Retaking Ownership of Your XBox 360 Console

What if you bought a new car and then found out that it could use only one brand of gasoline? And worse, that the car itself monitored what kind of gas you used and reported any attempt to use non-authorized gasoline to the car manufacturer who'd then disabled your car from working? No one would accept that. But that is exactly the situation XBox owners find themselves in. Even completely legal XBox 360 games download is made impossible because the XBox will not accept anything but Microsoft media for games, and the XBox Live service may simply disable and ban your XBox if it detects what Microsoft considers illegal use.

However, it is completely legal to make backup copies of XBox software or XBox 360 movies you bought. So if you download XBox 360 games in order to have an XBox backup, you ought to be able to do that. Unfortunately, Microsoft's paranoia keeps that from happening unless you know the secrets of getting around the roadblocks Microsoft used to make it impossible for you, as the owner, to protect your own property.

In order to do so, realize that the XBox 360 is really just a regular PC that Microsoft locked up for more than copy protection reasons. They also did it because gaming consoles must be totally standardized so they can run every game ever made for the platform. Nothing wrong with that. There is, in fact, a sanctioned software development kit for homebrew programmers, but it still relies on the locked XBox hardware. There are ways to get into the machine and run emulators and other software, but the big problem is the optical drive that's locked via XBox 360 firmware.

So what it all boils down to is that the drive in the 360 must be reflashed, and that is not trivial. It requires opening the console, so at the very least you should be fairly computer-savvy and able to deal with hardware and command line software. That's because in order to flash the DVD drive you need to use a Serial ATA (SATA) interface with just the right chipset for the brand and model of the drive in your XBox (it can be one of several models used). You also need a DVD burned with particular capabilities. Then you need the proper software to for the DVD drive in your XBox, and that again is something that may be protected.

It can all be done, and there are sites that tell how to do it. They also act as information clearinghouses for such matters, helping people protect their investment in expensive games. When looking for such sites, make sure to find one that offers Xbox 360 firmware, emulation, and Xbox 360 game downloads, as well as a 100% satisfaction guarantee. The most reputable sites usually include the option of a lifetime membership, and provide you with customized backup and burning software. They'll give you step-by-step tutorials, guidance, video, and downloads.

Chris Robertson is an author of Majon International, one of the worlds MOST popular internet marketing companies on the web.
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The Significance of Online Gaming Communities

The world of online gaming is basically all about community. Gaming has gained such popularity that it could now be considered as practically mandatory. Being great and skilled at playing these video games gives individuals several social benefits. Gaming communities have proven to be powerful, profitable, and at the same time, very fragile. Based on studies and research conducted, gaming has become one of fastest growing in the entertainment sector. It has surpassed the achievements of full-length feature films, revenue-wise. Gaming is truly a social activity and the mere act of playing games has been directly linked in the establishment of relationships as well as social hierarchies throughout history.

Games could be engrossing for many different reasons. Online games or video games are those that could be played over some kind of computer networking system, often the Internet itself. These online games could range from the simple text-based computer games to those games that incorporate complex computer graphics with virtual worlds that are populated by a lot of players simultaneously. A lot of the video games today have their own associated online communities and these make online gaming a true social activity that goes beyond the single player games.

Online gaming has really made it mark, being an innovative feature of the Internet which would surely be staying and developing in the many, many years to come. In the past, only those who were willing to spend expensive fees and put up with a hard setup process made up online gaming communities. Today, though, a lot of people are getting into, even the younger generation, which raises some negative implications as well on its effect on kids.

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