Frequently Asked Questions: Xbox 360 FAQ v7.0

Welcome to the AV Forums Xbox 360 FAQ. Colgate7110 made the bulk of this thread pre-launch (December 2nd 2005), and now Munkey Boy is maintaining this FAQ, so if you have suggestions for new content (or even want to put some in yourself) feel free to contact him by PM.

Other massive thanks go to Viru.doshi who added the section on how to connect to Windows Media Player 11 to stream video, audio and image files and prettyvacant who created the section about Xbox Live Video Marketplace and meansizzler for the supported audio section.

Please don't forget that we don't work for Microsoft so if we've got something wrong, please let us know and we'll amend the FAQ accordingly.

If anyone wants to comment on, or suggest a question for this thread, there is a discussion thread where you can do just that here.

The FAQ is split into 11 sections, each in a separate post to make it easier to read and maintain:

1. General Information
2. Video
3. Audio
4. Games
5. Accessories - Controllers, hard drive, DVD, HD-DVD add-on
6. Xbox Live
7. Competitors
8. Others - Clearing the cache, previewing marketplace content
9. Xbox 360 Elite
10. Xbox Live Video Marketplace
11. Supported Media Files

Below is a message posted by a previous mod (Sinzer) some years ago, but it's every bit as relevant now as it was then, it's message still applies:

Also please use the search option before posting and do not just post new threads without previously searching to see if your query has been answered before. Threads about Xbox 360 games should be posted in the Games section, if posted in the main section, they will be moved. Threads deemed to be pointless or already discussed will be closed. Also threads that end up turning into tit for tat "fanboy" arguements will also be closed as they are just boring and make poor reading.

Many (often long standing) members have complained about how the forum has deteriorated since the 360 launch (with pointless and/or previously answered threads) and it is out job as moderators to make sure that the forum remains an interesting and friendly place for all to visit.

This is not meant as some form of over moderation and no thread will be closed without good reason. So if we can all avoid the usual dull arguements and make sure that we all use search before posting then we shouldn't have to close any threads.

Here's what the 360 section looks like and the best place you can post for the answer you were looking for:

Xbox 360 - General 360 news and member views.
- Xbox 360 Hardware - Discussion about the 360 hardware and accessories.
-- Xbox 360 HD-DVD Player - Everything to do with the HD-DVD add-on available for the 360.
- Xbox 360 Games - For general discussion about the state of Xbox 360 gaming.
-- Xbox 360 Game Previews - For games coming soon, and pre-order and delivery threads.
-- Xbox 360 Game Discussions - For games out now, to get help or talk about your views on those games.
-- Xbox Live Arcade - All Xbox Live Arcade games discussion, including high score threads.
- Xbox 360 Live - All meeting threads for online play and general discussion about Live issues, technical or game related.
-- Xbox Live Tournaments - All competition threads that are open to anyone.
-- Xbox Live Clans - AVForums clans and clubs can meet here and set up competitions.

You are reading version 7.0 - 28th January 2010

 

In this category:
1.1 How much does it cost to buy a 360 and what do I get?
1.2 I've heard a new 65nm version of the 360 called "Jasper" that runs cooler & quieter is available?
1.3 When was the Xbox 360 released?
1.4 What does Microsoft mean when they say the 360 is an 'entertainment hub'? What does it mean I can do with it?
1.5 How do I connect my Xbox 360 and to my PC/home network to stream media and to the internet for Xbox Live??
1.6 How do I connect to a Windows PC to stream WMVs using Windows Media Player 11?


1.1 How much does it cost to buy a 360 and what do I get?
There are 2 versions of the 360 currently for sale. The Arcade package, released in October 2007, was brought in to replace the Core package, costs £159.99 and includes:

• White Xbox 360 console
• Wireless controller
• White faceplate
• Standard AV out socket on console
• HDMI out socket on console
• Composite AV lead with scart adapter (similar to the one that came with the Xbox and does NOT include optical out for 5.1 sound)
• Built in 256MB memory
• 5 arcade games on a disc: Pacman Championship Edition, Luxor, Boom-Boom Rocket, Uno and Feeding Frenzy.

The Elite package, released in the UK on August 24 2007, costs £199.99 and includes:

• Black Xbox 360 console with chrome detailing
• Black Wireless controller
• Black faceplate
• Standard AV out socket on console
• HDMI out socket on console
• Composite AV lead with scart adapter (similar to the one that came with the Xbox and does NOT include optical out for 5.1 sound)
• Black Xbox Live headset
• 120GB Hard Disc Drive (HDD) with pre-installed Live Arcade game "Hexic HD"
• Ethernet cable

Which package you go for depends on what you want to do with your console. To choose, you need to know that the hard drive is not required by most Xbox 360 games (though some Massive Multiplayer Online games are allowed to require a hard drive as is the Football Manager series of games) so all versions play the same games.

Only the Elite version includes a hard drive. This is the major difference between the packages: the 120GB retails for just under £100, so if you intend to use one, it's well worth planning for this from the start. It is not possible to fit your own standard hard drive like you would buy for a PC, but it is possible to buy a 360 HDD later and add it to any 360. There is a package available with a 60GB HDD, 3 month Live subscription and headset for about £60.

Note that all versions of the 360 now have HDMI ports, but the packages do not contain cables to connect via HDMI, or any other High Definition connection. You will have to buy your cables separately.


1.2 I've heard that a new version of the 360 called "Jasper" that runs cooler & quieter is available?

There is a new manufacturing process underway that is designed to make the chip run cooler and more efficiently. These are now being phased into the shops and are widely available. The way to tell if a console is a "Jasper" version is by checking the power supply; older versions of the 360 use 203W or 175W power supplies, newer "Jaspers" have 150W power supplies.

These new chips don't require as much cooling, it may mean the console will become less prone to the infamous "3 red rings of death", but this is unconfirmed to date as they have not been available for a long enough time to notice a trend. It does appear there is no reduction in noise generated by the console however, as much of the volume is generated by the high spin speed of the DVD drive.

Please research on the forum to find the latest info on this issue, the Jasper discussion thread is located here:
http://www.avforums.com/forums/xbox-360-hardware/1038376-jasper-360-information-discussion.html


1.3 When was the Xbox 360 released?
Microsoft Japan's Xbox chief Yoshihiro Maruyama officially announced the release date for the Xbox in all three territories on the 15th of September 2005, taking place globally within around 3 weeks from start to finish. Although not a truly simultaneous launch, a global rollout within a month is unprecedented in gaming history.

The launch dates in order were:

US - Tuesday, 22nd November
Europe - Friday, 2nd December 2005
Japan - Saturday, 10th December 2005

Initial stock levels were expected to be very limited and they proved to be so still with no official confirmation of the numbers actually available. Initially, the rumours said 1.6 million 360s would be available on the various launch days with 1 million heading for the US, 400,000 heading to Europe and a meagre 200,000 heading to Japan. It's not clear whether these numbers were split between "premium" packs and core systems or whether the retailer will make up the packs in store as needed by bundling the needed accessories in with the core system in a different box sleeve.

The Japanese market did not receive (and will not be receiving) two versions of the 360 so the "core" system will be a Western product only. The reason behind this is simple - the Japanese broadband infrastructure is so well developed with 100 Mbit connections not unusual that the Live experience is likely to be a feature available to and enjoyed by all gamers in the territory.


1.4 What does Microsoft mean when they say the 360 is an 'entertainment hub'? What does it mean I can do with it?
The 360 will feature a variety of media playback capabilities of which the following are confirmed:

• Music - You can stream music directly from many music devices, including iPods and Windows PCs. You can have this playing while you are carrying out other operations, like looking at photos or playing a game. You cannot stream protected music from a PC in formats other than WMA, eg. you cannot stream music you may have purchased from the iTunes music store. It is not possible to play back music stored on an iPod which was purchased from iTunes as Microsoft have not licensed the DRM technology used by Apple.
• Photos - You can view images directly from many image devices, such as the PSP or a digital camera with a USB connection. Also, you can stream pictures from a Windows PC.
• DVD - The 360 will play DVDs out of the box, you will not need the remote to play them. The DVD playing capabilities are region-locked to the region where the 360 was purchased. They will play in progressive mode also, if you have a capable display. The Xbox 360 will not upscale the image to 720p, 1080i or 1080p unless you use a VGA or HDMI cable, it will output at 576p via component.
• Video - The 360 can download videos from the Xbox Live Marketplace at either a cost in Microsoft points or for free (see section 11 for details on the movie download service Video Marketplace), and it can also stream video from a Windows PC using Windows Media Player 11.
• Other Media. The 360 can act as a Media Centre Extender and stream all media from a Media Centre PC in certain formats.
  
  In the update released in Decmeber 2007, Divx support was added. For more details, check out the blog kept by the team that implemented the update here.

As well as DVD-ROM, DVD Video and audio CDs, the 360 will read DVD-R/RW, DVD+R/RW, CD-R, CD-RW, and Photo CD discs so we can assume we can browse and playback media from all of these formats. Also, the 360 can access many USB-enabled mass storage device that can be connected too for practically limitless media storage, although content downloaded via your 360 cannot be stored externally to your 360 unless you use a device like the X-Sata.


