announcements for many, many more sequels), it looks like the effects pedal idea never came to pass. It's hard to say what happened exactly, though Harmonix being acquired by MTV may have had something to do with it. It's a shame too, as an effects pedal could conceivably add a new dimension to the franchise. Imagine certain sections of a song requiring certain effects, etc. Could be fun.
Hey X3F I have a two part question for you. First off is there any way to test the speed of my connection for my 360? I know it shows you in game for Halo 3 and COD4 but is there anything that is a little more exact? The reason I ask is because I have Logitech Play Link wireless bridge and I also have a crossover cable to bridge my connection and I want to know which will give me a better connection.
Thanks!
GT: Gob 8luth
This question surpasses our limited technical knowledge, so we're turning it over to the community for an exact answer. Still, that doesn't prevent us from offering practical advise. First of all, any sort of direct connection should exceed a wireless connection. If by "bridge my connection" you mean sticking your 360 directly into a router, we say go with that. Alternately, there's nothing to keep you from experimenting with both options. Try them both out and see if you notice any substantial differences. Don't forget, there are also helpful router settings that can speed things up (such as assigning a static IP to your 360 and letting it live in the DMZ).
That's it for this week, folks. Keep sending your questions to: ask [at] xbox360fanboy [dawt] com.
Reader Comments (Page 2 of 3)
4-02-2008 @ 11:57AM
Jake Turner said...
Hey Graeme, I had my out-of-warranty 360 go RRoD on me in January. I did some online research, and settled on the X-Clamp fix (more like removal/replacement). Lucky for you and others, I posted it online:
http://www.instructables.com/id/Fix-the-Red-Ring-of-Deathwithout-towels/
It'll cost less than 10 bucks to fix, you'll need some type of drill with a 3/16th inch bit, torx screwdrivers and a flathead/phillips, depending on the replacement screws you buy.
Lemme know if this work for you!
4-02-2008 @ 12:45PM
GraemeQ said...
Cheers for the replies.
I'll check out the x-clamp and let you know results. I tried the towel trick but it worked for about 4 days then died completely :(
Cheers for the replies
4-01-2008 @ 9:54PM
Kirbdaddy said...
Did anybody else notice that the guy with the first question pretty much equated his wife to a gaming console. Here's the quote:
Adding to the annoyance is the fact my wife deployed for 7 months to the Middle East yesterday and I have no gaming outlet until I get it back.
Awesome!!!
Reply
4-02-2008 @ 2:24PM
elmersglue said...
Yes, this would be awesome if thats what he meant, but I'm pretty sure you're giving him too much credit. He probably just meant that his wife isn't home and its a perfect time to play videogames without her bitching at him, so he's pissed that his xbox is fucked at the most inconvenient of times.
4-01-2008 @ 10:04PM
Prophestus said...
I guess I would just like to add for streaming media to my 360 i use Tversity...its free and works wonders, all my shows, movies and music. Also, you can set podcast RSS feeds on it, so all of the xbox360fancasts available online are also available on my 360, same thing with the G4 podcasts...hope that helps someone out..
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4-02-2008 @ 12:07PM
James said...
I third the TVersity suggestion (somebody doesn't know how to use the Reply button...) -- I couldn't get WMP11 to work for the life of me, but TVersity was plug-and-chug. It also allows you to set up your media menus as you want them (though I haven't quite gotten my custom setup exact as I want it), sorting by folders or by tags. I use it to stream all my movies, TV shows, torrents, whatever, and it just works. It's also compatible with the PS3, which is nice.
4-01-2008 @ 10:45PM
Whitedragon101 said...
I second the use of Tversity. Works great, and allows one to play lots of different file formats.
Reply
4-02-2008 @ 12:20AM
Shafnitz said...
