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Microsoft Xbox

Microsoft's first entry into the video game hardware market. The Xbox has reached moderate success worldwide but at a heavy cost. Though popular in the US, sales in japan have been lackluster. By following these instructions, the Xbox can relatively easily be modified to run Xbox Media Center (XBMC), media software able to play and stream audio, video, and photos. In 2005 the Xbox was succeeded by the Xbox 360.

Microsoft Xbox w/ Controller
MSRP $149.00
Release date November, 2001
Brand Microsoft
love it
want it
have it
tag it
Pros & Cons12
Reviews26
Details
Buy It
Competitors3
Comments2
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Pros & Cons

ProSCORE
26 reviews
74
negative
mixed
positive
18 positive
3 mixed
5 negative

[i] How is the ProSCORE calculated?

show me!

Pros:
Do you agree?
•
Can be easily softmodded to run XBMC.
+12agreedisagree

•
Significantly cheaper than current generation of consoles.
+10agreedisagree

•
Xbox Live trumped the competition's alternative online systems.
+8agreedisagree

•
Games cheap now, second hand or some unused around the net
+8agreedisagree

•
Can always be used as a Media Centre as it's easy to rip CDs
+7agreedisagree

•
Was some playable titles when it was in its peak
+6agreedisagree

•
Huge backlog of exclusive games (Halo, Ninja Gaiden, Star Wars KOTOR)
+5agreedisagree

•
You can mod this big black b**** and make it run XBMC.
+4agreedisagree

Cons:
Do you agree?
•
Outdated and unsupported in favour of Xbox 360.
+13agreedisagree

•
Never going to be a new game made
+3agreedisagree

•
Prone to hardware malfunctions
0agreedisagree

•
Looks ugly and big
-2agreedisagree


26 people added to this review by submitting or voting on pros and cons. Add your say!
See individual votes »

Details

Submit a link

Articles

• How to Go from Xbox to Xbox Media Center in 30 minutes

written by Erik Jul 12, 06

• Original Xbox gems that got passed over

written by Omar Sep 13, 06

• Xbox Media Center Installation FAQ

written by Omar Mar 3, 08

• How to watch YouTube on your TV

written by Erik Jan 26, 07

• Xbox Portable?

written by starbuck93 Sep 14, 06

• Xbox Mods

written by nuttylogic729 Aug 16, 06

• ATA HARD DRIVES = NOT HOT SWAPPABLE

written by mistersleuth337 Jul 11, 06

Discussions

• Xbox Live with XBMC mod

last post by 000e3 Jul 29, 06

• Help with live/XBMC

last post by KIVASWOLVES Feb 26, 06

• Help with setting up XBMC

last post by medparadise Sep 19, 06

• windows vista

last post by Omar Nov 14, 07

• workgroup not found

last post by Curious101 Jul 28, 06

• Upgrading to latest version of XBMC.

last post by techaholic Apr 10, 07

• unable to open run linux

last post by wes420 Feb 23, 07

• xbox HDD to xbox 360

last post by Igotno Feb 22, 07

• Help with thumbnails IMDB

last post by yellop Jan 26, 07

• softmodded want to A) upgrade 250 gig hd B) Browse the internet

last post by IMOD4FUN Apr 4, 06

• im not a pro at dis.

last post by IMOD4FUN Jan 24, 07

• Xbox media center- USB Devices pleese comment if you can

last post by pooopface Jan 18, 07

• Can I go from xbox to xbmc with any hardware preparation?

last post by Erik Dec 18, 06

• Installing XBMC = no more hard drive game play ?

last post by musashi22 Dec 16, 06

• games

last post by ccolanto Dec 13, 06

• I am confused with both backups and emus

last post by gdog05 Nov 13, 06

• xbmc 1.1.0

last post by chromedevil Nov 12, 06

• Softmod no longer loads

last post by penn919 Oct 24, 06

• XBMC : how do you use splinter cell to softmod ?