1.5 How do I connect my Xbox 360 and to my PC/home network to stream media and to the internet for Xbox Live?

There are 3 main ways to connect your 360 to a PC or home network, and there are 3 Windows packages that you can stream media from - Windows Vista, Windows XP and Windows XP Media Centre. If you have Windows XP, you can stream music, pictures and video (though only .WMV format video) to your 360, while if you have Media Centre, you can also stream more formats of video (see Q 1.3). Some versions of Vista have Media Centre included in the package also.

The first way to connect your 360 is a via wired home network. This means you'll have a router which may be connected to the internet, and ethernet runs from this to your connected PCs. All you need to do is run an ethernet cable from your router to your 360 and that's it - if you've already connected to Live this way, you don't need to do any more.

The second way to connect is a wireless home network. This is where you'll have a wireless router, which may be connected to the internet, broadcasting a wireless signal throughout your house. Your PC can be connected either wirelessly, or wired via ethernet. Then what you need to connect the 360 is either a wireless bridge or the USB Wireless Network Adapter that MS sells as a specialist accessory for the 360. Plug this into the rear USB port on the 360, and you're connected.

Note: Other wireless USB adapters (intended for the PC) do NOT work on the 360 as they require drivers to work. The only wireless USB adapter that doesn't require drivers is the official MS one.

The final way is just to run an ethernet cable from your PC to your 360 and turn on internet connection sharing on your PC - it's as simple as that.

Be aware that if you want to stream from your PC, it will need to be powered on.


1.6 How do I connect to a Windows PC to stream media using Windows Media Player 11?

A big thanks to viru.doshi for this one

Here's my little step by step how-to showing you how to set up streaming from a Windows based PC using Windows Media Player 11. This is mostly for those people who've been unable to connect Xbox360 with PC at all.

If you have Windows Media Connect then please uninstall it and download and install Windows Media Player 11.

** You do NOT need to install Media Connect when you have Media Player 11 installed **
** This guide only shows you how to stream WMVs NOT DivX type files **

Throughout the rest of the guide the following shorthand will be observed:
Windows Media Player 11 = WMP11

Where you have to click a button or menu item the name of the button/menu item is written in italic font.

Step 1
Ensure you have read the above and have WMP11 installed.
Disable your firewall - but if you only use the Windows XP Firewall you can leave this turned on.
Turn on your Xbox360 now and sign into your profile.

Step 2
This is an optional step, follow the instructions here to add WMV files if you haven't already done so.
Open WMP11 and add the folders which contain your WMVs to the WMP11 library. Do this by clicking the 'Library' button and selecting 'Add to Library...'.
In the window that pops up click the 'Advanced Options >>' button, this will let you browse to the folders you want to add that contain your WMV video files.
Click 'OK' and WMP11 will tell you how many files it has added.

Step 3
After adding your files click on the 'Library' button once again, but this time select 'Media Sharing...', if this is the first time your trying to share your media with WMP11 you will see a dialogue box, with one checkbox, tick the 'Share My Media' box to enable media sharing and click 'OK'.

The next window shows where your media will be shared to, i.e. what devices will be able to stream the media from your pc. You should see Xbox360 in the list of devices to share media too, with a little Yellow triangle with an exclamation in it. Click on the icon, then click on the 'Allow' button, the Yellow triangle should have now turned into a green circle with a tick in inside.

Step 4
Click the 'Settings' button and give your Media Share a name e.g. MyPcMedia. Settings as follows:
Media Types: Tick all boxes (Music, Pictures, Video).
Star Ratings: All ratings
Parental Ratings: All ratings

Click 'OK' to save the settings. The settings here are saved as default settings and will be applied to any other devices you enable media sharing on. Each device that is allowed to have access to the PC media share can be customised by clicking the icon in the list on choosing the 'Customise' button.

Click 'OK' once again to close the 'Media Sharing' window.

Step 5
On the Xbox360 go to the Media blade and select Videos.
Select Computer.
You'll be asked if you've installed media sharing software - it's built in to WMP11 so choose 'Yes, continue'.
The Xbox360 will now search for your PC.....it should find it, and present the name of your PC along with the media share name, e.g. 'PCName:MyPcMedia'.
Select it and the Xbox360 should connect and you'll see a list of WMVs that you can play.


If you're still having problems, try this checklist from member kaztor:

1. Make sure you have the latest Windows Media Player 11.. -----http://www.xbox.com/en-US/pcsetup/alldownloads.htm
2. Go to Library > Media Sharing > Make sure 'Sharing Media' is on.. It may or may not find your Xbox, hopefully it does. If not, your network settings are wrong or:
3. Make sure you have the latest update for your Xbox
4. Make sure you have the latest Windows Service Pack - (right now - Service Pack 3)
5. Make sure that your Xbox is hooked up to the same network your PC is on.
6. In your router - just type in http://192.168.1.1/ in your address bar to get to it.
--Under applications/games make sure you have the right ports enabled.
--Go to Port Range Forwarding.
--Make sure you have ports 88, 53, 3074, 2869, 10243, 1900, 10280-10284 Both ways enabled.
for the single ones just type like 88-88, 53-53, 3074-3074 etc.
7. If you have a firewall make sure to allow permission as well.

Other things to check:


Start / Run... type: services.msc then OK

Check these 3 services

SSDP Discovery Service >>>> Start this one first Make and make it Automatic (right click properties).already enabled, switched to automatic

Universal Plug and Play Device Host >>>>> then this one same as one above already enabled, switched to automatic

Windows Media Player Network Sharing Service >>>>> then this one... will not stay started, it starts and then it says it had to stop.

 

In this category:
2.1 I've heard that the Xbox 360 games will be “HD” – do I need an HDTV?
2.2 What connectivity options are on offer and which is best?
2.3 Don't I need an HDMI cable for High Definition?
2.4 Is Xbox 360 DVD playback progressive scan? Does it upscale? Do I need to buy a DVD remote to playback DVDs?
2.5 Can I use a PC CRT/TFT monitor instead of a TV or projector?
2.6 Is HDMI/VGA better than component, and which is best for my TV?
2.7 How do I play games requiring a 60Hz display?
2.8 Some videos just give me a black screen when using a VGA cable? (The Fable 2 video diaries for example)


2.1 I've heard that the Xbox 360 games will be “HD” – do I need an HDTV?
No – Microsoft have stated that all developers should work to 720p resolution as a minimum but the console will downscale to 576i for standard definition PAL TV sets. While nobody has to have an HD display to use a 360, it will look stunning when viewed in 720p, 1080i or 1080p.


2.2 What connectivity options are on offer and which is best?
The old hierachy still applies (best to worst): HDMI => VGA or component (both have pros and cons dependant on your display - see Q2.6) => RGB scart => composite (included in the core pack and really not very good).

The Core package ships with the basic composite video lead with phono leads for audio. A SCART adaptor block will be supplied to connect to TVs with SCART sockets although this is not an RGB picture.

The Premium package is bundled with the HD AV lead which provides connectors for component video, composite video and stereo audio as well as an optical audio connector.

The Elite package includes the same cables as the Premium, as well as an HDMI cable and a short cable that connects to the AV out port to allow both stereo and 5.1 optical out connections.

HD component cable:


VGA cable:


HDMI cable:



2.3 Don't I need an HDMI cable for High Definition?
No, you can get HD via component and VGA cables also.


2.4 Is Xbox 360 DVD playback progressive scan? Does it upscale? Do I need to buy a DVD remote to playback DVDs?
As stated on the official Xbox website, you are able to "watch progressive-scan DVD movies right out of the box" meaning you will not need to buy an additional remote control to unlock the DVD player functions of the console and it will output a progressive scan signal. The 360 upscales DVD signals to 720p, 1080i or 1080p via HDMI and VGA, but component connections are limited to 576p for PAL DVDs.


2.5 Can I use a PC monitor instead of a TV or projector?
Yes, using the VGA lead. You will be able to view your 360 at resolutions from 640x480 at 50/60Hz (4:3) (see picture below) up to 1920x1080.

Many monitors however cannot display 16:9 pictures without black bars at the correct refresh rate (both vertical and horizontal).

The VGA kit will support analogue CRT or TFT monitors. Although CRT screens can can display any resolution up to the maximum with varying pixel sizes, TFT monitors are built with a fixed pixel grid. As such, it depends on the monitor whether black bars will appear above and below the screen image or whether the picture will scale to fill the full screen - check your TFT manual to see how it handles non-native resolutions.


2.6 Is HDMI/VGA better than component, and which is best for my TV?
Each TV is different, though if you have something to report on this, please note in this thread which you think is best for your model of TV.

It's worth knowing the update made in May 2007 has improved the VGA settings dramtically for some people, and is now worth trying out even if you had previously washed out colours. Here are the differences between the 3 HD cables:

HDMI:

* HD DVD - 1080p resolution and all others
* DVD - Upscaled as high as 1080p resolution and all others
* Games - 720p games upscaled to 1080p and native 1080p games

VGA:

* HD DVD - 1080p (1920x1080) resolution and all others
* DVD - Upscaled as high as 1080p resolution and all others
* Games - 720p games upscaled to 1080p and native 1080p games

Note for VGA, 720p is the resolution of 1280x720 and 1080p is 1920x1080. All signals via VGA are progressive, it is not possible to do interlaced with this cable.

