Xbox-Scene Microsoft Xbox 360 News

Team Xecuter Blaster CK3

XanTium — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:24:31 -0500

Team Xecuter launched a new version of their Blaster addon for the Xbox 360:

[QUOTE]
The Xecuter Blaster CK3 is the latest version of the Blaster 360 series - new and improved with added support for the Liteon drives - we have also included a FREE CK3 Probe for the Liteon 74850C DVD drive and a FREE Xbox 360 Case Unlock Tool & Screwdriver !

The Xecuter Blaster CK3 is an external switching device when, once fitted, allows you to flash your DVD Firmware without ever having to open up your Xbox 360 case ever again. In the era of constant firmware updates (35+ so far) this is an absolutely essential tool saving both time and effort, making the firmware update process a walk in the park. Also making a backup of your game using the 0800 firmware is now a fast and simple process. A perfect ergonomic design means there is no soldering and no cutting of the external case - just plug 'n' go. You only ever have to open up your case once! No longer will you have to have your Xbox 360 in pieces all the time, no longer will you have to take the Xbox apart every time you need to update new features and functions or essential bug fixes, no longer do you have to have your Xbox 360 in bits every time you want to make a backup of your game to your PC.

It was designed to be as ergonomically sound as the Xbox 360 itself. Its functionally perfect and works so good that Team Xecuter believes all firmware modders will be using this as standard by the end of the year, it just makes life SO MUCH EASIER ! - Firmware modding has never been so simple !

Features List:
Improved Design - Better than ever !
Once installed never open up the case again to update firmware
Works with ALL firmware updateable drives (Hitachi, Samsung, Benq & Liteon)
Onboard USB Support (Liteon 74850C DVD Key Dump)
Onboard RS232 Support (Liteon 74850C DVD Key Dump)
100% Compatible with all firmware tools inc Jungle Flasher
Includes FREE Blaster CK3 Probe (No Solder Liteon 74850C DVD Key Extraction)
Includes FREE Xecuter Case Unlock Tool & Torx 10 Screwdriver
Xbox 360 mode switch when the Blaster is not in use.
PC mode switch when you connect the SATA cable to your PC
Mode-B Switch for Hitachi 59 & Earlier (Hitachi 78/79 Mode-B via Jungle Flasher)
Eject Button
Includes USB Cable
Includes RS232 Serial Cable
Improved SATA circuit to stop any E64 errors
Ergonomically matched to the 360 case
New Cool Green LED feature
Huge Community Support
Trusted Xecuter Quality & Design

Requirements:
Windows PC (XP/VISTA/7 32 Bit)
Compatible SATA Card (recommend VIA 6421)
Jungle Flasher Software
USB Port or RS232 Serial Port For Liteon 74850C

Info
There is currently no way to extract the key from the NEWER Liteon 83850C and 93450C August 2009+ (The pre August 2009 Liteon 83850C DVD key can be extracted using SATA - the USB / Serial is NOT required. When a 93450c method is available we will let you know.

Warning
DO NOT connect the USB cable if you don't have a Liteon 74580C DVD drive and DO NOT use the Blaster CK3 Probe on a Liteon 83850C or 93450C DVD Drive - you may cause damage to your Xbox Drive and Blaster CK3.
[/QUOTE]

Official Site: http://team-xecuter.com
Buy Now: Xecuter Blaster CK3 (~$67/€45/�40)

IntensaFIRE 360 Controller Mod Kit

XanTium — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:20:53 -0500

IntensaFIRE introduced their Xbox 360 Controller Mod Kit:

[QUOTE]
What does it do?
The IntensaFIRE modifies XBOX 360 controllers, allowing them to control 5-mode sleeper settings, and use customizable user programmable modes. It uses the existing Sync button to toggle. Advanced modifiers can use the included button as well. It also enables "dual rapid-fire" - usable in all XBOX 360 games, including gamer favourites: Left 4 Dead, the Call of Duty series, the Halo series, the Gears of War series, and Street Fighter.

Mode 1 - COD 4 mode (Capped limit) (Now Supports MW2 !)
Mode 2 - Dual Rapid Fire Halo 3 "LED 3 and LED 4 Both Will Light Up
Mode 3 - COD WAW Jun 11 Patch Fast No Cap (Now Supports MW2 !)
Mode 4 - COD WAW Slow " Save Bullet , GOW 1 & 2, HALO ODST, COD4
Mode 5 - Self Edit Mode " speed range 0- 255" (Mode 18 - Now Supports MW2 !)

