So, I've been out for a while. I've been horribly sick and recovered... then got a job working way too many hours for a full-time student. Anyways, I'm back, but my posts may be a bit slowed due to the job. So... on with the news!

Xbox DVD Firmware Hacked!
The biggest underground news that happened in my absence was the hacking of the Xbox (1) DVD firmware by TheSpecialist. Basically, this means that the DVD drive is tricked into thinking it's reading a retail game, when in fact it's reading a homebrew DVD. Essentially, it's a modchip-less solution to modding an Xbox without risking the damage that a softmod can cause if done incorrectly. TheSpecialist declined to make a howto or tutorial, but enough information can be found on the XboxHacker.net forums for pretty much anyone to do the hack.

Microsoft's Xbox 360 Update Disables Kiosk Disc
This one is pretty self-explanitory. The new 360 update didn't do much except fix the "crashing when pulling up guide while in-game" problems, but it did remove the ability to play the kiosk disc. Honestly, it doesn't mean too much because the Hexic flash player was very limited.

Finally, the GP2X v2 has finally started shipping.
The GP2X, a low-cost, high-performance, linux-based handheld, had a few very large flaws at launch. So many, in fact, that many retailers refused to carry it. The manufacturer has now fixed all the flaws and the re-launch is looking to be going very steady. Since it's all linux-based and open source, the homebrew is coming along well and it's great for budding game programmers or just geeks in general. I may get one soon and do a review and/or a few columns about the homebrew software available.

That's all for now, folks!

Game ON!
-Matt