Component:

* HD DVD - 1080i resolution maximum, limited by AACS
* DVD - Standard progressive 576p maximum, limited by CSS
* Games - 720p games upscaled to 1080p and native 1080p games


2.7 How do I play games requiring a 60Hz display?
Some games, regardless of whether they were bought at retail, downloaded from the Marketplace, downloaded from Xbox Live Arcade and no matter whether they were originally intended for US/Japanese systems will only run on a console set to output a 60Hz signal. Retail games will have a label on them stating a 60Hz display is required to play.

In order to make sure 60Hz is enabled on your 360, follow these steps:

RGB SCART/Composite/S-Video connections:

1. In the Xbox Dashboard, select System blade.
2. Select Console Settings, and then press the A button.
3. Select Display, and then press the A button.
4. Select PAL settings, and then press the A button.
5. Select PAL-60, and then press the A button.
6. When you are prompted to keep these new settings, confirm the settings, and then press the A button.

Component/VGA connections:

If you are not using the composite or component/composite lead shipped with 360, the RGB SCART lead or an s-video lead, connect it now. If you are not using one of these leads, the PAL settings option will not be displayed in system options. If you are using a VGA lead, you will need to connect using one of the other options which would allow you to connect to a PAL TV.

If you are using the composite/component lead bundled with the "premium" system, you need to ensure it is set to TV mode. Slide the switch on the connector which plugs into the back of the Xbox 360 to "TV" mode if it's set to "HDTV" mode.

Once the correct lead is in place and the switch is set to "TV" mode (if using the component/composite lead), follow the 6 steps given above. After changing the PAL-60 setting, you can reconnect using your preferred cable (setting the component/composite lead back to "HDTV" if compatible with your display) then you can forget this setting and enjoy your games!

2.8 Some videos just give me a black screen when using a VGA cable? (The Fable 2 video diaries for example)
This is a common issue with PAL consoles and is a glitch that MS have never gotten 'round to fix =| I assume that you are using a VGA cable as this issue is usually raised by users of the VGA cable which, unfortunately, houses a number of bugs! Anyway, here's your diagnosis:

You must be using a Component cable in HD mode
1) Enter the System blade of your dashboard and select Console Settings
2) Select Display and then HDTV Settings
3) Opt to change your display to the lowest configuration (480p)
4) When asked by your system if "These Display Settings appear Correct?" select 'Yes'
5) You will then be asked by your system at what frequency your Console should output. You will be prompted "Currently displaying at 50Hz, does this display appear correct?" - select NO (this is critical as this is causing the error)
6) Your display will have now automatically configured itself to display at 60Hz, the only frequency capable by the VGA cable.
7) Re-insert your VGA cable and run your video to see if the sequence has been a successful one!

(Thanks to members DragonOfSilver/Edzz!! for this one)

 

In this category:
3.1 Does the 360 offer 5.1 surround sound?
3.2 How can I connect the 360 so I get 5.1 surround sound?
3.3 How can I get sound if I use HDMI?
3.4 What audio formats can be carried via the HDMI connection?


3.1 Does the 360 offer 5.1 surround sound?
Yes, the 360 has 5.1 Dolby Digital sound present on all games, and obviously DVDs also.


3.2 How can I connect the 360 so I get 5.1 surround sound?
The only way to get full 5.1 surround sound on a console without HDMI will be to use an optical connection. The component, RGB scart and VGA leads have an optical out connection located on the end of the lead that connects to the 360. You will need to use an optical lead you have yourself to connect to your surround sound system.



This shows where the optical out will be on the console. Note that only certain leads come equipped with optical out, and they are the RGB scart, the component (included with the full pack) and the VGA cable. The cables included in the Xbox 360 packages do not have optical out.

3.3 How can I get sound if I use HDMI?

HDMI carries 5.1 sound, and as such if you have an AV amplifier that is HDMI compatible, you can get full 5.1 sound this way.

However, if you don't have an HDMI capable amp and want to use HDMI, the official Microsoft HDMI cable includes a short cable ("dongle") that allows you to connect either a 2x RCA stereo lead or a 5.1 optical cable to the AV out socket of your 360.

Audio dongle:


Alternatively if you dont have the elite dongle you can use the standard component lead that comes with every 360 to carry the sound, You will need to make some minor adjustments to the lead so that it will fit when used at the same time as the HDMI lead.

You can snap the plastic casing from the standard A/V cable. Do this using a knife/screwdriver between the slit in the plastic casing and separating the two sides. See the pictures below:


Then plug the HDMI and AV into back of console also plug RED & WHITE only into your amp, this is for audio. HDMI in as normal to TV/Monitor, this will be for video so DONT plug in anymore of the AV leads.

3.4 What audio formats can be carried via the HDMI connection?

The HDMI connection runs to the 1.2 convention, and the audio formats it supports include DD & DTS (both at 1.5Mbps), 2 channel PCM and also WMA-Pro (supported in some amps such as Pioneer). The connection is not HDMI 1.3 and therefore cannot output 5.1 PCM, TrueHD or DD+ sound formats.

 

In this category:
4.1 Will the 360 be backwards compatible with Xbox games?
4.2 How can I update the Xbox backwards compabitility without Xbox Live?
4.3 Where can I download any HD trailers for the upcoming 360 games?
4.4 Will Xbox 360 games be region-locked?
4.5 What is Xbox Live Arcade?
4.6 Can I re-download games I've paid for before?
4.7 What games were available at launch?
4.8 Where can I find good deals on Xbox 360 games?
4.9 Are Xbox 360 games region free?



4.1 Is the 360 be backwards compatible with all Xbox games?
Not all Xbox games will work on your 360 and you will need to have the HDD installed to play them.

The reason all titles are not natively compatible in the same way that PS1 games work on the PS2 is that the 360 uses a fundamentally different architecture to that of the classic Xbox. Without wanting to insult readers or provide a woefully simplified view of what this means, games are written in a programming language (typically C/C++ and occasionally assembly language for the real performance critical elements) which is then “compiled” to work on a known processor.

Each processor family, be it Intel x86 (486, the Pentium, etc), the PowerPC (current and previous Apple Macs), or the MIPS range (used by the PlayStation 1 and 2 and originally in Silicon Graphics systems) is designed in a different way with a different approach to laying out the silicon on the chip and what that silicon can do, how many special memory areas (called registers) it features, how it's cache works, etc The way programmers make that silicon do something (be it adding numbers together, or moving data in and out of memory) is by invoking an operation from the chip's instruction set. Each processor architecture offers different instructions in that instruction set and code is compiled to work on a specific processor family with its specific instruction set. That is why Windows cannot be installed on an Apple Mac for instance – the x86 processors work in a different way from each other and instructions called by the Windows code may not exist in the Mac processor or work in a different way.

The problem is further complicated by the graphics chip too. Graphics chips used to be fairly simple but over the past 10 years, the advent of 3D graphics has lead to graphics processors actually becoming more complex than most general computer processors with more transistors (the basic components that make up processors) and much more involved instruction sets. In the 90s, graphics went from being handled by a mere “graphics chip” to being rendered by a “graphics processor unit” (GPU) – they're still both chips but the GPU is now a much more powerful, programmable beast.

It's the same with the Xbox and the 360 – the Xbox used an Intel x86 processor while the 360 uses a Power PC chip so the code can't naturally run on it. Likewise the nVidia GPU in the Xbox is superseded by an ATI part in the 360 which is equally incompatible to the compiled code. The strained agreement between Microsoft and nVidia from the development of the first Xbox meant that full documentation of the instruction set was hard to come by and ATI designed their GPUs instruction set with little knowledge of precisely what the previous generation's instruction set offered.

As such, classic Xbox games have to be patched to run on the 360. The game's assets such as graphic models and textures, music, sound effects and level maps are unaffected by the change in instruction set but the core program itself needs to be modified to work on the new chips. This is why the hard drive is essential to store these patches.

The patch issue also makes it look unlikely that all Classic Xbox games will work on the 360. The alternative is that Microsoft is able to deliver a full-speed emulator for the 360 – anyone who has seen MAME or Snes9X will be aware of what an emulator offers.

Emulators are compiled to run on one machine (say a Windows-based PC) but, when run, they “pretend” to be another machine such as a Super Nintendo or a Megadrive. They look at the instructions the running game or program is asking them to execute, translate that into an instruction the host machine does understand and you can play your old game on your new platform.

The problem is emulators are intensive applications – you are after all pretending to be an entirely different machine – and the more powerful games hardware gets, the more powerful the hardware is required to be to emulate that alternative hardware. If Microsoft have managed to get a Classic Xbox emulator running at full speed on the 360 then all Classic Xbox games should be playable on the 360.

Microsoft have announced the first batch of games to be compatible with the Xbox 360. To date, 212 games have been certified with more added as and when they have been fully tested. New versions of the emulator can be downloaded via Live, downloaded via a computer and burnt onto a CD or supplied on a game discs to support other titles over time. For the latest list of compatible games, check this page on Xbox.com:

http://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/backwardcompatibilitygameslist.htm

Games which are backwards compatible will all benefit from being able to run in high definition at 720p with anti-aliased graphics although some games do not appear to run in widescreen at 720p, instead having to run at 480p or in 4:3 mode. This may change as the emulator software is improved. It should also be noted that some games described as "compatible" are not particularly playable on the 360 - many suffer from slowdown/frame rate issues and it is not clear whether they will be improved.