How is this better?
5-mode sleeper mod kits exist. Dual rapid-fire mod kits exist. The IntensaFIRE mod kit has both. There are controllers on the market, prefabricated, that do what the IntensaFIRE offers, each controller going for well over $100. The IntensaFIRE is an extremely simple to install mod kit, taking no more than 3 minutes to install with minimal tools. Other mod kits require soldering, drilling, wiring, and deconstruction of your controllers. The IntensaFIRE requires connections to only a few existing points on the controller board. No soldering is required, conductive glue is included to attach IntensaFIRE flex board to the controller.

Features:
Dual rapid-fire
5-mode sleeper
Easy 3-minute installation
No soldering or wires required
Can be used in all XBOX 360 games
Mode button for advanced modification
Easy installation with video instructions
Customizable user-programmable modes
Works in all wireless controllers (BOTH CG & Matrix) !
Does not require a more powerful battery
Includes LEDs
Includes screwdriver and conductive glue for quick installation, no additional tools required.
[/QUOTE]

Official Site: http://intensafire.com
Buy Now: IntensaFIRE 360 Controller Mod Kit (~$41/€28/�24)

Unbanning Xbox 360 From Live - The Facts

XanTium — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 21:14:22 -0500

I see lots of sites posting today about a way to unban Xbox 360 from LIVE often linking to a thread made on our forums here.

This method has been known for a long time (since the King Kong Exploit days) and does indeed 'work'. Basically you swap the Keyvault (or 'KV' in short, it stores stuff like console certificates, per-box private keys, DVD key, etc) inside the NAND with the KV from an unbanned console. While technically very different you could somewhat compare it to swapping eeprom data during the Xbox1 days.

However there's a (really) big 'IF' (besides the required tech knowledge) ... you need the (unique) CPU key of your banned console - without it you can't correctly write (or encrypt if you want) the new KV data in the NAND bin of your banned console.
Now you wonder how to get the CPU-key ... well by running XeLL of course!
To run XeLL u need to perform the JTAG hack (or the King Kong exploit, but that's even more outdated) ... and if you got banned the last few weeks it means you updated to the latest dashboard/kernel (else you can't get on LIVE).
And that's the problem... Microsoft patched the JTAG hack since kernel 849x (July 2009) ... so no way to boot up XeLL (= no realistic way for you to get the CPU-key atm) and thus no way to swap the KV data in your NAND image.
And then there's also added KV protection (hashing) on newer motherboards (Falcon+ ? and kernel 1888 won't boot on those), but if you can't even get your CPU-key it doesn't matter much to do deeper into this problem.
The only way it would work is if you retrieved the CPU-key of your old banned 360 before you updated to anything over 849x. If you did that you probably know about all of this and I'm not telling you anything new ;)
Downgrading kernel is not an option either, older kernels won't boot as both kernel and CB fuses were burned during the various updates MS performed, and you can't bypass that without ... your CPU-key.

Hope that explains the situation a bit (tried to make it not 'too' technical)
On a side-note, it would probably be pretty easy for MS to detect KV-swaps (like HW-mismatches etc).
Side-note2: in case it wasn't obvious yet those "unban isos" are fake and iXtreme LT won't unban you (it will instead try to avoid new bans).

NPD Number of October 2009: Wii 507k, PS3 321k, 360 250k

XanTium — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 01:26:00 -0500

Here are the NPD numbers for U.S. console hardware sales in October 2009:
* Wii: 506,900
* Nintendo DS: 457,600
* PlayStation 3: 320,600
* Xbox 360: 249,700
* PSP: 174,600
* PlayStation 2: 117,800

PR: European Consumers Push The Button on 10M Xbox360 Consoles

XanTium — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 01:01:58 -0500

From the press release:
[QUOTE]
Xbox 360 today announced that it had achieved console sales to 10 million consumers across Europe, the Middle East and Africa in just four years. Reaching the landmark number has meant that Xbox 360 is the only console to achieve year-on-year growth across the region this year[1]. The launch next week of instant streaming HD movies, Facebook, Twitter and Last.fm on Tuesday 17th November 2009 transforms Xbox LIVE into the largest social network connected to the TV and strengthens Xbox 360's already impressive line up of interactive entertainment services.

