10 top tricks for your Xbox 360

Arjun · September 2008

You may or may not have already seen this one but I'm gonna post it b'cos they are quite good, really:
http://www.techradar.com/news/gaming/consoles/10-things-microsoft-doesn-t-tell-you-your-xbox-360-can-do-464200

Of these the one that most intrigued me was trick #9 - streaming media from the PC to the xbox 360 without requiring a Windows Media Center in any form whatsoever! Worked like a charm!

I was also quite hoping that trick #4 would pan out but it didn't in my case. :( It doesn't detect my console.

Let me know how you get on!

Oh, how about listing your Xbox live id's here so that we can add each others as friends? Mine is 'KnightOrc'.

dm_boozefreek · September 2008

Funny thing is a list of tricks like this being posted up is cool, but you can guarentee if M$ release another console in the future (which no doubt they will due to their insane amount of funds), every trick on the list will be combatted by some suit who rather than exploiting things like this to make money would rather prove a point (which is odd, but M$ have so much cash they can have principles that alienate certain clientel :lol:).

Makes no difference to my life I have never an will never own an M$ console (unless I can pick them up for 10$, then I'd be the idiot for saying no).

polomint · September 2008

Arjun wrote: »

You may or may not have already seen this one but I'm gonna post it b'cos they are quite good, really:
http://www.techradar.com/news/gaming/consoles/10-things-microsoft-doesn-t-tell-you-your-xbox-360-can-do-464200

Of these the one that most intrigued me was trick #9 - streaming media from the PC to the xbox 360 without requiring a Windows Media Center in any form whatsoever! Worked like a charm!

I was also quite hoping that trick #4 would pan out but it didn't in my case. :( It doesn't detect my console.

Let me know how you get on!

Oh, how about listing your Xbox live id's here so that we can add each others as friends? Mine is 'KnightOrc'.

Yeah, TVersity works a treat. Or you can use Vista which connects to the 360 well too.

My ID is polomint77 not got a gold membership yet, dont play on it enuff to warrant one... :)

ToxieDogg · September 2008

Nice :)

My Gamertag's 'TromaDogg' if anybody fancies getting their ass kicked on Duke Nukem 3D :wink:

swordheart · September 2008

Mmm TVersity looks nice, can one of you 360 owners tell me if the xbox is quiet enough to use under my tv and with TVersity stream avi files ffrom my pc ?? also i presum i will be able to use a direct lan link from my pc to xbox 360 ?? now its come down in price for Christmas i might get one :)

polomint · September 2008

You can do all that... But I find that the xbox can be a little loud if you are sitting close to the tv..

sparkes · September 2008

My 360 sounds like a jet taking off but it has a few extra fans installed (and it's still going for it's third repair of the last 18 months) if you just want it for video you are better off with an original xbox (modded) running XBMC. We use ours almost daily.

thx1138 · September 2008

I'm going to do these 10 tricks now, cos I'm bored. I'll blame you if it all goes horribly wrong. :)

Dave Fountain · September 2008

I'd like to see the Xbox 360 do a trick that would seem to be relatively easy but apparently impossible - play a game that doesn't invlove wandering around with a gun shooting people or driving a fast car. Im a little bit more sophisticated than that, see?

Arjun · September 2008

swordheart wrote: »

Mmm TVersity looks nice, can one of you 360 owners tell me if the xbox is quiet enough to use under my tv and with TVersity stream avi files ffrom my pc ?? also i presum i will be able to use a direct lan link from my pc to xbox 360 ?? now its come down in price for Christmas i might get one :)

I have a Halo 3 special edition console and even though it doesn't have a new fangled Falcon motherboard in it (it has the older version I believe), it runs quite quietly and I have watched tons of movies on it and played quite a few songs and games on it as well. The problems with the loud dvd drive was in the older generation of xbox's I believe and the new ones should be much more quieter. In other words, don't worry about it. :)

You can use a direct lan link I think. I'm using a wireless bridge but there is no problem in streaming at all!

Fudgepacker wrote: »

I'd like to see the Xbox 360 do a trick that would seem to be relatively easy but apparently impossible - play a game that doesn't invlove wandering around with a gun shooting people or driving a fast car. Im a little bit more sophisticated than that, see?

Tales of Vesperia, Kameo, Oblivion, Assasins Creed, Condemned (although you do shoot people - but not frequently!), Conan, Lord of the Rings - Battle for Middle Earth, Fifa 8/9, etc. Coming soon - Silent Hill, Final Fantasy! And if you factor in Xbox Live Arcade you have Braid, N+, Jet Pac Refuelled, Uno, Mega Man 9, Rez HD, etc...