last post by sassysasquatch153 Oct 24, 06

• XBMC : can i play cdr/cdrw with an .avi files writen on it ?

last post by Erik Oct 18, 06

• do you need a "action replay" to do this?

last post by sassysasquatch153 Oct 16, 06

• XBMC recovery disc for anyone who wipes there dashboard

last post by crazylancelot883 Oct 1, 06

• accessing ftp xbox hard drive from internet

last post by cybercondor437 Apr 14, 06

• Pleese Help me figure this out

last post by grumpywolf284 Jul 20, 06

• The auto installer deluxe v3.2

last post by Omar Jul 31, 06

• XBMC with auto installer deluxe.

last post by Omar Jul 29, 06

• RIP Xbox

last post by Amanie Jul 28, 06

• Do i have to use action replay

last post by Erik Jul 20, 06

• Problem upgrading

last post by Erik Jul 20, 06

• XBMC using a game adapter

last post by Omar Jun 26, 06

• Problem with the TORRENT file!!?!!?!!?

last post by Omar Jun 26, 06

• Xbox media center mod

last post by Erik Jun 23, 06

• Where can I download all the xbox emulators?

last post by Erik Jun 23, 06

• Will I have a problem?

last post by Erik Jun 23, 06

• How to change static IP in MXM Dashboard

last post by Erik May 23, 06

• Ok so now when i backup dvd's....

last post by voodoobubbles829 Apr 21, 06

• did the softmod now adding a 320 gig hdd

last post by Omar Apr 8, 06

• this is the only article that makes any sense on upgrading to the specific hard drive I have

last post by sololicious897 Apr 7, 06

• softmod audio issue?

last post by Erik Apr 7, 06

• Hard Drive upgrade

last post by sololicious897 Apr 6, 06

• Umm... no /e/dashboard?

last post by Erik Mar 25, 06

• A few questions..

last post by Omar Mar 13, 06

• Just installed it. Initial Observations.

last post by voodooorama721 Mar 12, 06

• SMB to XBox

last post by Erik Mar 8, 06

• Streaming and iTunes

last post by rsp1976 Mar 7, 06

• Will this mod make it a PVR

last post by Omar Mar 3, 06

• Emulators on XBMC

last post by cybersphinx452 Mar 3, 06

• Does this mod change the BIOS?

last post by Erik Mar 2, 06

• Previously modded xbox

last post by Erik Mar 2, 06

• New Scripts in XBMC

last post by Omar Feb 27, 06

• Xbox Live Not Working/Network Config

last post by Erik Feb 25, 06

• DVD 2 Xbox?

last post by jake0800 Feb 25, 06

• Is this vague or is it me.

last post by Omar Feb 23, 06

• MechAssault Part No. Question

last post by uberwolf253 Feb 23, 06

• Original Mech Assault game

last post by Omar Feb 23, 06

• espa?ol

last post by skycool742 Feb 22, 06

• Help with mod

last post by Erik Feb 22, 06

• Could anyone get me the AS drivers?

last post by cyberwolf293 Feb 19, 06

• Alternative to IRC

last post by Erik Feb 18, 06

• avis XBox

last post by whimsicallemming584 Feb 16, 06

This report was started November 26, 2005 at 12:52 am by Omar
with the last edit occurring October 22, 2009 at 6:42 pm by Phil Ya
This page has been viewed 9956 times, with 230 edits by 43 contributors.
See the full report history »

Buy It

Competitors

Microsoft Xbox is ranked 2nd among it's competitors.  See the top picks in Game Consoles »
Sony Playstation 2

Sony Playstation 2

MSRP  $99.00    Released  October, 2000
Pros
  • Backwards compatible with original Playstation (PSX) games
  • Built-in DVD movie player
  • Still supported by Sony even though the PS3 is out.
Cons
  • No 4-player out of the box
  • The dual-shock controller layout has the analog stick thrown in as an afterthought; a redesign of the controller would have helped
  • Underpowered compared to the the Xbox and the GameCube
ProSCORE
28 reviews
78
Vote! (14 votes)
vote Microsoft Xbox 43% vs. vote Sony Playstation 2 57%
Sega Dreamcast