@ CGJohnson79
I know the following from experience:
If you complain to the technician on the phone, they will usually offer you a free game. Unfortunately, the selection isn't fantastic: Project Gotham 3, Kameo, Viva Pinata, Perfect Dark Zero and SOEMTIMES Forza Motorsport 2 (I may just have been lucky on that one). If you say you have all of those games already or that you don't want any of those games, they might offer you a free accessory. It will most likely be a used/refurbished accessory even if they don't mention it. They offered me one of the following: Wireless Controller, 64MB MU, Faceplate. (They might even be offering HD DVD drives at this point... J/K :P)
They screwed up multiple times on my repair, so I actually got 2 games and a wireless controller.
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4-02-2008 @ 12:27AM
Shafnitz said...
@ adr0n
Check out TVersity. You can thank me later.
http://www.tversity.com/home
Reply
4-02-2008 @ 12:27AM
Shafnitz said...
@ Graeme
Just bought a red ringed 360 off craigslist and fixed it with the "penny fix." The hardest part is getting the 360 case open. Everything after that is cake. Just google "360 penny fix" and you're on your way. You can find videos, pictures, etc.
Reply
4-02-2008 @ 1:18AM
Philip (Fernando Rocker Defence Force) said...
I think the idea of a community game night would be sweet. As for my question about my connection, when I said I could bridge my connection I'm talking about pluging my 360 into my laptop and then bridging the wireless from that to my 360. Also could some one tell me more about what Richard mean at the end when he says "assigning a static IP to your 360 and letting it live in the DMZ"
Reply
4-02-2008 @ 10:00AM
Richard Mitchell said...
It's a little different for every router, but the basic idea is giving your Xbox an IP address that doesn't change and then allowing it to bypass any firewalls you may have. I'd go into detail, but I'm sure someone else will better able to explain it.
Also, if you're bridging your connection with a cable to your laptop, I'm not sure if said router settings can even be applied. Again, I appeal to the readers to help out here.
4-02-2008 @ 11:12AM
Grant said...
When someone is talking about a DMZ, it's basically an option that just puts the device in question outside of the routers protective functions and and allows the internet to have at it. It's basically the least restrictive way to connect a device when using a router, but if the item has security flaws, like most PCs, you would would want the simple firewalls and DOS protections most routers offer. however, if you are using your laptop as a bridge, this option isn't really feasible since your router would probably require you to put the laptop in the DMZ since they are probably sharing an IP adress.
As for your question about the connection, unless your laptop has a bitching wireless card, a dedicated wireless adapter would probably offer a stronger signal which would equal a better quality connection, unless it supports a higher transfer bands of transfer(for example your wifi card is n/pre-n, as your wifi adapter is only g). In this case, even your laptop may be a faster connection, it may be slower just for the fact that the signal is being managed by your computer. The bottom line is, unless the hardware is severely different between the two options, the less devices in between, the better.
4-02-2008 @ 11:34AM
joey said...
I connected my 360 bridged to my laptop.
Just couldn't get the NAT to open.
Tried DMZ static IP on the laptop and 360.
Eventually I just bought a really long Ethernet cable.
Very cheap if you buy it online.
Best buy has two 25 ft cables with a connector for 20 bucks, (specifically designed for xbox 360).
4-02-2008 @ 4:36AM
mattclarkie said...
I am going to get flamed for this, but you just can't beat a Sony TV. I know they are more expensive than a similar spec TV from Samsung, or Toshiba, but I still think the extra couple of Hundred makes an obvious difference.
With the prices of 1080p TV's going down, if you plan to move to Blu-rays or even HD-DVD it is best to pick-up a 1080p, and if you also plan to watch alot of HD Movies look for a tv with 24p mode, although they are often expensive. If you have HD Cable/Satellite, the native resolution is 1080i, which means on a 720p it has to be scaled, but with a 1080p TV it is just de-interlaced which is much better for picture reproduction.
However if you only plan to use it for a 360 you can just get the best LCD you can afford largely ignoring spec, as they will all do 720p, which is good for gaming.
Reply
4-02-2008 @ 4:52AM
Rustygherkin said...
I'm up for the community game night........
