X-box mod for Mame help (Also Best Console Game Ports)

[ark_ader]

Use .84 Roms.

Copy over your set to the DVD.

You shouldn't have to convert anything, if you have followed my advice recently. 

Make sure you put Dragon's lair on that Xbox too via DaphneX and use the DVD for the M2V/OGG.

I would look at getting a DVD of your roms stored on the DVD for everything, as you are using a stock drive, but get a compatible 500gb PATA as soon as you can. Remember you can use SAMBA over your network/NAS.

[jukingeo]

Use .84 Roms.

Copy over your set to the DVD.

Had I realized that AID only took up half the DVD-R, I WOULD have done that.  It is just that I am so used to burning CD-R's and I know that the capacity of a disc is about 700mb.   I wasn't sure about DVD-Rs...and I was way off the mark.  I thought it was perhaps 2 gig or so....WRONG!  Over FOUR gig.   ...And of course I found that out AFTER I burned the AID disc.

But the good news is that I have been successfully accessing that AID disc...so my Memorex discs should work.  So I always could burn another one with the Mame .84 roms and screen shots (etc) for safe keeping.

You shouldn't have to convert anything, if you have followed my advice recently. 

Oh, you were referring to the websites that you PM'ed me?  Well, I had thought of just redownloading the sets when I saw those, but the Rapidshare kept giving me the "I am full, come back later" message and therefore, I couldn't download from there.   The other website has a MameOX download with over 1000 roms, but that download was in three parts and each part was a 6 hour download.  Naturally I said to myself, "there has to be a better way".  And that was when I remembered about clrmamepro...but just forgot the name.

Make sure you put Dragon's lair on that Xbox too via DaphneX and use the DVD for the M2V/OGG.

I know I am probably going to get flamed for this and I know that you are going to find this weird coming from a classic gamer such as myself, but I really never liked Dragon's Lair or Space Ace.  (Yes, that is correct, you read right and you are NOT seeing things).   I remember when those games came out, (being a product of the Gen X generation myself).  The games were too hard to control and whatever control that you DID had was very limited.  I will say that I actually enjoyed watching the two games more than playing them.  I never understood the hype behind the games outside of the fact that they were a limited control cartoon 'movie'.  Yet, many people loved the games.  I just didn't.

Since I been into Mame and emulation, Dragon's Lair has NEVER set file footprint on any of my machines...and it is probably going to stay that way.  (From what I gather, they aren't easy to set up on a computer either).

I would look at getting a DVD of your roms stored on the DVD for everything, as you are using a stock drive, but get a compatible 500gb PATA as soon as you can.

For the Mame Xbox I am going to keep the stock drive, as I really don't need a large drive.  However, for the XBMC Xbox, yeah, that one will need a bigger drive.

Remember you can use SAMBA over your network/NAS.

What are the advantages of Samba over FileZilla?

Thanx,

Geo

[DJ_Izumi]

For the Mame Xbox I am going to keep the stock drive, as I really don't need a large drive.  However, for the XBMC Xbox, yeah, that one will need a bigger drive.

To get stuff on the hard drive for XBMC you have to FTP it over.  I really don't find it convienent.  What XBMC can also do is access media shared on shared folders as if they were right on it.  I find it a million times easier to just have folders on my desktop, specfically for sorted media, for the Xbox to access remotely.

[jukingeo]

Hello guys,

Ok, I believe I managed to get the necessary .84 roms over to the "roms" folder in CoinOPs Reignite 5.  However, there is no change on the main screen which shows the coin ops logo and the favorites list button.  If I try to click on any button on the controller, nothing happens either.  In order to get out of CoinOPS I have to reboot the Xbox.  Thus it is safe to say that something is wrong as CoinOPs doesn't see the roms and it is hanging.

I tried to look up some info in regards to this issue, but there is very little documentation in regards to the CoinOPS series.

Edit: Oh!  I forgot to mention that I DID load up MameOX and the roms DO work with that...however the interface for MameOX is kind of BLAH!  So I would like to get CoinOPs running.