Sega Dreamcast

MSRP  $100.00    Released  September, 1999
Pros
  • Can play burned games without a modchip
  • A wealth of homebrew software is available
  • One of the first systems to offer online gameplay
Cons
  • Died too early
  • Overshadowed by the hype of the PS2
  • Controller has an awkward design
ProSCORE
17 reviews
84
Vote! (5 votes)
vote Microsoft Xbox 60% vs. vote Sega Dreamcast 40%
Nintendo Gamecube

Nintendo Gamecube

MSRP  $99.00    Released  November, 2001
Pros
  • Very short loading times
  • Easy and cheap to mod
  • Top notch Nintendo games
Cons
  • No longer supported by Nintendo
  • Only two online games
  • Some versions have unreliable optics and will die after several months.
ProSCORE
19 reviews
67
Vote! (8 votes)
vote Microsoft Xbox 62% vs. vote Nintendo Gamecube 38%

Suggest a new competitor to add to the list of competing products.
If the product hasn't yet been added to ProductWiki, submitting it here will also start the product report.

Comments

43 taps
show more
1.  avatar dialupinternetuser said:

I bought this for Halo 2. And it ended up being one of the best purchases ever because of XBMC. And caused me to buy a 360 for Halo 3. Which got me into Xbox Live. Microsoft just keeps taking my money.
Feb 21, 2009 8:41pm
2.  avatar drl1989 said:

I had a lot of fun with my Xbox, even though I was initially sceptical. Unfortunately it ran into a lot of disc-reading problems a couple years after I got it. This may have been because I got it pretty much when it first came out, before Microsoft could fix some of the bugs with the first editions. It would have been fantastic to have an extra year or two with it - I missed out on Halo 2 by a couple of months.

Thus from my own experience, I give the Xbox two thumbs up as a console, but warn that there could be hardware problems.
Jul 21, 2009 3:37pm
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Reviews

Sort by: Most helpful  •  Newest  •  Most positive

pcroker

avatar
July 24, 2009
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
80
negative
mixed
positive
8 pros
2 cons

Pros

  • Can be easily softmodded to run XBMC.
  • Significantly cheaper than current generation of consoles.
  • Xbox Live trumped the competition's alternative online systems.
  • Games cheap now, second hand or some unused around the net
  • Can always be used as a Media Centre as it's easy to rip CDs
  • Was some playable titles when it was in its peak
  • Huge backlog of exclusive games (Halo, Ninja Gaiden, Star Wars KOTOR)
  • You can mod this big black b**** and make it run XBMC.

Cons

  • Outdated and unsupported in favour of Xbox 360.
  • Never going to be a new game made

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

Elk

avatar
May 14, 2009
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
70
negative
mixed
positive
7 pros
3 cons
love itlove it
have ithave it

Pros

  • Can be easily softmodded to run XBMC.
  • Significantly cheaper than current generation of consoles.
  • Xbox Live trumped the competition's alternative online systems.
  • Games cheap now, second hand or some unused around the net
  • Can always be used as a Media Centre as it's easy to rip CDs
  • Was some playable titles when it was in its peak
  • Huge backlog of exclusive games (Halo, Ninja Gaiden, Star Wars KOTOR)

Cons

  • Outdated and unsupported in favour of Xbox 360.
  • Never going to be a new game made
  • Looks ugly and big

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

Emanuel

avatar
October 15, 2009
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
100
negative
mixed
positive
8 pros
0 cons
have ithave it
love itlove it

Pros

  • Can be easily softmodded to run XBMC.
  • Significantly cheaper than current generation of consoles.
  • Xbox Live trumped the competition's alternative online systems.
  • Games cheap now, second hand or some unused around the net
  • Can always be used as a Media Centre as it's easy to rip CDs
  • Was some playable titles when it was in its peak
  • Huge backlog of exclusive games (Halo, Ninja Gaiden, Star Wars KOTOR)
  • You can mod this big black b**** and make it run XBMC.