Reply
4-02-2008 @ 10:12AM
Azshros said...
How do you sign a static IP address to your 360?
Reply
4-02-2008 @ 10:32AM
HazyCloud said...
@ Chris
gamertag: CGJohnson79
You can get faster shipping if you have been through a few consoles. I got overnight ship since it was my 5th. All you need to do is ask if your case can be escalated. Good luck!
(also sent same message via Live)
Reply
4-02-2008 @ 10:34AM
Edog said...
Ok here's my answer to Andres TV question.
Best depends on your wants and needs.
720p is fine if you sit more than 12 ft. from your TV and the screen is less than than 50 in. Why? because the human eye (only 3% of us out there have better than 20/20 vision) can can't tell the difference between 1020 and 720 at this range and TV size.
LCD vs plasma (ding ding-Let's get ready to...trademark.)
Pros:
Plasma :Great contrast (but the future will be OLED TVs with million to 0ne contrast) Bright colors. high response times
LCD: Plays nice with PCs way better than plasma. Consumes less power.Is better under extreme conditions like high altitude.
Cons:
Plasma: The big one is screen burn in. NOT GREAT FOR GAMING. Why? some of the on screen stuff that games have like heath meters, radar and such burn into plasma TVs because we play TEH Haloz 24/7. Not good for plasma.
LCD: dead pixels. it will happen simply from old age, but you can't really notice unless you put your nose to the screen.
They both have great form factors.
the winner???
Rear projection TVs!!!
What they weren't even mentioned?
At work they call eagle eye Ed and I'm telling you guys that Rear projection TVs have noticeably (to the 3% of us that have better than 20/20 vision) better images.
But they don't sell well in the US because they are still monsters in size. My Mitsubishi 50in. 1080i Rear projection is 34in wide. It is not enjoyable when I have to move the thing but I lovez my picture quality.
It's funny that the oldest technology has the better image. I won't buy another type of TV until OLEDs Tv become mainstream and cheap. Organic LED TVs will be the future.
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4-02-2008 @ 1:01PM
Edog said...
@ Graeme's no warranty worries.
about fixing your broken 360...3 red lights only and in most cases I send you this link.
http://forums.xbox-scene.com/index.php?s=b82816d8533150ed906e0918701c92a2&showtopic=599216&st=0
Tips:
Don't touch heat sink paste. Most non-HW techs use their finger to apply heat sink paste. The grease of your finger will lower the properties of paste by alot. By alot is a tech term we hardware guys use.He-he.
Also, ground yourself. People have the tendency to point at stuf and say wants that. ZAP! It's a dead chip , that's what that is. If you don't have a proper ground strap, touch the metal back of your PC every time before you touch the 360 mainboard or ZAP your friend.
Also use the right tools. It will save you time by alot.
I did the lawdawg x-clamp fix and it fixed my 360. 3 red light issue.
I am convinced that the 3RLOD is heat related. I wont get into the details, you can read-up at link. But in my case extreme heat warped the mainboard making it easy for x-clamps to push up on processors, lifting some of the ball grid connections.
THIS DOES NOT FIX THE HEAT ISSUE!
This does- http://www.frozencpu.com/products/4287/ex-wat-102/Koolance_Xbox_360_Liquid_Cooling_Complete_Kit_-_Black_and91KIT-XB360BK-SYS.html?tl=g39c59&id=VVnXRuuD#blank
$$$
The lawdog fixes the x-clamps from pushing up those precious ball grind connections.
I fixed my 360 with this fix but a year later my dvd-rom drive died from...(wait for it)....TOO MUCH HEAT!!! When I was young and poor I would hard ware hack game consoles, I don't do this anymore, because I have money now and I'm not the subversive punk I was. (Kids don't ever get old.) So I didn't hack the firmware of the disk drive and I didn't order a new drive to hack the old ID codes via sata connection so my new drive is recognized by the 360. I just bought a new 360. But kids I wouldn't blame you if you did. ;) Fight the power!!!
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