Possible To Play Import Games On Xbox Without Chipping?

[bowser123]

Having just read this weeks MCV (it's an industry mag that gets sent to my workplace) and there was an article about Xbox modding. Basically last week people who mod xbox's were lambasted as pirates etc in the mag.

This week the stance of the modder was defended.
One of the areas of defence was that to play import games a chip mod wasn't needed, just a copy of Mech Assault and some know how that wasn't elaborated on.

My question is is this statement correct and can you play import games without installing a chip? I realise a chip is the best way to go, but still, I'd prefer the cheapest option as I'm only a casual user of my Xbox.

[DaiSuki]

I guess it's something to do with this... the upshot of a competition to get Linux running on an unmodded box.

But it doesn't sound like a particularly easy method to me, I got to be honest

[tankplanker]

I guess they are talking about the mech assault save game expliot (there is also one for nightfire), where if you load a specially tampered save game via a memory card you can run unsigned code, such as the evox dashboard, or pirated games.

You can even use this method to flash the onboard BIOS (you used to need to solder a couple of points together, not sure if this is required anymore) to make it a permient chipped xbox - obviously there is no retail xbox bios to switch back to (you could back it up, then re upload it afterwards)

I guess they are suggesting that you could run the enigma (sp) region select app and switch to NTSC or PAL depending on your requirements. I can't see how you could run a retail disk as it would require a reboot to work, and the reboot would remove the expliot - I could be wrong on this, never used the expliot to do this.

[Halo]

If you meant this rant on the letters page, that's mine.

If you have a relatively old box, check the Xbox Scene forums for details. Basically, you need you put a certain save game onto a memory card, and then load it up in the game. You can then install the exploit of choice automagically. You can set it up so you put in an audio CD, try to copy it and it loads up your dashboard of choice.

You can't go on Live! with this though, and it doesn't work with recent Xboxes.

[bowser123]

Cheers for that guys.
Sounds confusing!

Gonna give it a try...

[steve_dynamic]

There are some games which don't have any Region protection such as Morrowind.

Is there a website which lists non-region protected games for the XBox?

[VR46]

Someone started a thread listing region free games in the General Gaming or Videogames Q & A topics,

[charlesr]

Link is in the FAQ sticky topic http://ntsc-uk.domino.org/viewtopic.php?p=220119

[will2003]

If you meant this rant on the letters page, that's mine.

Amen to that

Couldn't have put it better myself.

[Papercut]

If you meant this rant on the letters page, that's mine.

Good work! 8)

Do you have a scan of the original article? Sounds like they 'surveyed' a thread about Xbox modding on an import forum...

[JCL]

Someone started a thread listing region free games in the General Gaming or Videogames Q & A topics,

That would be me. Morrowind isn't region free apparently.

This is the list so far:

Return to Castle Wolfenstein
Rainbow Six 3
Mech Assault
Unreal Championship
Carve
Splinter Cell : Pandora Tomorrow

[Brats]

Papercut, here you go. The original thread where 'Special Kid' asked people for their opinions on modded XBoxs on RLLMUK has been deleted (by Special Kid ).

BTW, well done Halo . Thanks for taking the time to spell out what we were all thinking.

[Papercut]

Papercut, here you go. The original thread where 'Special Kid' asked people for their opinions on modded XBoxs on RLLMUK has been deleted (by Special Kid ).

What a crappy, ignorant, misleading bit of journalism that is.

I'm glad Halo's response warranted more column inches, and presented a learned, well argued case.

[bowser123]

Indeed. I read the original article and frankly was left scratching my head. The follow up letter was far better wrote and much fairer.

I had no idea it was wrote by somebody on here until Halo popped up and said it was his. Go Halo!

[Papercut]

Huzzah!

Seriously Halo, good work _indeed_.