So, is the Xbox 360 going to fully backwards compatible? Not yet but overtime, it may be!


4.2 How can I update the Xbox backwards compabitility without Xbox Live?
The software can be downloaded from the Xbox.com website and written to a CD which can be used to update the Xbox emulation software and the Xbox dashboard too. For instructions and to obtain the software, follow the link below:

http://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/backwardscompatibility.htm#disc


4.3 Where can I download any trailers for the upcoming 360 games?
To be honest, the best way to do this is via the Xbox Live Marketplace. All game trailers are free to download and are in 720p, so you'll actually get a feel of what it'll look like in the final product. Other places where you can download to your PC include:

Microsoft has posted lots of HD trailers here:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=abde1e02-b529-469e-ae6a-7417fcde9e12&displaylang=en
in a WMV format.


4.4 Are Xbox 360 games be region-locked?
As per the usual for consoles (and unlike handhelds and the PC), 360 games are region locked. However, the region lock is at the discretion of the game publisher, and as such many titles publishes in other regions will work on a UK 360. There is no definitive list for these, but import sites such as Play-Asia will list whether the title is compatible with a UK 360.

4.5 What is Xbox Live Arcade?
Xbox Live Arcade (XBLA) is a collection of old school retro games and new content that are available for download over Xbox Live. At present the maximum size of an XBLA title is 150MB now that the 512MB version of the memory card has been launched. To buy XBLA games you need an Xbox Live account (either Gold or Silver), a connection to Xbox Live and Microsoft Points on your account. Microsoft Points can be bought either with a credit card on Xbox Live or in a shop on a pre-paid card.


4.6 Can I re-download games I've paid for before?
Yes, you can re-download anything you already paid for - it's linked to your Live profile/account.

One thing to note though - paid for content can only be played offiline on the machine it was first downloaded to. A profile is offline if you are not signed in to Xbox Live. If you re-download content to another hard drive/memory card, it's full version can only be played when signed in to Xbox Live. (This is to stop people using other people's account to download software they haven't bought themselves).


4.7 What games were available at launch?

• Kameo: Elements of Power (Microsoft)
• Perfect Dark Zero (Microsoft)
• Project Gotham Racing 3 (Microsoft)
• Amped 3 (2K Sports)
• Call of Duty 2 (Activision)
• GUN (Activision)
• Quake 4 (Activision)
• Tony Hawk's American Wasteland (Activision)
• FIFA 06: Road to FIFA World Cup (EA)
• Madden NFL 06 (EA)
• NBA Live 06 (EA)
• Need for Speed: Most Wanted (EA)
• Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 06 (EA)
• Condemned: Criminal Origins (SEGA)
• Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie (Ubisoft)

4.8 Where can I find good deals on Xbox 360 games?
Here on AVForums we have a few ways to find a good deal. First off, there are drop down lists for comparing prices of the major releases (and hardware too); these are at the top of the relevant forum and show the prices right there in the drop-down.

Secondly, there's a specific forum for gaming bargains here, and in that there's a thread that's kept up-to-date with even more deals on 360 games here. If you spot any bargains yourself, feel free to open a thread in that forum to let other members know.


4.9 Are Xbox 360 games region free?
Some are, some aren't, there's no easy answer here. The only way to tell really is on a game by game basis - try running a Google search like [GOOGLE]Gears of War region free[/GOOGLE] and see what you come up with.

 

In this category:
5.1 What accessories are available for the 360 and how much do they cost?
5.2 How many controllers can be connected to the 360 for multiplayer games?
5.3 How are the wireless controllers powered? How long do they last?
5.4 Can I tell how much battery power is remaining in the wireless controller? What happens when it runs out?
5.5 What is the range of wireless controllers? Do I need to have “line-of-sight"?
5.6 What is the round “X” button for at the top of the controller?
5.7 What type of disc storage does the 360 use?
5.8 Is the 360 DVD player multi-region or region free?
5.9 What's the hard drive for? Do I need it?
5.10 How big is the hard drive?
5.11 Can I transfer my original Xbox save games and downloadable content to the 360 hard drive?
5.12 Can I use my existing Xbox cables/controllers?
5.13 Can I use a keyboard and mouse on the Xbox 360?
5.14 What can I do with the Xbox Live Vision Camera?
5.15 Can I play High Definition DVDs on my Xbox 360?


5.1 What accessories are available for the 360 and how much do they cost?
Have a look at the Official Xbox website, it has a list of all the accessories and prices. http://www.xbox.com/en-GB/hardware/accessories/


5.2 How many controllers can be connected to the 360 for multiplayer games?
Up to 4 controllers can be connected to the 360 in any combination of wireless or wired - each controller will be assigned a position via the ring of light on the console and a matching quadrant on the controller itself.

There are no Xbox-style controller ports on the machine meaning these controllers cannot be connected to the 360. New 360 wired controllers can be connected to the USB 2.0 ports hidden under the covering on the front of the machine next to the power button and one on the rear of the machine. No more than 3 wired controllers can be connected to the 360 - you'll need at least 1 wireless pad for 4 player games.

Wireless joypad:



5.3 How are the wireless controllers powered? How long will they last?
The controllers are powered by 2 AA batteries or an optional rechargeable battery pack called the “Play & Charge Kit”. The quoted figures for battery life are 40 hours on AA cells and 30 hours on the Play & Charge kit. These figures are probably significantly affected by the vibration/rumble features of the controller. For this reason, Microsoft has allowed you to select how powerful or weak the vibration feedback is to raise or lower the battery consumption accordingly. Note that most games simply allow vibration to be turned on or off although some may support the variable levels.

Joypad rear:


You can also use the play and charge kit to recharge a wireless pad while the 360 is turned off, so long as the cable is attached when the console is switched off. If you attach the cable when the 360 is already off, charging won't take place.

Play and charge kit:


There is also a Quick Charge Kit available that plugs into the mains and can charge either 1 or 2 batteries simultaneously quicker than the Play 'n Charge Kit (2 hours for 1 battery, 4 for 2 batteries).



Both the Quick Charge and Play 'n Charge Kits include 1x rechargeable battery for the wireless pad.


5.4 Can I tell how much battery power is remaining in the wireless controller? What happens when it runs out?
A battery life indicator is visible in the dashboard to indicate how much power is remaining for both the Play & Charge Kit and standard AA batteries. To view the indicator, simply hit the guide button and the indicator is shown in the top left corner of the screen as a small bar with 4 segments indicating a full charge, 3 segments showing approximately 75% charge etc. The indicator is approximate but provides enough information to tell you whether the batteries are about to run out. Furthermore, the ring of light on the controller will flash intermittently when the battery level is running low.

Once the batteries are depleted, the controller will obviously disconnect from the 360 at which point most single player games will pause the game and prompt you to reconnect your controller. Multiplayer games over Live will not pause however.


5.5 What is the range of wireless controllers? Do I need to have “line-of-sight”?
The wireless controllers are claimed to work at up 30 feet (~9 metres) and use wireless radio technology similar to that used in digital cordless phones and wireless networking operating in the 2.4 GHz bandwidth. The advantage of this wireless technology is that you don't have to sit with your controller pointed at a receiver. To “connect” the controller to the 360, the round button on the front of the 360 next to the memory ports is pressed and a corresponding button on the controller is pressed too such that the two can basically “shake hands” and agree to work together (putting it simply!). This will be familiar to anyone who uses a wireless keyboard or mouse on their computer.

As it uses wireless technology, there have been some reports of the Xbox 360 interfering with video sender systems but none to date affecting cordless telephones or wireless networks. The solutions in this case have generally been to change the video sender system unfortunately to one using a different frequency range. The Xbox continues to scan for incoming signals from controllers even when in standby mode as the controllers can be used to switch the console on. As such, the only way to disable the Xbox 360's wireless system is to switch off the power to the console by removing the plug or switching off the socket - putting the console in standby is not sufficient.


5.6 What is the round “X” button for at the top of the controller?
The 3D “X” button is the Xbox Guide button. Pressing this at any point when the console is switched on causes a blade (panel) to fly in from the left hand side of the screen all about you - it shows your gamertag, gamer score, gamer picture, link to the text and voice messaging screen, link to your friends list, link to a screen showing people you're recently played with on Live, enables you to edit your profile settings, and even play and control music in the background whether you're just in the dashboard or even playing a game. In short, it lets you manage your Xbox 360 experience.

The Guide button has a second function which some would argue is more useful than the above - holding it in for a few second while the console is in standby switches the console on while holding it in while the console is on enables you to switch off the console or just the current controller - no need to get off the sofa to turn off the console anymore!


5.7 What type of disc storage does the 360 use?
The 360 employs normal dual layer DVD (DVD-9) technology, not the emerging HD-DVD or Blu-Ray (developed by Sony and pegged for inclusion in PS3). Microsoft argue that we don't need tens of gigabytes of game storage data. Several developers, most notably Tecmo, argue that Microsoft's call for all titles to be HD are going to cause real storage problems when cutscenes are pre-rendered in HD resolution – that 9GB DVD is going to fill up fast. Microsoft counters that argument with “well, if this system is this powerful, why are you pre-rendering?”…

Whether we need a high resolution DVD format or not just, this does mean that we will not be able to watch HD-DVD movies on the 360. Microsoft has announced that future versions of the 360 might feature an HD drive but this will be used exclusively for media playback – not gaming.