"Xbox 360 continues to pull ahead of the competition when it comes to delivering on a complete home entertainment experience and we think that Xbox Live currently is about 12 to 18 months ahead of its main rival PlayStation Network when it comes to offering service and content beyond traditional games," said Martin Olausson, Director of Digital Media Research at Strategy Analytics. "By introducing innovative new services and content such as Natal, instant streaming of full 1080P HD video, and integrating social media features such as Twitter and Facebook, Xbox will likely attract a wider audience than its rivals and is in a great position to maximize sales in the next few years".

2009 has been a pivotal year in Xbox's journey from its gaming origins to now changing the way people consume and share entertainment content, interact with each other online and continue to play great games. It's a change that people are embracing; there are more than 20 million Xbox LIVE active members worldwide and there have been over 1 billion downloads of gaming and entertainment content, with movie downloads doubling in the last year alone.

"Reinventing entertainment through, play, watch, connect and share. This is the vision that we have for Xbox 360 and today that vision is the reality for 10 million Xbox owners. European consumers are very discerning and demand a connected entertainment experience. That's why we focused on providing content that is right and relevant for them and entertainment beyond just gaming to movies, music and social networking. We have delivered on this promise and next week will bring real innovation into the living room through instant streaming high definition movies, connecting with friends on Facebook and Twitter and a personalised music channel. Together, this represents a real shift in the way people are entertained every day," said Chris Lewis, vice president Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft Europe.

This reinvention of entertainment has already seen a shift in where the Xbox lives in the home, with the majority (60%) of Xbox consoles now becoming integrated into the family living room. It has also caused a shift in the Xbox customer base as now 35% of Xbox customers are women and 64% are over the age of 25[2]. The arrival of the much anticipated 'Project Natal' will create a new category of gaming and entertainment experiences through controller-free gaming that makes Xbox 360 more inclusive and relevant to an even wider audience.
[/QUOTE]

Tuesday Was Xbox Live's Busiest Day Ever

XanTium — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 19:27:58 -0500

From g4tv.com:
[QUOTE]
Xbox Live took a beating on Tuesday. One might surmise a major multiplayer game was released on Tuesday and people wanted to play it. Oh, right. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. As it turns out, the launch of Activision and Infinity Ward's shooter sent so many people online that it resulted in the biggest day ever for Xbox Live yet, with more than two million gamers playing simultaneously.
[/QUOTE]

Full Story: g4tv.com

Xbox Boss Chris Lewis Defends Anti-Piracy Crackdown

XanTium — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:57:32 -0500

From sky.com:
[QUOTE]
Speaking on Jeff Randall Live, Xbox's chief executive for Europe Chris Lewis explained the thinking behind the policy.

"We are very committed to stamp out piracy. It's an issue not only for Xbox, it's an issue for the industry as a whole, it's an issue for Microsoft generally," he said.
"Clearly it's important for us to be able to stamp down on that to protect the 10 million people that are already on Xbox 360 in Europe for instance. So we take it very seriously."

In an interview with Sky's Anna Jones, Mr Lewis went on to defend the move.
"If it's clear someone is downloading pirated copies or have modified their Xbox in some way that will allow them to download games that they haven't purchased legitimately and yes we lock that account down and we're unapologetic about that," he said.
[/QUOTE]

Full Story: sky.com (incl. video interview)

Xbox LIVE Update coming Nov. 17th

XanTium — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:05:51 -0500

Microsoft announced the "Facebook-Twitter-Last.fm-Zunevideo" dashboard/kernel update is coming to Xbox LIVE users on November 17th (next tuesday).
Of course ... if you're still on a pre 849x kernel, stay there if you still want to be able to run the free60 jtag hack. And always update at own risk ;)

From the press release:
[QUOTE]
The topic du jour was all about TV, but this morning at NewTeeVee Live - an industry conference that explores the future of television - Xbox LIVE general manager Marc Whitten confirmed the next wave of social entertainment is coming to Xbox LIVE on November 17. Starting next week, Facebook, Twitter, Last.fm and instant on HD video from Zune will be available on Xbox 360 consoles, transforming Xbox LIVE into the largest social network connected to the TV with exclusive features custom-designed for the living room.

"We're delivering some truly exciting social entertainment experiences to our members," said Whitten. "Xbox LIVE's differentiator has always been our community, and we've already seen a tremendous response to these features in our public preview. It's the community that drives us forward and allows us to pioneer new ways of connecting people through the entertainment they love."