Yes, the Xbox 360 is primarily a console for the hardcore gamer but that's not to say it doesn't have a decent array of non-FPS games for it. If you're comparing it with the Wii then I would say it's comparing apples and oranges - they (the consoles that is, not the fruits) are targeting two very different audiences.

WhizzBang · September 2008

Arjun wrote: »

The problems with the loud dvd drive was in the older generation of xbox's I believe and the new ones should be much more quieter.

I didn't know they had sorted that out, I bought mine in 2007 and it is stupidly noisy. I might consider giving it away and getting a new one if they carry on dropping in price but I am not sure if I will be allowed to transfer my saves to a new machine. It's a bit annoying though that as an early adopter I am losing out.

I thought the Dreamcast was bad for noise but it could be forgotten once the game had loaded. With my XBox 360, I really cannot bring myself to turn it on anymore and haven't used it in months. I do not like to have my TV on too loud so I find it difficult to understand what anyone is saying if there are no subtitles on the game because of the noise from the Xbox drowning out the noise from the TV. I didn't have a clue what was going on in Halo, I just had to use the pause screen to work out what my objective was for each mission.

I am going to give the 360 a try again in November when the new dashboard comes out that allows you to install games, so it might be a bit quieter then. I wouldn't mind getting back into Oblivion.

Refrenz · October 2008

Fudgepacker wrote: »

I'd like to see the Xbox 360 do a trick that would seem to be relatively easy but apparently impossible - play a game that doesn't invlove wandering around with a gun shooting people or driving a fast car. Im a little bit more sophisticated than that, see?

Try playing some of the games below. Guaranteed no car driving or wandering about shooting people in the face ...

Beautiful Katamari, Viva Pinata games, Marble Blast Ultra, Switchblade, Guitar Hero & Rockband games, Scene it, Skate & all those Tony Hawks skateboarding games, all those sport footie/golf/tennis games, Command & Conquer 3, Civilisation Revolution, Amped, Bully, Eternal Sonata, Lord of the rings:BFME2, Astropop, Bejewelled 2, Zuma, Luxor 2, Braid, Brain Challenge, Catan, Carcassone, Chessmaster, Domino Master, Lumines, Hexic 1&2, Pinball FX, Poker Smash, Puzzle Quest, Ticket to Ride. There are more but I can't be arsed to list them.

Pyjamarama · October 2008

It has lots of JRPGs.
Lost Odyssey,Eternal Sonata,Blue Dragon,Infinite Undiscovery and many more.
Relaxing games with interesting plot.

Oh in a few days Fable 2 comes out...

thx1138 · October 2008

thx1138 wrote: »

I'm going to do these 10 tricks now, cos I'm bored. I'll blame you if it all goes horribly wrong. :)

http://www.360voice.com/tag/thxii38

and my blog is coming on nicely, I mean, my xbox 360' blog is coming on nicely, he writes it not me. :D

Arjun · October 2008

thx1138 wrote: »

and my blog is coming on nicely..

Nice! Can't say the same for mine though... http://www.360voice.com/tag/KnightOrc

deadpan666 · October 2008

You can watch MP4s and WMV files and listen to MP3s on your 360 officially, if you download an additional update from the games section of MArketplace..It's a bit wonky though, and not all my files worked...

Oh, and have mentioned it before, but my Gamertag is Flook666..add me if you want!

beanz · October 2008

Wrap the 360 up in its original packaging and seal it with tape. Gently place the sealed box in the trash can ready for your local pickup.

The look on Ebay and buy a Dreamcast.

ToxieDogg · October 2008

Pyjamarama wrote: »

It has lots of JRPGs.
Lost Odyssey,Eternal Sonata,Blue Dragon,Infinite Undiscovery and many more.
Relaxing games with interesting plot.

Oh in a few days Fable 2 comes out...

Enjoying Fable 2 immensely so far, bought a decent rifle from the blacksmith in Bowerstone and have enjoyed wandering aroung shooting random villagers.

Oh, the irony :lol:

Arjun · October 2008

I've ordered Dead Space. I'm in the mood for some survival horror. However, considering Condemned 2 has freaked me out so much that I think twice before playing, I wonder if that's a good thing. ;)

GreenCard · October 2008

Arjun wrote: »

I've ordered Dead Space. I'm in the mood for some survival horror. However, considering Condemned 2 has freaked me out so much that I think twice before playing, I wonder if that's a good thing. ;)

I picked up a copy of an old-ish game, The Darkness, for ?5 the other day. Never played it before, it's bloody good. Not survival horror as such, but it is horror... Seriously good, gory fun. Give it a try if you haven't already.

Arjun · October 2008

GreenCard wrote: »

I picked up a copy of an old-ish game, The Darkness, for ?5 the other day. Never played it before, it's bloody good. Not survival horror as such, but it is horror... Seriously good, gory fun. Give it a try if you haven't already.

