The OLED PVM has been calibrated. Special thanks to @consolemods.org and his ColorMunki!

Time for some post game expo CoD zombies in 3D!

It's a PVM party!

I will be at www.torontogameexpo.ca tomorrow and sunday with Xlink Kai cards, Insignia and ConsoleMods.org stickers as well as Xbox Skeleton Keys to give away!

Console 4138****0202 just uploaded what looks like the Phantasy Star Online Japan Beta: Central Dome Fire Swirl DLC Thank you XCAT users. Every drive you scan makes a difference! consolemods.org/XCAT The beta DLC has a different icon for the MSdash too.

Just had our best DLC find ever thanks to andr0 of Team Resurgent!

Quote of the day right here!

Squibbus@squibbus.gay · 4w ago

they should give me $56k to buy up a bunch of original xboxes so i can dump their hard drives for any unpreserved DLCs before dkoldies gets to them

A bit bigger general update on XCAT finds and general status: www.reddit.com/r/originalxb...

From the originalxbox community on Reddit

Explore this post and more from the originalxbox community

reddit.com

Harcroft@harcroft.ca · 4w ago

11 Original Xboxes were purchased in Japan to our man in country, hardly. So far we've found all 5 missing Soldier of Fortune II: Double Helix DLCs and the critical Crimson Skies Update 2 from Japan/Asia. All files have been shared with Rocky5 and Insignia for distribution! consolemods.org/XCAT

11 Original Xboxes were purchased in Japan to our man in country, hardly. So far we've found all 5 missing Soldier of Fortune II: Double Helix DLCs and the critical Crimson Skies Update 2 from Japan/Asia. All files have been shared with Rocky5 and Insignia for distribution! consolemods.org/XCAT

August 8th a PAL region Xbox console, serial 4052****1605 uploaded the 2 missing DLCs for SWAT: Global Strike Team to the XCAT database. That title is now fully archived! The DLC will be shared with Rocky5's downloader and Insignia. Thank you XCATters! consolemods.org/XCAT

We have Starcraft Ghost!

I will be at a small game swap in Hamilton, ON today with an OpenXHD demo system with side by side dual analog+OpenXHD HDMI video out, S/PDIF over mini TOSLink audio out, and debug into on screen from the OpenXHD itself. Come buy some games and see the difference an all digital solution makes!

Outputting HDMI is one thing, but doing it *correctly* is another thing entirely, and how do you know you've done it correctly? By building yet another board! This is our "test sink" which receives an HDMI signal, decodes it, and displays info about the incoming video stream and metadata.

Video mode switching demo using Evox M8+ bios which has stock 5838 BIOS video modes. Captured using a dual input Datapath VisionAV-HD scaled to 1280x720 with OBS. OpenXHD top, YPbPr through a THS7376IPWR video amp bottom. We aim to be BIOS agnostic so you can use your favorite bios.

When working out the kinks in handling the pixel bus clock things went a bit off the rails. Don't worry, we fixed it :)

The firmware dev guys working behind the scenes on OpenXHD are incredibly smart.

OpenXHD@openxhd.org · 6mo ago

One of the biggest challenges early on in firmware development was 1.6 support (there is no datasheet for the proprietary Xcalibur encoder). We used a homebrew app to cycle through all possible video modes with a logic analyzer hooked up the SMBus interface. Worth noting there are over 100 modes!

I was unable to find 2 sources for the exact 3.5mm port we are using. I was able to find two entirely different parts that I could make fit in the same footprint from different suppliers The cost of just the combo port was over $6 CAD while the cost of the LED and 3.5mm TRRS port is roughly 50c CAD

OpenXHD@openxhd.org · 6mo ago

Early in the design process we wanted more I/O on OpenXHD. A 3.5mm jack and TOSlink port would not fit next to the HDMI port, so we started with a combo 3.5mm TRS/Mini TOSlink port. That was quickly replaced with a 3.5mm TRRS jack and a red LED firing at the back end of it for mini TOSlink S/PDIF.

Iterating gets expensive. This isn't even the final form! Also thicc traces do not save lives.

OpenXHD@openxhd.org · 6mo ago

Early in the project we decided to migrate from Ryzee119's 20 pin flex cable design, to the standard 24 pin connection the community was already using. This is from mid 2024 using a very early flex cable with overly thick and too densely packed traces causing pixel bus crosstalk. < HDMI | YPbPr >

I used up 1/2 of the 500g spool of the orange basic PLA that came bundled with my current 3D printer on iterating on these. The standoffs may see further imrpovements, but the current 3mm and 12mm models are functional. The original AV port plug was designed by EqUiNoX improved by EMAXX.

OpenXHD@openxhd.org · 6mo ago

After many iterations and testing we have settled on a 12mm riser above the AV port screw mounts for users who want to install OpenXHD and keep their AV port. These and other 3D models will be available for free when OpenXHD releases. The "Sidequest Prototype" flexes are for an upcoming project...

I have been hard at work getting a final round of hardware out as Clegg polishes the firmware.

OpenXHD@openxhd.org · 6mo ago

Preview boards and installation kits are being prepared and sent out to firmware developers and testers.

XCAT news! Our last find was almost 2 months ago. Console 2051****3402 found the last missing roster update for ESPN NBA Basketball (2K4) NTSC. All DLC for this game is now archived and is available on Rocky5's downloader. consolemods.org/XCAT Please keep on XCATing!

XCAT

Xbox Content Archive Tool (XCAT) is a utility that runs directly on an Xbox console to assist in finding unarchived DLC and other lost content. When the application is run, It will scan the Xbox hard ...

consolemods.org

The crazy things that show up at local retro gaming stores. (these are two different consoles)

Does anyone have the capability and consoles to take very high res shots of original Xbox motherboards? We're looking for the level of resolution of the wonderful shots @jft-jnftech.bsky.social took of Xbox 360 motherboards ("Image" section next to each model) consolemods.org/wiki/Xbox_36...

Fixed my oscilloscope tonight and played with some vector stuff. Managed to adapt a vector brick breaker sample to use a 360 controller.

New XCAT finds for march! Console 4262****4402 uploaded the oldest RF update from Spinter Cell Pandora Tomorrow on the 15th. Console 3043****5102 uploaded the final Mechassault update from Japan last night. XCAT is kicking butt preserving OG Xbox Live history! Keep on XCATing! consolemods.org/XCAT

www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKyV... We are still making progress. Things are looking good!

Halo 2 test OpenXHD RC2 Test

YouTube video by OGXHarcroft

youtube.com

The first XCAT find of 2026 is here! Console 2156****4105 uploaded the Italian update 4 for Halo 2 from an 80gb Maxtor HDD. The last find was Halo 2 Japanese update 5 in December. XCAT is preserving the history of Xbox Live. Please run it even on old HDD upgraded consoles. consolemods.org/XCAT

Happy New Year! To go with the recent Hardware update, I have an update from the OpenXHD firmware dev team for you. Thank you Clegg and everyone else on the dev team for your hard work! I also spent the last week reorganizing some hardware for an easier to hand assemble layout for the new board.

Merry Christmas Xbox fans! It has been two very challenging years, but work continues on the OpenXHD project. Hardware is complete, pending updates from the FW dev team. Speaking of which, there is a FW dev team! Things are moving along quicky now and I will have more news for you soon!

I got cozy and wrote some homebrew for Xbox-Scene's Modfest 2025! This is a simple app that lets you set your Xbox 360's clock past 2025. I learned a lot and even documented a couple SMC commands on Free60 wiki. Get it on ConsoleMods or the Homebrew Store! consolemods.org/wiki/Xbox_36...