� Facebook*- Update your status to share what movie, game or entertainment you're enjoying, connect with friends and view their Facebook stream, status updates and photos on the big screen - all seamlessly integrated and custom-built for Xbox 360. You can even compare your Xbox LIVE and Facebook friends lists to see which of your friends are on LIVE.
� Zune - Zune video on Xbox LIVE offers a full fidelity experience with instant on HD in 1080p and 5.1 channel surround sound. No waiting for downloads or buffering, it's there at the press of a button. You can also share the experience with up to seven friends through voice chat and Avatar integration on the TV screen - it puts a whole new spin on "movie night."
� Twitter*- Stay in the know by discovering, posting and replying to Tweets right on your Xbox 360. You can even view friend profiles, trends and conversations, or search to see who's tweeting about your favorite game.
� Last.fm* - Discover more music and explore endless personalized radio stations with Last.fm on Xbox 360. Skip, "ban" or "love" tracks to create your perfect mix--we've even built in "Gamer Stations" with game-related types of music selected specifically for the gaming community (Available in the U.S. and UK)

In addition to these social features, Xbox LIVE will also be debuting "News and More," a new section of the "Inside Xbox" channel, transforming Xbox LIVE into a full-fledged media portal. With a regularly-updated stream of content from MSNBC, The New Yorker and Dilbert, "News and More" brings the latest in current events, arts and entertainment right to your fingertips.

All of these features build on the wild success of Netflix on Xbox LIVE, which quickly established Xbox 360 as the most-used living room device for streaming Netflix content to the home1. Only on Xbox 360 can you find the best in movies, music, games and social networking all in one place, tailor-made for the TV and connected to more than 20 million people around the globe.

"From the launch of Xbox LIVE nearly seven years ago, to milestones like Video Marketplace, Netflix and the New Xbox Experience, we've continued working toward our vision of connected entertainment for everyone," continued Whitten. "I'm proud to say that next week marks another great stride in fulfilling that promise, and we're already imagining what the future has in store."

So what are you waiting for? On November 17, turn on your Xbox 360, log onto Xbox LIVE and enjoy the world of social entertainment at your fingertips. Not an Xbox LIVE Gold member? Starting November 20 (12 pm ET / 9 am PT) until November 23 (12 pm ET / 9 am PT) Xbox LIVE Silver members can enjoy the latest Gold features for FREE - including Facebook, Twitter and Last.fm! There's tons more to experience with Gold as well. Play the latest game titles like "Halo 3: ODST" online multiplayer, participate in "1 vs. 100," host an Xbox LIVE Party or even video chat with friends. All of these Gold-only features will be available all weekend long for anyone to try. * Xbox LIVE Gold adult account required to access these features. Xbox LIVE Gold memberships are just over $4 (U.S.) per month

** Xbox LIVE members under the age of 18 will not be able to access Facebook and Twitter as part of the Free Gold Weekend
[/QUOTE]

Xbox 360 Hard Drive Transfer Kit Out of Stock

XanTium — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:57:24 -0500

From joystiq.com:
[QUOTE]
If the recent price drop has encouraged you to hedge your bets and replace your aging, bound-to-die Xbox 360 with a quiet, new, Jasper-equipped 120GB Elite [note x-s: or those new 250GB coming with some bundles lately], you'll want to pay attention. As relayed to us by tipster Paolo, and confirmed by a Microsoft representative, the Hard Drive Transfer Kit - which is currently available for eligible consumers by calling 1-800-4MY-XBOX - is "out of stock at the moment" and the company does "not know when inventories will be restored."
[/QUOTE]

I might have another idea why these HDD Transfer Kits are suddenly out of stock ... could Microsoft's decision to cripple HDDs of banned consoles (partially) be the cause?

Microsoft Confirms 600k-1M Banned Consoles?