5.8 Is the 360 DVD player multi-region or region free?
The Xbox 360 is region locked to your home territory. At present there are no third party applications available to allow multiregion playback or any known hacks which can be applied to the 360 to enable such functionality neither are any expected.


5.9 What's the hard drive for? Do I need it?
The hard drive can be used for several purposes, including storing games saves and your Live account details – both of these functions can also be done with a memory card. In addition though, you can use the hard drive to store ripped music tracks, similar to the original Xbox. It can also be used to store downloads from the Live Marketplace, including demos, new maps, player skins, new vehicles etc and even customised content from other Live members.

Hard drive:


One of the most important features of the hard drive is that this is the only way to play your original Xbox games on the 360. One key reason behind this is the original Xbox had a hard drive built-in and neither Microsoft or game developers ever had reason to suspect they would not be able to use a hard drive in future should new Xbox consoles ever be compatible with the original console. As such, the code to interact with the hard drive was never abstracted in such a way that the hard drive could be replaced with say a large memory card or such like in future.

Memory unit:


5.10 How big is the hard drive?
The initial drive will be a 20GB model. As it can be removed (apparently for taking it to your friend's house!), larger models are apparently going to be released over time to allow for more media storage.

Saying this, the useable space on the hard drive is just 13GB. The reason MS give for this is to create room for the emulator and other system files. So don't worry, everyone elses hard drive has 13GB too!


5.11 Can I transfer my original Xbox save games and downloadable content to the 360 hard drive?
At the moment, the answer is "no" unfortunately. Microsoft have officially stated that it will not be possible despite rumours that you may be able to network the two machines together to copy the data. It might be possible to copy the save games with a third party accessory such as an Action Replay or MegaXKey but this remains to be seen.

Likewise, there is no way to transfer downloadable content either. This means that the premium DLC packs for Project Gotham Racing 2 and so on must be downloaded again. As you can transfer your Live gamertag to the 360 it might be possible to download these packs again without re-paying but, again, this is unconfirmed. For now, expect to have to download again and possibly purchase again on the 360.


5.12 Can I use my existing Xbox cables/controllers?
Unfortunately, it looks like you're out of luck. Microsoft has changed the unique connection types of both the AV cable and the controller plus the original controller does not feature the Guide button which may or may not be employed in 360 games.

An obvious option might be to purchase an Xbox controller to USB adaptor, the kind that enables you to use the classic Xbox controller on a PC but this may not actually work as expected.

New style Xbox Live headset:


New wireless Xbox Live headset:


360 peripherals uses some form of security, probably digital signatures, to ensure that only products explicitly authorised for connection to the 360 can be connected. Manufacturers must now acquire a license to manufacture 360 accessories which means Microsoft receive a royalty payment for each item (manufactured or sold, not sure which) and they control exactly what each company is allowed to produce.

For example, Mad Catz are allowed to manufacture only corded controllers - not wireless controllers, not steerring wheels, not light guns etc - just corded controllers.

It's not clear how this security actually works given that MS have freely demonstrated an iPod and PSP being hooked up to a 360 so it's perhaps safe to assume that mass storage devices will be supported openly but peripherals such as controllers, keyboards and mice will need to support the security protocol, in turn meaning that unless someone produces a licensed adaptor, using an old controller won't be an option.


5.13 Can I use a keyboard and mouse on the Xbox 360?
While Microsoft are allowing keyboards to be plugged into the USB ports on the 360, this will permit text input only for the likes of MMOPRGs and in the dashboard and will not allow you to play Halo, Perfect Dark Zero et al using PC-style keyboard/mouse controls. This is a very deliberate ruling on Microsoft's part to ensure that people don't confuse console-style gaming with PC-style gaming. As with other peripherals, it remains to be seen whether third party peripherals will overcome this restriction.

5.14 What can I do with the Xbox Live Vision Camera?
The Xbox Live Vision Camera is now available to buy - you can get it in one of two packs. The first, cheaper option (RRP £34.99) contains:

• camera
• Live headset
• one month trial for Xbox Live Gold
• a code that can be used to get the Xbox Live Arcade game "Uno" for free

There is also a higher priced pack (RRP £59.99) that contains the above, plus a subscription for 12 months to Xbox Live Gold.

360 camera:


There is also an Xbox Live Arcade title "Totemball" available for a free download. This game can only be controlled using hand gestures via the camera.

The camera functionality will allow you to:

• send picture messages to other Live users
• video chat with other Live users (Gold Live account needed)
• take a personal gamerpic: however, this picture is only visible to people on your friends list, and only via the Xbox 360 (ie. not the internet)
• play motion sensitive games, the first of which is called Totemball and available for free on Arcade; others are planned for the future
• interact with your dashboard (water effect rippling in the background) and music visualiser (white streaking effect overlayed on the visualiser)
• in-game face mapping: to date, 2 forthcoming Xbox 360 titles have announced they will use in-game face mapping (World Series of Poker and Rainbow Six Vegas) using Digimask software - see pic below
• in-game motion video: several Xbox Live Arcade titles use in-game video thumbnails during play, including Uno, Texas Hold 'Em Poker (patch coming very soon), the Hardwood series of games and Bankshot Billiards
• Gears of War has announced it will use some camera functionality also, but what this exactly is as yet is unconfirmed
• the camera is fully compatible with Windows XP PCs that have Service Pack 2 installed.

Facemapping in World Series of Poker:


Only the Xbox Live Vision camera works with the Xbox 360 - no other camera will function.

5.15 Can I play High Definition DVDs on my Xbox 360?
The HD-DVD add-on has been available in the UK since mid-November 2006, which initially included a free HD-DVD copy of Peter Jackson's King Kong and the full universal remote control; now neither are included as standard, but the price is now less than £100 in many stores. There is also an offer for 5 free HD-DVDs included with the pack at present (correct at the time of writing).

The Xbox 360 and the HD-DVD add-on side-by-side:


The add-on will allow you to play HD-DVD movies - Microsoft have categorically denied (to date) that games will use the drive, despite it being thought that it may be technically possible to do so. The add-on connects to the 360 via USB (mini connector on rear of add-on) - the 360 itself will be doing most of the hard work of decompression and displaying via current outputs. You don't need an HDMI cable to play HD-DVD movies, see the video section for maximum resolutions.

The HD-DVD addon, front and rear:


The HD-DVD player is not region-free: it will be locked to the region you purchased it in. However, HD-DVDs released to date do not have region encoding on them, and so you will be able to purchase US (or other region) HD-DVDs to play on your UK drive. For now.

As you can see, the add-on draws it's own power and so will need it's own plug. If you're worried about where to put your wireless adapter with the add-on, don't panic because the add-on has a clip-on place as well as 2 extra USB ports.

There is more information on the add-on in the HD-DVD FAQ.

 

There is a general thread covering how to get on xbox live here.

In this category:
6.1 What does Xbox Live offer 360 gamers?
6.2 Are different price plans available for Xbox Live?
6.3 Will my existing Live subscription work on my 360?
6.4 Can I use an Xbox Live Starter Kit 12 month subscription code on the Xbox 360?
6.5 How do I get my Gamercard into my avatar on the left column of my AVForums posts?


6.1 What does Xbox Live offer 360 gamers?
Live will be similar to how it works now, but there will be new features, including:

• Friends list
• cross-game chat and messaging, meaning that if you want to, you can chat or message anyone while watching a DVD or playing any game, no matter what they're doing
• a spectator mode where you can watch others play, both your friends and those at the top of leaderboards
• improved matchmaking where you can decide how serious you want to play and the type of people you want to play against
• the ability to change your Gamertag at any time, while retaining your Friends list and associated data
• access to the Xbox Live Marketplace where you can download content such as gamerpics, themes, demos, video content and arcade titles (some content costs Microsoft Points, MSs currency which can be bought via credit card over Live or in a shop

Xbox 360 Live:


6.2 Are different price plans available for Xbox Live?
There are two options – Silver and Gold. Silver is a free, limited membership while Gold is a premium, charged membership.

All Xbox 360s will come with Xbox Live Silver membership. With Silver membership you can:

• create a gamertag and a gamercard telling people a little about yourself
• voice chat with other members
• voice and text message other Live members
• access the Marketplace (where you can buy and download demos and additional game content like maps, vehicles, skins, etc)
• have a Friends list of other gamers

It has been confirmed that Gold membership will be the same cost as current Xbox Live subscriptions - £40 per year or £5 per month. In addition, 3 month memberships can be bought for £15. All three options are available for purchase either with a credit card through the Live dashboard or, in a new move by Microsoft, as gamercards from stores without the need for a credit card.

All Xbox 360s will come with a 30 day Gold trial. With a Gold membership you get all the Silver benefits, as well as:

• you can play online games with other players
• you will be able to use video chat and messaging with the Xbox 360 webcam (details yet to be released - it will not be available at 360 launch)

6.3 Will my existing Live subscription work on my 360?
All existing Xbox Live memberships can be carried over to the 360 as a Gold member. To do this, you will undergo a process similar to account recovery, involving your credit card number you signed up to Live with. In order to do this, you will need to link your Gamertag with a .NET Passport account (as used in Hotmail) and this will be picked up when you use Live on the Xbox 360.