Cons

Did not agree with any cons

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

justafire

avatar
March 3, 2009
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
88
negative
mixed
positive
7 pros
1 con
have ithave it
love itlove it

Pros

  • Can be easily softmodded to run XBMC.
  • Significantly cheaper than current generation of consoles.
  • Xbox Live trumped the competition's alternative online systems.
  • Games cheap now, second hand or some unused around the net
  • Can always be used as a Media Centre as it's easy to rip CDs
  • Was some playable titles when it was in its peak
  • Huge backlog of exclusive games (Halo, Ninja Gaiden, Star Wars KOTOR)

Cons

  • Outdated and unsupported in favour of Xbox 360.

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

dialupinternetuser

avatar
February 21, 2009
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
75
negative
mixed
positive
6 pros
2 cons
love itlove it
have ithave it

Pros

  • Can be easily softmodded to run XBMC.
  • Significantly cheaper than current generation of consoles.
  • Xbox Live trumped the competition's alternative online systems.
  • Games cheap now, second hand or some unused around the net
  • Was some playable titles when it was in its peak
  • Huge backlog of exclusive games (Halo, Ninja Gaiden, Star Wars KOTOR)

Cons

  • Outdated and unsupported in favour of Xbox 360.
  • Never going to be a new game made

Comments

"I bought this for Halo 2. And it ended up being one of the best purchases ever because of XBMC. And caused me to buy a 360 for Halo 3. Which got me into Xbox Live. Microsoft just keeps taking my money."

Competitors

dialupinternetuser prefers Microsoft Xbox over Sony Playstation 2, Nintendo Gamecube, Sega Dreamcast
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

shadowtech

avatar
March 31, 2009
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
100
negative
mixed
positive
5 pros
0 cons

Pros

  • Can be easily softmodded to run XBMC.
  • Significantly cheaper than current generation of consoles.
  • Xbox Live trumped the competition's alternative online systems.
  • Can always be used as a Media Centre as it's easy to rip CDs
  • Huge backlog of exclusive games (Halo, Ninja Gaiden, Star Wars KOTOR)

Cons

Did not agree with any cons

Competitors

shadowtech prefers Sony Playstation 2 over Microsoft Xbox
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

8leanne4

avatar
January 24, 2009
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
60
negative
mixed
positive
3 pros
2 cons

Pros

  • Games cheap now, second hand or some unused around the net
  • Can always be used as a Media Centre as it's easy to rip CDs
  • Was some playable titles when it was in its peak

Cons

  • Never going to be a new game made
  • Looks ugly and big

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

chsnavi

avatar
August 26, 2009
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
25
negative
mixed
positive
1 pro
3 cons
have ithave it

Pros

  • You can mod this big black b**** and make it run XBMC.

Cons

  • Outdated and unsupported in favour of Xbox 360.
  • Never going to be a new game made
  • Looks ugly and big

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

Gooolay

avatar
April 20, 2009
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
100
negative
mixed
positive
4 pros
0 cons

Pros

  • Can be easily softmodded to run XBMC.
  • Games cheap now, second hand or some unused around the net
  • Can always be used as a Media Centre as it's easy to rip CDs
  • You can mod this big black b**** and make it run XBMC.

Cons

Did not agree with any cons

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

VesNL

avatar
April 16, 2009
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
75
negative
mixed
positive
3 pros
1 con

Pros

  • Can be easily softmodded to run XBMC.
  • Xbox Live trumped the competition's alternative online systems.
  • Can always be used as a Media Centre as it's easy to rip CDs

Cons

  • Outdated and unsupported in favour of Xbox 360.

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No
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