Thanx,

Geo

[ark_ader]

I just got the low quality xmv movies for the entire set, and it plays very well with CoinOPS.  I also downloaded and converted the ambient arcade sounds and they now play on it as well.

The package is turning out to be a great opportunity for those who like to create cabinets, just to stick a cheap xbox in there.  I managed to get the 720p working on CoinOPS and it just gets better and better.

If it was just for the spinner functionality (erratic at the moment) I would do away with the PC entirely.

Just have to convince the developers to bring out CoinOPS with the OpenXDK so it can be compliant.

[jukingeo]

I just got the low quality xmv movies for the entire set, and it plays very well with CoinOPS.  I also downloaded and converted the ambient arcade sounds and they now play on it as well.

But, you have larger hard drive installed right?  I am using the stock drive, so for the most part I will be fine with the still shots.

The package is turning out to be a great opportunity for those who like to create cabinets, just to stick a cheap xbox in there.  I managed to get the 720p working on CoinOPS and it just gets better and better.

I am a bit disappointed that I can't get CoinOPs to work AT ALL.  It fires up to the CoinOPs screen but I don't see the roms and there is no functionality (it hangs), and I have to reboot.

So I have to track down the fellow that created it and perhaps he can give me some assistance.  In the mean time I am going to try one of the older versions and see if I have better luck there.

As of now I have been using the roms from that link you gave me and those roms are working fine within the much older MameOX program.  So the issue with CoinOPs is definitely not the roms.

We will see what I can dig up because I would rather use CoinOPs, it just looks more 'pro'.

Overall though, I am enjoying my experience with the modded Xbox and I DO want to do another one soon.  Last night I wanted to try out some videos in XBMC, but I noticed that there wasn't a designated folder to put the media.  So I am wondering where you put everything.  I DID find the playlist function and I certainly want to test that out as that will be an essential feature for my 'other' Xbox project.

If it was just for the spinner functionality (erratic at the moment) I would do away with the PC entirely.

That is my thinking as well.  When dealing with a PC, I generally had to cobble everything together piece by piece.  Then comes the issue of mounting everything (which isn't too bad if you are dealing with a full size cabinet), and finally you have to buy an expensive keyboard encoder (well you don't have to, but if you want a FULL control set up (or as what is called a Frankenpanel) then you need one).  But for smaller projects such as a cocktail system or a bartop cabinet, the Xbox comes in on a NICE level having everything contained in one convenient box that is much smaller than most PC's.

So you are still having problems with the spinner, huh?  That is a bummer.  Is that also still the case with mouse control?   Because a mouse is really...a trackball!  

I have played games like Arkanoid and Tempest with a trackball before.   It isn't perfect, but it works OK.    I had to laugh because when I playing Arkanoid last night it took me a while to figure out that they mapped the paddle to the analog triggers on the Xbox controller.   The triggers were pretty much on/off, so controlling Arkanoid that way is futile.  So based on those control issues, I know many games will be left out of my project.   But still a good portion can be played.  So I am not really complaining.

BTW, I have come across another "Tiny" alternative (and this will be a separate topic I will post here) to getting a Mame set up into a small space.  I wonder if anyone has ever tried a Mac Mini

Here take a look:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/8131322@N03/485162030/#

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mac_Mini

Believe it or not the cpu cabinet is that little white box next to the monitor and the right speaker.   THAT is even smaller than the XBox!  They make Mame for the Mac right?

EDIT:

Answered my own question:

http://mameosx.sourceforge.net/

YES!  THEY DO!

Just have to convince the developers to bring out CoinOPS with the OpenXDK so it can be compliant.

So it is the lack of this OpenXDK that is giving the trouble with reading things like trackballs and spinners?

Thanx,

Geo

[ark_ader]

You have to scan for the roms in CoinOPS - which version are you using?  You have to copy Tdata and Udata to the E drive.  You should be using R5 Showcase.  With The Stock drive you should be able to fit everything.  I only have 30 roms installed that I play regularly.  I consider that enough.