6.4 Can I use an Xbox Live Starter Kit 12 month subscription code on the Xbox 360?
Yes, the subscription codes found in the 12 month Live Starter Kits for the original Xbox do work on the Xbox 360 - plenty of members on these very forums will testify to that. The 12 month code definitely works as per any 360-branded subscription code.

It's possible to find old starter kits in the shops or on eBay at a fairly cheap price because the game included (FIFA 2005, Project Gotham Racing 2, Rallisport Challenge 2 etc) is an older game, likely with a sequel by now. The value to most people now is not the game which is available for less on its own but the 12 month code to be found therein which is up to 50% cheaper than a credit card subscription. Note that these starter kits are increasingly rare and if buying second hand, check that the silver film over the code has not been scratched off and the code used.

On the topic of the Starter Kit, it's also possible to use the original Xbox headset on the 360 by plugging the 3.5mm headset connector into the bottom of the controller rather than the block that plugged into the top of the original Xbox controller. Some believe the sound quality is better on the older headsets while others just prefer the behind-the-head arrangement. The only downsides to the original headset on the 360 though are lack of physical mute and volume controls - instead you must use the Guide to control these options.

6.5 How do I get my Gamercard into my avatar on the left column of my AVForums posts?
Go to "Control Panel" at the top of the forum, then "Edit Your Details" on the left.
The last box in the profile page is "xBox Live Gamer Tag" - put your gamertag in here, and your posts will have your gamercard instead of your avatar in all the Xbox pages. Job done.

 

In this category:
7.1 Is the 360 better than the PS3 or the Wii or the Xbox or the PS2 or...?


7.1 Is the 360 better than the PS3 or the Wii or the Xbox or the PS2 or...?
This is a question that has caused the usual level of fanatical arguments and without even checking Amazon's reviews, you can bet there will be people giving the 360 5 stars and saying it's the best console ever and it's 15 times faster than that other console...

The simple fact is there is no easy or honest answer to the question of which console is “the best”. The most obvious reason we can't make a true comparison is that final silicon doesn't exist in the hands of developers (or even the system designers in the case of the PS3 and Wii) so comparisons at the moment are based purely on numbers.

While Nintendo has avoided getting into a numbers debate so far, Sony and Microsoft are slugging it out with claims of one being twice as fast as the other in terms of FLOPS (floating point operations per second) and various other blatant mistruths. To dispel that particular myth, both companies based their floating point performance on the total peak FLOP performance of every processor in the system added together – that's not a true benchmark of anything and can safely be ignored.

Another point for discussion here is the difference in CPU setup. The 360 features a triple-core dual-threaded PowerPC processor (not 3 separate PowerPC chips) running at 3.2GHz per core while the PS3 is based on a single CELL processor (also based on PowerPC technology) also clocked at 3.2GHz with 7 functioning SPEs (Synergistic Processing Elements, designed for very high speed vector processing) so Microsoft talked about having 3 processors to Sony's one and Sony spoke of (originally) 8 processors in their CELL chip. Until we actually see what developers can do with these chips as they fit into the overall context of a system with graphics processors, memory architectures, cache designs, etc we can't truly say one is better than the other. There is a general murmur that the PS3 has the technical edge, but we just don't know yet how great an edge that is.

Performance comparisons are ultimately worthless – comparing the Xbox to the PS2, it's hard to argue that the PS2 is superior to the Xbox. Obviously Microsoft played up the fact the Xbox trounced the PS2 in the numbers game (chip speed, memory size, audio channels, etc) but given that developers employ middleware such as Renderware to roll out titles across multiple platforms with minimum effort, it's unusual to see a vast difference between a title seen on the PS2 and the Xbox. The Xbox version might be smoother with sharper textures but the difference isn't astounding. Asides from first/second party exclusives then such as PGR3 and Halo 3 on the 360 and Killzone and GT on the PS3 will we see monumental differences in the games on the two machines? Will FIFA 200x look like real TV on one machine but a mere videogame on the other? Probably not, but that won't stop the masses of forum postings.

A games console should ultimately be judged by its games and that means looking at the exclusives and ignoring the cross-platform titles. The PS2 generation gave us Gran Turismo 3, Rez, Ico, Metal Gear Solid 2 on the PS2; the Halo franchise, Project Gotham Racing, Splinter Cell (ported but notably superior on Xbox) on Xbox; and Zelda, Metroid Prime, Pikmin and Animal Crossing on the Gamecube. Each as worthy in a gamer's collection as the other regardless of the marketing department's numerical comparison.

 

In this category:
8.1 How do I clear the Xbox 360's cache?
8.2 Can I preview themes and picture packs before downloading them from Marketplace?

8.1 How do I clear the Xbox 360's cache?
If you find games loading slower, it may be caused by cache fragementation. Some games (such as Oblivion) provide the ability to clear the cache when starting up the game. For those that don't you can use the method below, brought to AV Forums by mjpartyboy. Note that this method removes all software updates and cache files for all games, not just a specific title.

• Go to the "System" section of the Xbox Dashboard
• Select "Memory", and then press the A
• Choose a the HDD or a memory unit but do not press A - press Y to view "Device Options" which shows two options, "Rename" and "Format".
• Press X, X, LB, RB, X, X.
• Once you do this a blade will pop up saying: "This will perform maintenance on your Xbox 360 storage devices. Do you want to continue?"
• Choose yes to clear the cache and update files, or choose no to cancel

To clear the cache in Oblivion - highly recommended if the loading takes a long time between areas and entering and exiting buildings - hold down the "A" button on the controller from the moment the disc is inserted until the Bethesda logo appears. The game should load as quickly as did when first played.


8.2 Can I preview themes and picture packs before downloading them from Marketplace?
Not via the Marketplace itself, but you can view screenshots of the screens used on each of the four blades and gamer pictures on the global Xbox.com websites. The UK site seems to only preview a selection of downloads whereas the US site shows most, it not all, and is regularly updated. The links below take you directly to the appropriate lists and previews:

Preview themes (http://www.xbox.com/en-US/live/marketplace/themes.htm)
Preview gamerpics (http://www.xbox.com/en-US/live/marketplace/gamerpics.htm)

 

9. The Xbox 360 Elite

The first thing I would recommend anyone who's curious about the Elite to do is listen to Major Nelson's special midweek podcast posted here: Link - 8.9MB MP3 file, 31 mins (right-click, "Save target as...")

The podcast addresses just about every question I've seen raised to date about the Elite, including:

• Why it was released (to meet the HDMI demand and have a SKU that included a 120GB HDD)
• Why HDMI was included (because some people have displays that can only do 1080p via HDMI)
• Why the HDD costs so much ($180, self-powered, laptop sized HDDs cost this much)
• How you transfer data from your exisiting hard drive (120GB HDD includes a cable to transfer data)
• Why no wireless/HD-DVD drive was built in (you can still buy these things, you get the choice!)
• What price it will be and when it's released (end April US, late summer UK, $480, no UK price yet)
• Why the UK isn't getting it yet (no need yet really - large HDD only needed for video marketplace downloads which aren't available in the UK yet)
• What you get in the box (everything you do with the Premium, plus the bigger HDD, an HDMI cable and the audio dongle shown below to get optical 5.1 if you use HDMI)

We're getting alot of people asking the same questions, posting the same sentiments, so I just wanted to post up a few pointers on what the 360 Elite means for you. First off, can I point out that the Elite is exactly the same console internally (CPU, DVD drive etc) as the existing consoles - there is no new CPU or a guarantee of a quieter DVD drive.

There is far more than this discussed in there though, it really is all you need to know right now.

A quick note about the HDMI connection: It apparently runs to the 1.2 convention, and the audio formats it supports include DD & DTS (both at 1.5Mbps), 2 channel PCM and also WMA-Pro (supported in some amps such as Pioneer). The connection is not HDMI 1.3 and therefore cannot output 5.1 PCM, TrueHD or DD+ sound formats. Link

Here's the pics Major posted up of the console and accessories:

120GB hard drive:


The console:


Audio dongle (included for use with HDMI cable):


Black controller:


HDMI output:


Feel free to discuss in the FAQ discussion thread linked in the first post, but please read before you do!

 

In this category.
11.1 What is the Video Marketplace?
11.2 Where can I find the marketplace content?
11.3 How much does it cost?
11.4 How do I store the content?
11.5 HD Videos? Aren't they massive files???
11.6 So what content is available?
11.7 Only Movies, no TV shows??
11.8 Why do the Americans get more content than us eg: TV, Sports, Movies etc???
11.9 They have the content on the US Marketplace, why can't they just port it across to the UK???
11.10 Can't I just download stuff from the US Market Place instead?
11.11 So I can keep the movies forever on my harddrive?


Seeing as we have the Video Marketplace launched in the UK now, there are a lot of questions flying about the forums on the subject. How much? Where do I get it? SUPERMAN 3 ??????

This post will be updated as and when any new information is released. If anyone has any tips, corrections or just general information, please post and I'll add it to the list



11.1 Q: What is the Video Marketplace?

A: Launched on December 11th 2007 in the UK, Ireland, France, Germany and Canada, the Xbox Live Video Marketplace is an extension of the existing Marketplace, accessible solely through the Xbox 360 Dashboard.