XanTium — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:30:07 -0500

Since yesterday's rumour about the amount of consoles banned from LIVE during this Ban Wave (altho I wonder if I should still call it a 'wave') lots of general-public news sites started posting it as a fact today. It even seems like msnbc (FYI: a joint venture of Microsoft and NBC) puts these numbers in the mouth of the Redmond company:
[QUOTE]
Anywhere between an estimated 600,000 and 1 million players who use Microsoft's Xbox Live gaming service will be cut off from the service because they have modified their game consoles or played games that were illegally downloaded from file-sharing sites, according to the company.
[/QUOTE]

However a real quote made today by Microsoft on venturebeat.com says:
[QUOTE]
"While we don't comment on specific numbers, Microsoft's commitment to combat piracy and support safer and more secure game play for the more than 20 million members of the Xbox Live community remains a top priority. All consumers should know that piracy is illegal and modifying their Xbox 360 console violates the Xbox Live terms of use, will void their warranty and result in a ban from Xbox Live. We can assure you that if an Xbox Live member follows the Xbox Live terms of use, purchased a retail copy of Modern Warfare 2 and played the game on an unmodified Xbox 360, no action will be taken."
[/QUOTE]

You'll notice the latter part of the quote is also on the msnbc article.
So while the number might be right (or not), I believe this rumour got out of hand and Microsoft never actually confirmed these numbers to anyone, at least not on-the-record. FYI: There are about 33M consoles sold worldwide (19M in US/CA) to-date and about 20M Xbox LIVE users.
And ... I'm not even gonna start about how inaccurate and incomplete many of these articles are ;)

Natal launch details leak from secret Microsoft tour

XanTium — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 11:50:33 -0500

From mcvuk.com:
[QUOTE]
MCV can this week reveal first details regarding the launch of Microsoft's Project Natal.

Our sources say the innovative controller-free 360 camera will be released worldwide in November 2010.

This and other details have emerged following a behind-closed-doors Microsoft tour of UK publishers and studios - the format-holder has been demoing the tech and detailing its 2010 plans in order to spur more development support.

Microsoft is planning to manufacture 5m units for day one release, with a mix of console and camera plus solus SKUs expected.

The device should cost under �50 when sold solo. One publishing source says Microsoft is "trying to get as close as possible to 'impulse buy'". Another even says the camera could even retail for just �30.

14 games are being readied for launch.
[/QUOTE]

Full Story: mcvuk.com

Rumour: Insider says MS Plans to Ban 1M Console

XanTium — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:19:07 -0500

From pinoycosplay.blogspot.com:
[QUOTE]
A conversation with a friend who works for a call center that handles an Xbox 360 account has yielded a disturbing truth: Microsoft has started its annual Xbox Live banning spree and it has disabled 600,000 accounts so far in the US and Canada.

The target of the banning spree are mainly people who have modified their consoles to play pirated games. My trusty source says that they have been given instructions to push for a million banned accounts by the time the holidays are over.
[/QUOTE]

Note: This is just a rumour and there's no real way to check or confirm this kinda information. But it points out an interesting discussion, how many consoles do you think MS banned? The site claims 600k are banned already just in US and CA. If we know MS sold about 19M consoles in that region to-date it would mean they already banned about 3.16% of their user-base ...

News-Source: pinoycosplay.blogspot.com

MS Press: Xbox 360 Wireless N Networking Adapter this Week

XanTium — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:18:34 -0500

From the Microsoft Press Release:
[QUOTE]
Hitting store shelves this week, the Xbox 360 Wireless N Networking Adapter offers versatility and ease to your Xbox 360 experience. Jump into "Halo 3: ODST" or "Forza Motorsport 3" and enjoy lag-free network gaming and multiplayer, or put your media center to the test by streaming your favorite HD movies and videos. This dual band adapter seamlessly synchronizes your Xbox 360 with the newest wireless N standard, allowing two times the range and a speed seven times faster than before. Easily stream all of your Xbox LIVE entertainment such as Games on Demand, HD movies and TV shows and music through Xbox LIVE or your media center PC.

The Wireless N Networking Adapter provides increased speed, coverage and reliability, and features a high-performance design with two external antennas that works great with 802.11a/b/g and n connections. Simply snap the adapter on to the back of your console and enjoy wireless connectivity in multiple rooms or congested wireless environments and connect safely with WPA2 security support.

The Wireless N Networking Adapter is available for $99.99 (U.S. ERP).
[/QUOTE]

New DVD FW in dev/test - ixtreme LT (Lite Touch)

XanTium — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:43:39 -0500

C4Eva announced he's working on a new firmware on IRC:
"[c4eva] new fw in dev/test - ixtreme LT (Lite Touch) - more efficient , minimal patching , all aspects of fw indistinguisable from orig, no more bans, No ETA!"