Have a look at Final Burn Legends.

The videos in XBMC I tend to stream from my NAS.  I just have to map the drive in XBMC and you can configure it in the scripts to launch directly from movies/Videos or Emulators.  I'm using the final build of XBMC and I have to say I am impressed.  I have another soft modded Xbox just for XBMC + remote and it streams very well.  I can also stream roms from the various emulators except CoinOPS.  I doesn't quite work properly, which is a shame.

Mac Mini is pointless.  If you want to build a mini-Mame - I build Sub-Mini cabinets with old Laptops.  The smallest one being 12x5 inches, which reminds me that I have yet to finish that Dragon's Lair Sub Mini and my Ark_Ade Mini.......

I'm known as the master procrastinator when it comes to finishing these builds.  I wonder if I could squeeze the xbox in the DL....

Has anyone shelled a Xbox for a project?

[jukingeo]

You have to scan for the roms in CoinOPS - which version are you using?  You have to copy Tdata and Udata to the E drive.  You should be using R5 Showcase.  With The Stock drive you should be able to fit everything.  I only have 30 roms installed that I play regularly.  I consider that enough.

Add a zero to that number you have there.  I have about 300 roms total that I 'would' play.  But in terms of the ones I play regularly, most likely less than half that.   That might even be less again in regards to the analog control issues with the Xbox.  Right there would go all your spinner, driver, and trackball games. 

Supposedly I was reading that the Tdata and Udata only applied to the "Ignite" or older versions of CoinOPs and you didn't have to worry about that with the newer versions.  BUT I could have read wrong!

I have CoinOPS ReIgnite R5 on the Xbox right now.

I found out about the scanning thing you mentioned a few minutes ago as well.  I finally broke down and signed up to the 1Emulation.com site, this way I could at least search for some information.  Low and behold I found someone that had the same problem I am having and "scanning" was mentioned.  Last time I checked, I thought coin-ops 'locked up' on me, so I have to double check that again.

Another thing I am trying to find out is that with XBMC on board, I probably don't have to have CoinOPs set up for direct booting...All I have to do is create a shortcut and put that shortcut in the E:Dash <script file> directory and the Xbox should boot up CoinOPs directly.  So while that makes sense to me, I just have to learn how to do it.  So I have been scrounging the XBMC on-line manual to see if I can find out some more info about that.

Have a look at Final Burn Legends.

Is that a game?  I came across that before (in forums) as it sounds familiar.

The videos in XBMC I tend to stream from my NAS.  I just have to map the drive in XBMC and you can configure it in the scripts to launch directly from movies/Videos or Emulators.  I'm using the final build of XBMC and I have to say I am impressed.  I have another soft modded Xbox just for XBMC   remote and it streams very well.  I can also stream roms from the various emulators except CoinOPS.  I doesn't quite work properly, which is a shame.

What I was reading up on was that you could add something called "send2XBMC" on a media file on your PC computer and send, via the network, a stream right into the Xbox's XBMC playlist, or play it live.  I was like WOW!  Now I am seriously interested in that network wireless bridge thing, because if I can stream to the Xbox from the computer, all the while being wireless, then I can set up my entire movie programs using the hard drives on my main computer and then stream to the Xbox!   All in all, that could mean I don't have to update the hard drive on my current Xbox and I could STILL enjoy just about any movie I have on my main system.   Not bad!   But, once again, learning HOW to do it is the trick.

Mac Mini is pointless.  If you want to build a mini-Mame - I build Sub-Mini cabinets with old Laptops.  The smallest one being 12x5 inches, which reminds me that I have yet to finish that Dragon's Lair Sub Mini and my Ark_Ade Mini.......

If the Xbox had the issue of the trackball/spinner straightened out, I wouldn't bother with the Mini Mac either.  It is just something that I came across when looking at 'small computers'.