It is a download service for Movies and with future releases, TV shows, sports, music and more.





11.2 Q: Where can I find the marketplace content?

A: From the Xbox360 Dashboard, navigate to the furthest left blade - Marketplace. Select Video Store then you can browse by New Releases, Genre etc... You can also jump to the Video Store from the Media blade or by clicking on relevant dashboard ads.

When you find the movie you want, you can watch a streaming preview trailer.


11.3 Q: How much does it cost?

A: Catalogue movies start at 250MSP (Microsoft Points). Some movies will be available in HD, these will start at 380MSP for catalogue titles and go as high as 540MSP for new and recent releases. Prices for any other future content have yet to be announced. FYI - 800MSP = £6.80.


11.4 Q: How do I store the content?

A: Content downloaded from the VM can only be stored on the Xbox360 Hard drive or, if the content will fit, you may be able to store it on a 360 Memory Unit.


11.5 Q: HD Videos? Aren't they massive files???

The HD Movies clock in somewhere between 5 and 7GB each. They are in 720P with 5.1 Dolby Digital Sound. Although not in 1080P, first user feedback suggests that the HD video and audio quality is very good. SD movies are typically around 1 - 1.5 GB.

In the recent Fall update, a feature was added to prevent you downloading (and paying for ) any content that won't physically fit on your harddrive. If it won't fit on your harddrive, you'll be shown a page with all your current content, ordered by size so you can find something to clear out!

Another addition was the facility to start watching a movie before it is finished downloading. From the download window, you will be notified when the movie is ready to be watched.

Note: The time taken for this to happen will vary depending on your ISP speed, network congestion etc....


11.6 Q: So what content is available?

A: At the time of writing, the UK Marketplace contains a selection of new and catalogue movies from Warner Bros.

For the full list of content that has been announced so far, click here


11.7 Q: Only Movies, no TV shows??

A: At present, the only content that has been officially announced is a selection of movies from Warner Bros but further releases will most likely mirror the US Marketplace which contains content from several US TV channels.


11.8 Q: Why do the Americans get more content than us eg: TV, Sports, Movies etc??? :us:

A: They've had a years head start! Seriously though, it gets complicated, see the next question....


11.9 Q: They have the content on the US Marketplace, why can't they just port it across to the UK???

A: This is a tricky issue. The Video Marketplace service was rolled out in the US in partnership with US TV companies (NBC Universal, Fox, Comedy Central etc...). In the US, these companies own the distribution rights to the shows and receive the royalties for content that is downloaded.

For the most part, in Europe different companies own the distribution rights to these shows.

Examples:

In the US, Southpark is distributed by Comedy Central. In the UK, it's shown on both MTV and Paramount.

In the US, Family Guy is shown on Fox. In the UK, it's shown on the BBC and FX.

To show all the content from the US Marketplace, MS will have to renegotiate the rights all over again with the relevant distributor. This is further complicated by the fact that it will have to be done separately for every country in Europe. Then Australia, Canada, Asia etc......

Quoted from the Xbox US Forums

11.10 Q: Can't I just download stuff from the US Market Place instead?

A: Unfortunately not - believe me I've tried. Even using the US account workaround and US MSP, MS have still put in (I.P Address) blocks to prevent users from other countries downloading content from outside of their region. Why? See previous question...


11.11 Q: So I can keep the movies forever on my harddrive?

No. In a similar fashion to Sky Box Office, you can download a Movie to your harddrive and it will stay there for 14 days. However, once you start watching the Movie, you have 24 hours to finish it. After 24 hours, it will be deleted! It's effectively just a digital 24 hour rental.

Assuming the UK VM follows the US format, TV shows will be different and you can keep them on your hard drive indefinitely.


Other links:

AV Forums Discussion Thread

Details of US Marketplace Content

Xbox Forums - Video Marketplace FAQ Part 1

Xbox Forums - Video Marketplace FAQ Part 2

 

This will be updated Regularly..

**1. What exactly does the Xbox 360 support for AVI?

Xbox 360 supports the following for AVI:

· File Extensions: .avi, .divx

· Containers: AVI

· Video Profiles: MPEG-4 Part 2, Simple & Advanced Simple Profile

· Video Bitrate: 5 Mbps with resolutions of 1280 x 720 at 30fps. See question number 11 for more information.

· Audio Profiles: Dolby® Digital 2 channel and 5.1 channel, MP3

· Audio Max Bitrate: No restrictions. See question number 11 for more information.



2. What exactly does the Xbox 360 support for H.264?

Xbox 360 supports the following for H.264:

· File Extensions: .mp4, .m4v, mp4v, .mov

· Containers: MPEG-4, QuickTime

· Video Profiles: Baseline, main, and high (up to Level 4.1) profiles.

· Video Bitrate: 10 Mbps with resolutions of 1920 x 1080 at 30fps. See question number 11 for more information.

· Audio Profiles: 2 channel AAC low complexity (LC)

· Audio Max Bitrate: No restrictions. See question number 11 for more information.



3. What exactly does the Xbox 360 support for MPEG-4 Part 2?

Xbox 360 supports the following for MPEG-4:

· File Extensions: .mp4, .m4v, .mp4v, .mov

· Containers: MPEG-4, QuickTime

· Video Profiles: Simple & **Advanced Simple Profile

· Video Bitrate: 5 Mbps with resolutions of 1280 x 720 at 30fps. See question number 11 for more information.

· Audio Profiles: 2 channel AAC low complexity (LC)

· Audio Max Bitrate: No restrictions. See question number 11 for more information.



4. What exactly does the Xbox 360 support for WMV (VC-1)?

Xbox 360 supports the following for WMV:

· File Extensions: .wmv

· Container: asf

· Video Profiles: WMV7 (WMV1), WMV8 (WMV2), WMV9 (WMV3), VC-1 (WVC1 or WMVA) in simple, main, and advanced up to Level 3

· Video Bitrate: 15 Mbps with resolutions of 1920 x 1080 at 30fps. See question number 11 for more information.

· Audio Profiles: WMA7/8, WMA 9 Pro (stereo and 5.1), WMA lossless

· Audio Max Bitrate: No restrictions. See question number 11 for more information.



5. Can I mix and match the video and audio codecs outside of those defined in questions 1 through 4 above?

No you cannot. We only support each audio and video codec in the explicit containers defined in questions 1 through 4.



6. How can I determine if a video file that I am trying to play conforms to the specifications as laid out in questions 1 through 4?

You can use a 3rd party tool to analyze your video files to determine what audio and video codec is used. A popular 3rd party tool to analyze video files can be found at http://www.headbands.com/gspot/.



7. How do I create WMV, AVI, H.264 and MPEG-4 content? What encoders does Xbox 360 support?

You can create this content on one of many 3rd-party applications. Xbox 360 supports many popular encoders. Specifically for encoding to WMV you can use Microsoft Expression Encoder or Windows Media Encoder.



**8. What specific features of Mpeg-4 Advanced Simple Profile does the Xbox 360 support?

The Xbox 360 supports Bidirectional Frames (BVOPs), Interlaced Frames, Quarter Pixel Motion Compensation, Global Motion Compensation, and MPEG Quantization.



9. What are the different ways to play video content on Xbox 360?

You can play video from a USB 2.0 FAT32 removable drive, optical media, and by streaming from the Zune software, Windows Media Player 11, or Windows Home Server.



10. What are the different video codecs that are supported in all the different ways to play video content on the Xbox 360?

See table below for more information:



* = Please refer to question 32 on how to configure Windows Media Player to share these file types to the Xbox 360.



11. What is the "real" max bit rate, resolution, and frames per second that you support for all the different formats?

Xbox 360 does not specifically block video from playing based on a maximum bit rate, resolution, or frames per second. The maximums listed above for each codec are what we have tested for various video playback sources. Higher rated content will not be blocked, but playback may be less then optimal. Use higher bitrates at your own risk.



12. What size USB storage device does the Xbox 360 support?

The Xbox 360 will support as big of a storage device as you can format using FAT32. Unfortunately when formatting a device in Windows Vista or Windows XP you will be restricted to a maximum FAT32 size of 32GB. You can work around this limitation by using a 3rd party utility or using an alternative Operating System that does not have this restriction. Please note that the maximum size of any single file on FAT32 is 4GB.



13. What is the maximum video file size that is supported?

The maximum file size for an AVI, MPEG-4 Part 2, and H.264 file that can be played is 4 GB. 4GB is also the maximum size of any single file that you can store on a FAT32 USB hard drive. However, Windows Media Player 11 and the Zune software do support streaming WMV files greater than 4GB.



14. Do you support 5.1 channel AAC?

No. Only 2-channel AAC is supported. If you want to play a 5.1-channel video on your console, you will need to encode it to WMV with WMAPro 5.1 audio or use the AVI container with Dolby® Digital 5.1 audio.



**15. What types of AVI files are supported?

The Xbox 360 supports files encoded using MPEG-4 Part 2, Simple and Advanced Simple Profile. These files are often referred to as Xvid or DivX® video files. Many common PC DVD authoring tools, cameras, and camcorders are capable of encoding files using MPEG-4. Note that some files authored for DivX devices may also contain additional functionality(menus, subtitles, multiple audio tracks, etc). The Xbox 360 will attempt to play these files, but does not support any of the additional functionality and in some cases will be unable to play the file.