We do not have more details atm.
As far as we know the 3 'test boxes' C4Eva has running (see here) are still fine (not banned).
So there's NO ETA for the firmware yet (dont ask) but it should come out for Lite-On drives first.

News-Source: #fw@EFNet

Free60 JTAG/SMC XeLL Hack for Jasper-16mb Motherboards

XanTium — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 19:45:43 -0500

After the release of the hack for Xenon, Falcon/Opus and Zephyr motherboards, today we get the Free60 JTAG/SMC XeLL Hack for Jasper (v4) motherboards with 16mb NAND chips (so NOT compatible with 256 & 512mb NAND yet)!
This NAND image will boot your Jasper Xbox360 right into XeLL, which allows you to launch linux distros or run libxenon homebrew software, as long as you never upgraded it via the normal MS upgrade procedures to kernel 849x or higher.

From the readme/nfo:
[QUOTE]
Finally the Jasper JTAG Hack is here :)
This is XELL (compiled 11.09.09) inserted into 6712 Jasper-Kernel.

Don't wonder about the Filesize, its correct like that. It just flashes the beginning of the NAND so your console specific data like MAC adress will stay.

Of course you should have a working backup of your NAND before you proceed.

*** NOTE ***
Only work with 16mb version, a fix may come out.
[/QUOTE]

Download: n/a (contains MS code)
News-Source: xbins.org

More on LIVE Bans, HDD Crippling, Possible Ban Causes

XanTium — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 12:07:10 -0500

Kushan wrote a nice little article on #FW@EFnet summarizing all kinda info we have about the current (still ongoing) Console Live Ban Wave:
[QUOTE]
- What does this mean for you and what can you do about it?
Firstly, and most obviously, you cannot connect to Xbox Live on this console any more. This means no more game updates (aka title updates), XBLA games, marketplace content, netflix/sky player and so on. There is no way around this, all online capabilities are now disabled PERMANENTLY.

In all likelihood, your gamertag has NOT BEEN BANNED. When your gamertag gets banned, Microsoft sends you an email detailing why, if you have not recieved this email then your profile should be ok, to a certain extent.

Hard Drive installs are now disabled on the banned console. This means any disk-based games you have will no longer play off of the hard drive. If you attempt to play a game, it will tell you that it was installed on a different 360 and needs to be deleted/installed again. When you delete the game and attempt to install it, you are given a message telling you that it is not supported. There is no way to fix this, that functionality is simply gone from the banned 360.

The hard drive itself is left untouched - you can place it in another 360, even an unbanned one, and it will still work just fine. You do NOT need to reformat it to regain any kind of functionality. Any installed games will need to be reinstalled for the console you want to play them on. This is normal behaviour and happens when swapping HDDs on unbanned/legit 360's.

Windows Media Centre functionality is disabled. It is still possible to stream video/music content via the video library.

Your Gamertag may be corrupted. This does not mean your gamertag has been banned, you can recover it using any live-capable 360, however ANY ACHIVEMENTS YOU HAVE EARNED SINCE BEING BANNED WILL BE LOST. Your gamertag will be corrupted EVERY SINGLE TIME it is used on a banned console. This means you cannot use your banned console to play backups offline just to get achievements - it wont work, the second you put your profile back on a good 360, it will be corrupted and all progress lost. There is no way around this.

The same applies to game saves - if you access a game save on a banned 360, it too will be corrupted when accessed on a legit/unbanned 360! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! There is no way around this, either.

Your XBLA games and DLC will still be valid, however to play them on a different 360 you will need to be signed into Xbox Live. This is normal behaviour on unbanned/legit 360's as well. They may be corrupted and have to be re-downloaded if you attempt to access them on a banned 360. You can transfer all of your downloaded content to a new 360 here: http://www.xbox.com/en-US/support/systemuse/xbox360/licensemigration/default.htm however note that you can only do it once every 12 months.

So, in summary:
Your Banned 360:
* Cannot go on Xbox Live
* Cannot install games to the HDD
* Cannot use Windows Media Centre extender
* Cannot be used to get achievements from backups without corrupting your profile

You cannot do anything about this, short of buying a new 360.

There may be more functionality disabled than mentioned here, things are still being discovered.

- So what caused my ban?
There are MANY theories as to what is causing so many consoles to get banned this time, however as of yet there is nothing concrete, just a lot of circumstantial evidence and speculation. Please do not add to this, a full investigation is under-way.

c4eva, the main guy behind iXtreme, had this to say:
<+c4eva> fw itself not detectable
<+c4eva> suspect they are going hard on warez releases and incorrect use of abgx!