One thing I did notice while using that component to SVGA adapter on my 2nd computer monitor.  It isn't 100% clear.  The writing is a bit 'fuzzy'.  Also, I had noticed that when playing Asteroids last night that the 'bullet' (shots fired from the spacecraft) pixels were hard to see. So I know I wouldn't be happy using such an adapter on an arcade cabinet.  That is a bummer too, because generally for an arcade cabinet, I would most likely use a computer monitor, so I was hoping that the picture would be clearer on the Xbox.   Perhaps I might be better off with a TV.

I have an S-video TV and the Xbox looks good on that, BUT that TV is also 27"  I could imagine that with a proper RGB 'arcade' monitor, it should look great.  But those are EXPENSIVE!

I'm known as the master procrastinator when it comes to finishing these builds.  I wonder if I could squeeze the xbox in the DL....

I am usually slow when it comes to the actual cabinet building.  I am not the greatest with woodworking.  But with the Xbox, set up should be pretty quick.  It is amazing what you can do with that little black box!  I still have to get out and get another one because I KNOW I will not have enough on ONE!

Anyway, I will try that "scan" out in CoinOps and report back.

Thanx,
Geo

[ark_ader]

With regard to the Component issue you are having,your xbox being NTSC (if not switch it to NTSC) and visit your old M$ dashboard to change it to 720p.

I played asteroids, asteroids delux and blasteroids the other night and I had no problems.  Maybe you have to tweak your display settings.  I know I had to as the screen shifted to the right some pixels.

The spinner/trackball issue isn't really an issue except that when you exit the game you lose your settings (dial settings).  Maybe it is due to the files being read-only? I'll have to check on it (just thought of it just now).

You really need to invest in a NAS or an OLD PC server.  I have mine on 24/7 and it serves the entire house (and probably the hackers too  )  Better to make the NAS a linux device as it gives more security and its free.  I like the web server on the XBMC that allows you to remote use the Xbox to play whatever media you have on.  Thus when I need to queue up a few movies I can then set up the play list and fire it off from IE on my pocket PC.   

[jukingeo]

Hello all,

Ok, I fixed the issue with CoinOPS.  What I thought was a lockup, wasn't.  My start button is a bit 'sticky', so I got persistent with it and low and behold I got into the start button menu and saw the 'scan roms' option.  I did so and went back to the main screen and there were the roms!  So naturally I kicked back and played a few games.

I must say that for a simple front end, CoinOPS sure does an excellent job at giving you that 'arcade cabinet' feel.  On the roms, you don't have to do the 'joystick wiggle' in the beginning...always a dead giveaway of an emulated system.

No if there was a way to change the skins...

With regard to the Component issue you are having,your xbox being NTSC (if not switch it to NTSC) and visit your old M$ dashboard to change it to 720p.

Whoa! Ho ho ho!  WHAT a DIFFERENCE!  It is much much better now.

I played asteroids, asteroids delux and blasteroids the other night and I had no problems.  Maybe you have to tweak your display settings.  I know I had to as the screen shifted to the right some pixels.

Well, it DOES look much better now with the 720p setting and if I play in a darkened room it is great, but I think I have to get into the settings for the vector graphics and see if I can make them more 'vivid'.   

The spinner/trackball issue isn't really an issue except that when you exit the game you lose your settings (dial settings).  Maybe it is due to the files being read-only? I'll have to check on it (just thought of it just now).

I am actually right now playing Afterburner and it is using the analog stick (on the controller), so I figure there has to be SOME analog support on the Xbox.  I am AMAZED at how Afterburner runs on the Xbox.  The picture is fluid and there is NO stuttering of the audio.  Even on my PC which has 4 times the power of the Xbox, I still have problems with Sega games.  So this is really great!

You really need to invest in a NAS or an OLD PC server.

What does "NAS" stand for?

  I have mine on 24/7 and it serves the entire house (and probably the hackers too  )  Better to make the NAS a linux device as it gives more security and its free.  I like the web server on the XBMC that allows you to remote use the Xbox to play whatever media you have on.  Thus when I need to queue up a few movies I can then set up the play list and fire it off from IE on my pocket PC.   