16. Why don’t some of my older versions of DivX® files play?

Since we only support Mpeg-4 compatible codec implementations, we will not be able to play video files older than DivX® 5.0.



17. Does the Xbox 360 support video artwork when browsing my collection from Windows Media Player 11 or the Zune PC software?

The Xbox 360 will display whatever video artwork that is displayed in Windows Media Player 11 or the Zune PC software for each video file.



**18. Does the Xbox 360 support video artwork when browsing my collection from a USB 2.0 FAT32 removable drive or optical media?

For all video types we will search for a corresponding .jpg file and use that as the artwork. For example video1.avi would display the artwork in video1.jpg if it existed. In the absence of this file, for the mp4 container, we will search if the video file has embedded album artwork and display that instead. Please note you cannot use this method when streaming from Windows Media Player 11 or the Zune PC software. See question number 21 for more information.



19. What is the maximum album artwork size that the Xbox 360 supports?

You should not exceed 512KB for all scenarios. This includes embedding artwork in the mp4 container, storing artwork alongside the file in a separate .jpg container, or streaming from Windows Media Player 11 or Zune PC software.



**20. How does the “Sort by Type” and “Sort by Title” option work when browsing my own generated video content?

The “Sort by Type” option is the typical Windows Explorer view that a computer would show your files in. It will first alphabetically sort your folders and then alphabetically sort your files. The “Sort by Title” option allows you to sort all folders and files alongside each other. Both of these sort options are persistent and linked to your profile so that you do not need to set them every time. See question number 21 for more information.



**21. What is a sample way of organizing my video hierarchy so that I can best utilize artwork and folder structure on the Xbox 360 for my personal video collection?
The following example uses the sort option “Sort by Title” on a USB hard drive connected to the Xbox 360:

· Genre 1 (Folder)

· Genre 2 (Folder)

· Video 1.avi (File)

· Video 1.jpg (File) (Artwork)

· Video 2.mp4 (File) (Artwork embedded in file)

· Video 3 (Folder)

· Video 3-1.wmv (File)

· Video 3-2.mp4 (File)

· Video 3-2.jpg (File) (Artwork)

· Video 3-3.wmv (File)

· Video 3-3.jpg (File) (Artwork)

· Genre 3 (Folder)



22. How do display modes work?

There are 5 display modes: auto, letterbox, fullscreen, stretch, and native. You can access these modes while watching a video by pressing Display on your remote or A on your controller.

a. The auto setting attempts to automatically determine what the best viewing experience is for your video. If it is a very low resolution video, it will enlarge it enough to be viewable on your screen while limiting the size for optimal viewing. If the video is of higher resolution, it will it will enlarge it to fit the TV. For both scenarios, it will retain the aspect ratio of the original video (for example, 4x3 or 16x9).

b. Letterbox mode will display your image full screen while retaining the aspect ratio of the original video. Use this if you want to override the auto function and fit the content to your TV.

c. Fullscreen mode will display your image full screen with the assumption the video is 16x9 formatted for 4x3 screens. This can be helpful for older content that may be 4x3 with black bars encoded into the video. This mode will allow you to zoom through the black bars and see it as wide screen.

d. Stretch mode will display your image full screen and stretch 4x3 content horizontally to fill a 16x9 TV. This can be helpful for those who always want to fill their TV regardless of the aspect ratio of the content. This causes 4x3 content to appear stretched.

e. Native mode allows you to see the content at its original resolution. Use this to view content that is extremely low resolution or very low bitrates.



23. How are display mode settings saved?

Every time you watch a new video, the display mode defaults to auto. If you decide to change the setting, each time you watch the same video the console will remember what you chose last time.



24. What is the information bar?

The information bar on the on-screen display now shows you exactly where you are in the video and where the chapters are in the file. In addition, for downloaded content, it will also show how much of the video has been downloaded.



25. How are the chapters determined?

Each video is divided into 10 chapters, allowing you to quickly move around the video content. Use skip to move to the next or previous chapter. Each chapter appears as a tick on the information bar.



**26. Can I fast forward, rewind, and skip while watching content while it's being downloaded from Xbox Live Marketplace?

You can move around in video as much as you have already downloaded. If you skip or watch past the point that you have already downloaded, you will be required to wait for it to buffer enough to begin normal playback again.



27. Is there other 3rd party software out that I can use to stream from my PC to my Xbox 360?

The Xbox 360 team extensively tests that we work well with Windows Media Player 11 and the Zune PC software. If you do decide to use 3rd party software, please contact them directly for support.



28. How can I stream content from my Mac?

To share from a Mac computer you will be required to use a 3rd party streaming solution. Please note that we do not support 3rd party streaming solutions and you will be required to contact them directly for support.



29. After the May 2007 update, my 3rd party software doesn't stream videos correctly. Why?

Video navigation was changed in the May 2007 update. 3rd party software that does not support folders through network sharing will not work correctly. You'll have to contact the software developer for support.



30. How can I set up Windows Media Player 11 or Zune to share my media to my console?

For info about setting up sharing, see www.xbox.com/pcsetup.



31. Should I continue to use Windows Media Connect (WMC) to stream video to my Xbox 360?

Windows Media Connect can be used but is no longer supported outside of Windows Home Server. We strongly suggest people upgrade to Windows Media Player 11 or use the Zune software to receive the best experience for managing and streaming content to Xbox 360.



32. How can I get Windows Media Player 11 to stream MPEG-4 Part 2 and H.264 to my console?

By default, Windows Media Player 11 does not support MPEG-4 Part 2 and H.264. Your first option is to install a 3rd party MP4 DirectShow decoder to import MPEG-4 part 2 and H.264 files into your library. Once they are in your library they can be streamed to your console and they can be played from within Windows Media Player 11 on your PC.



An alternative approach is to rename all of your mp4 files to have an “.avi” file name extension. This will enable Windows Media Player 11 to import them into the library and will allow them to be played on your Xbox 360. To enable the playback of these files on the PC, you will still need to install an appropriate decoder on the PC.



33. I can't see my video files from the Zune software on my console. What's wrong?

Make sure that the folders containing the videos you want to share with your console are included in the Zune software's list of monitored folders.



34. I received a message that says a media update is required to play the content. When I download the update I get the message "The download could not be completed. Please try again later. Any points you used for this transaction have already been deducted from your balance and will not be deducted again" with error code 80070005. Explain.

You'll get this error if you previously downloaded the media update on another Xbox 360 console with the same profile. You are only allowed to download the update on one console per profile. You can work around this by creating a temporary Silver membership to download the update. Once it's downloaded, you will be able to use the update with any profile.



**35. What shortcuts can I use with my gamepad while using the Video area?

LB skips backward one chapter. RB skips forward one chapter. RT fast forwards. LT rewinds. Start toggles between play and pause. X and Y bring up the On Screen Display for more advanced options. While browsing through your lists of videos you can also push Start to automatically begin video playback using the bookmark if it exists bypassing the Resume/Restart page. You can also use RT or LT to page up or page down through lists of items.



**36. Why do I see the message “Updating content. This may take a few minutes. Please wait.” the first time when entering the Console video area?

To support grouping television and game videos your content metadata needs to be updated. Once this process is completed subsequent entries into the Video area will be very quick. Please be patient during the update process and allow it to complete updating all of your content metadata.



**37.What changes have you made to selecting the source for Videos, Music, and Pictures?

The source selection is now mapped to the X button for each of these areas. The Xbox 360 will remember the last source that you picked and default to that. We have also removed the computer affiliation from the System Blade and we now show a list of all the computers that you can connect to directly in the Select Source scene. This allows you to quickly jump between Windows Media Player 11 and Zune PC software media shares.



**38.How can I play music from my iPhone® and iPod Touch®?

Unfortunately the iPhone® and iPod Touch® uses a different mechanism for storing your music then a traditional iPod®. We are currently unable to play music from the iPhone® or IPod Touch®. You can still browse the pictures stored on these device through the Pictures area in the Xbox 360 dashboard.



**39.Can I play videos from my iPod®?

The Xbox 360 does not support playing videos from an iPod®.



40. When trying to play 25 or 50 fps content, I don’t get any video over VGA

This only affects consoles which output PAL-50 and PAL-60 output modes. There is a known issue in which 25 or 50 fps video sometimes doesn’t display over a VGA connection if you have previously connected your Xbox over component video output.



The workaround for this issue is as follows:

1. Connect your Xbox 360 to a display device using a component video cable

2. Go to the System Blade

3. Go to Console Settings

4. Go to Display

5. Set your display settings to a different resolution than is currently selected (e.g., set it to 480p if your current setting is 720p)

6. You should see a slider with the words “Your display settings have changed. You can keep this setting or try another. Do you want to keep the new settings? If you keep the new settings, your TV will be tested to see if it also supports this setting at 50Hz.” Answer “Yes, keep these settings” to this prompt.

7. After this your display will be tested for 50Hz output

8. You should see a slider with the words “Now displaying at 50Hz. Does this display appear correctly?” Answer “No” to this prompt even if the display is correct. Again, make sure to answer “No” to this prompt.

9. Connect your Xbox up via VGA again. The videos should now play correctly.