Oh yes, played that and while it's pretty good but I got bogged down in one of the sections and never got around to clearing it. Must try it again someday...

I loved the bit where you could actually sit down on the couch and watch "To kill a mocking bird" on the TV! Of course, it's just a novelty touch and nothing more (if I wanted to watch the movie I'd rather rent/buy it and watch it in full DVD quality. ;) ), but it goes a long way in adding depth to the game.

Considering it's made by the people who created Chronicles of Riddick (the game), I'm not surprised by just how refreshing the experience is.

GreenCard · October 2008

Arjun wrote: »

I loved the bit where you could actually sit down on the couch and watch "To kill a mocking bird" on the TV! Of course, it's just a novelty touch and nothing more (if I wanted to watch the movie I'd rather rent/buy it and watch it in full DVD quality. ;) ), but it goes a long way in adding depth to the game.

Yeah, I was fairly gobsmacked by that, too. Later you get to change channels and watch a couple of other films (Man With The Golden Arm, can't remember the other), and some music channels. Superb.

Oh, and having Mike Patton voice The Darkness is also a great touch!!

dm_boozefreek · October 2008

Arjun wrote: »

Considering it's made by the people who created Chronicles of Riddick (the game), I'm not surprised by just how refreshing the experience is.

What? The Chronicles of Ridiculous was a good game?

Could this be a reverso, a good game of a shit film, usually it's the other way round :D

Arjun · October 2008

Apparently, XBox Live will soon have new releases (I believe they'll be of the same high quality as Jetpac Refuelled and Bionic Commando: Rearmed) of Space Invaders, Arkanoid and R-Type! Excellent! Can't get enough of retro action!

Incidentally, anyone playing Fable 2 yet? Wondering if I should go for it or not...

GreenCard · October 2008

Arjun wrote: »

Incidentally, anyone playing Fable 2 yet? Wondering if I should go for it or not...

Not yet. Just watched the GameSpot review, it does look pretty good. Upon looking for that review at YouTube, I came across this... I don't know if it's a fake or a joke or what, but it had me foaming at the mouth for a few minutes!! :D

thx1138 · October 2008

it's high time R-Type was available on live.

I like Jet Pac Refuelled a lot btw

Arjun · October 2008

Fans of platformers should give Braid a go. Seriously. It's a brainy platformer rather than an brawny one to be fair. I found it a refreshing change of pace and it's a well thought out game that had me scratching my head quite a few times. Plus the story is not your standard "Rescue the princess" affair. Actually it is, but not in the manner one expects... The music is moody and top notch too I thought. All in all well worth the 1200 points it's priced at methinks.

Incidentally, I just found that my Transcend all-in-one multi-card reader plugs and plays with the 360! I guess the 360 will accept any sort of windows compatible USB device. Yippee!

mile · October 2008

i just bought an x box 360 at the weekend. nice and cheap from asda. it was cheaper than the wii, so i though fuck it.

anyhoe, i bought far cry 2 and dead space cos they were on the top shelf and there wasn't much else to choose from. really enjoying farcry, its really great to look at and nice and free roaming. played dead space a bit but with the 60hz thing it looks a little blury on my TV, prolly get into it when i get bored of the other.

any other recomendetions for games? (no long lists, as the games are pricey, maybe just a few must haves)

Arjun · October 2008

mile wrote: »

any other recomendetions for games? (no long lists, as the games are pricey, maybe just a few must haves)

Must haves in my book - Call of Duty 4, Bioshock, Oblivion and Gears of War. Maybe Burnout Paradise if you want variety although I prefer Burnout: Revenge myself.

Don't forget to log on to Live Arcade and download some classic retro stuff as well!

Fallout 3 scored 9.6 on IGN. I knew I should have saved up some this month for the slew of AAA games coming out now. :(

mile · October 2008

Arjun wrote: »

Must haves in my book - Call of Duty 4, Bioshock, Oblivion and Gears of War. Maybe Burnout Paradise if you want variety although I prefer Burnout: Revenge myself.

Don't forget to log on to Live Arcade and download some classic retro stuff as well!

Fallout 3 scored 9.6 on IGN. I knew I should have saved up some this month for the slew of AAA games coming out now. :(

i think i will have a look at that fallout 3. thanks for the suggestions.

prolly not going to get on the live thing due to my internet connection and having to pay to play online games, what a rip!

might get fable 2.

and am looking forward to that tom clanys end war thing. and resi evil 5, yay.

GreenCard · October 2008

mile wrote: »

any other recomendetions for games? (no long lists, as the games are pricey, maybe just a few must haves)

GTA IV... it's honestly not as crap as everyone makes out!!

10 top tricks for your Xbox 360

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