He also added the following:
<+c4eva> just to let you know that im looking into the current ban wave. I am currently running several brand new xboxs on live! These xboxs are in various configs. All are running ixtreme 1.61
<+c4eva> One is running original discs, another is running on xbl (no discs) , another is running a backup from my region!
<+c4eva> until tests are completed, no eta on liteon fw!

When we know more, YOU'LL no more, so please do not ask for updates!
A full transcript is available here - http://pastebin.ca/1660777

Remember, if you really want to blame someone, blame the person that decided to modify your 360 in the first place - most likey, that would be you ;
[/QUOTE]

How investigators tracked down a Modern Warfare 2 cyber pirate

XanTium — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:30:16 -0500

From venturebeat.com:
[QUOTE]
The posting last Thursday on Craigslist was alarming. Someone was selling a Modern Warfare 2 Xbox 360 bundle, with both a console and a game, for $500. The problem was that Modern Warfare 2, one of the most anticipated games of the year, doesn't officially go on sale until Nov. 10.

Activision Blizzard, the game's publisher, called in IPCybercrime.com, a Dallas private investigation firm that specializes in online investigations. The investigators tracked down the seller and stumbled into a scheme to pirate the game and sell a bunch of fake copies over the Internet. While the bust led to the arrest of just one hacker among many, it sheds light on the shadowy underground of the business of illegal piracy. It also offers a peak at how investigators try to head off a major piracy disaster before it happens.
[/QUOTE]

Full Story: venturebeat.com

Twitter, Facebook, Last.FM and Xbox 360 Family Settings

XanTium — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:59:16 -0500

From majornelson.com:
[QUOTE]
As some of you might be aware, those under the age of 18 are not able to access Twitter, Facebook and Last.fm in our public preview. I want to you let you know that this will remain the case when it launches to the world soon. We made this decision because as it stands now, parents aren't able to use Family Settings to customize which of these applications their children can access. In order to offer an age-appropriate environment for everyone, we decided to turn off these applications for those Gold members under the age of 18. As expected, this has been a hot topic with the preview users. We want to make sure everyone was aware, however, that the development team is working on an update that gives parents the choice of which social applications their children can access. This means that Xbox LIVE members between the ages of 13 and 17 will be able to use Facebook, Twitter and Last.fm as long as their parents approve. The team hope to roll this out several weeks after launch and I will update you on the exact date as it gets closer.
[/QUOTE]

OTX: Xbox 360 Gamers Defecting To PS3 For Holiday Sequels?

XanTium — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:44:59 -0500

From gamasutra.com:
[QUOTE]
It's coming time for the Holiday launches of anticipated multiplatform sequels -- and new data provided to Gamasutra by OTX's GamePlan Insights finds that many sequel-buyers might be switching platforms, defecting from Xbox 360 to PlayStation 3 for more than one major release.

OTX data shows that 15 percent of those who plan to buy the PS3 version of Assassin's Creed 2 own the Xbox 360 version of the original, while only 7 percent of those who plan to buy the Xbox 360 version own the original game on PS3.

Moreover, the trend for Modern Warfare 2 is the same, according to OTX. "The PS3 seems poised to shift the ratio of Xbox 360 to PS3 sales for most major multi-platform releases in its favor among dual owners," Williams tells us.
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Major Nelson Talks about Latest LIVE Ban Wave - More Bans Today

XanTium — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:45:45 -0500

From majornelson.com:
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As you may have read online, we've been actively banning consoles from Xbox LIVE that have been modified to play pirated games. Our commitment to combat piracy and support safer and more secure gameplay for the more than 20 million members of our Xbox LIVE community remains a top priority. All consumers should know that piracy is illegal, and that modifying their Xbox 360 console to play pirated discs, violates the Xbox LIVE terms of use, will void their warranty and result in a ban from Xbox LIVE. The health of the video game business depends on customers paying for the genuine products and services they receive from manufacturers, retailers, and the third parties that support them. This would also be a good time to remind you that the warranty on an Xbox 360 console is not transferrable and if you purchase a used console that has been previously banned, you will not be able to connect to Xbox LIVE.
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While the 'banhammer' went quiet since last Friday's wave, it looks like Microsoft is banning users again today as reported by users on our forums and IRC.