Sounds great!  Perhaps in the future I would do something like that, but for now if I could stream wireless to the Xbox that would be great.   But I am going to put a bigger hard drive on the second Xbox I will be getting.  I am going to pick it up tomorrow night in fact.

But man, I have to say mucho thanks on the tip off to change the resolution on the Xbox, its MUCH better now.

Geo

[Hoopz]

NAS is networked attached storage.  Just another way to use a hard drive on your network to share files to the Xbox.

[jukingeo]

NAS is networked attached storage.  Just another way to use a hard drive on your network to share files to the Xbox.

Oh, OK so basically it is a networkable equivalent of an external USB hard drive? 

Something like this:

http://www.amazon.com/D-Link-Network-Attached-Enclosure-DNS-321/dp/B0019OZ3OO/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1267535513&sr=8-7

I think that would be a nice alternative then having to constantly to power up a computer all the time.

Thank you for clearing that up and thanx, Ark_ader for the suggestion, this DOES look like a great idea.

So far one of my goals (my main goal) with the Xbox has been achieved.  I am running Mame games with CoinOPS.

Now, what I would like to do is set up a boot instruction through XBMC.  What I want is the Xbox to boot right to CoinOPS.,  Then that phase of my project is done.  Then I just have to figure out XBMC more for the media project.

As we speak, I am preparing my other mod chip and I am going to buy another Xbox later on on my lunch break.  That Xbox I am going to put a bigger hard drive in it and get it set for multimedia use.

OH!  Almost forgot to mention.  I no longer need to use FileZilla (wow THAT was short lived).  As it turns out within Windows you can go into "My Network Places" and when the screen comes up, you can click on "Add network place".  In there you can select an FTP address.  You set up the path like so:

Ftp://xbox:xbox@IP (the Xbox IP address) and boom!  You get an icon in My Network places that will allow you access to all the drives on the Xbox...NO FileZilla needed!

When I set up the second XBox I am going to go right to this option for networking and see if it works.  If so then you don't need FileZilla!

Oh, I been looking around and I want to change the look on CoinOPS ReIgnite, I actually prefer the "CoinOPS" logo to be in the older orange typeface.  The current color I don't like...that is really the only thing I would like to change at this time.  I DID notice a skin folder within CoinOPS, but without instructions I don't know what to do with it.  So far I have not found anything on changing the skins.  But that would be something nice.

Overall this is great, especially now that I found out about the higher resolution.

I must say overall I have to thank everyone for assisting me with this project.  If it wasn't for this forum I wouldn't even have known that you could do this all with an Xbox.

Geo

[tightwad]

Good to see you are making progress!

I added a 200GB drive to my Xbox...but of course I only see 137GB...is there a way to partition it to ses the rest?  I couldn't find anything about after the fact partitions.

I did have issues with my front end, which I need to try and work out.  I copied my drive via DVD to my new drive, but then it wouldn't boot without an error.  I used an Xbox Live disk to boot, and then was able to powercycle and get into the interface.  FTP was wacky as well...took 2-3 days to get my 1K roms on there.  I installed Coin Ops on as well, it is a nice interface but I know I need to fix everything...it's been fun so far.

[shmokes]

The F: drive is limited to 137 GB, but the G: drive can be formatted to reclaim the rest of the space on the hard drive.  It is completely usable. 

http://forums.afterdawn.com/thread_view.cfm/533828

[jukingeo]

Good to see you are making progress!

M A J O R Progress!  Everyday I am learning/figuring out something new.  Tonight I used the XBE shortcut maker to create a shortcut on my E:\DASH\ folder.  What the program does is make a link that points to any "default.xbe" file and it, in turn makes a new default.xbe file which you can put anywhere, i.e. a panel button or ...you guessed it, a BIOS boot path.  I tried it out tonight and the Xbox booted right into CoinOPS.  CoinOPS really isn't a dashboard, it is an application, but you can fake it by booting directly to it using the shortcut.

Anyway, once I tested booting directly into CoinOPS, I reset the path for the new default.xbe so this way I can boot back into XBMC, so I can continue to play with that dashboard.

As of now the only thing left I would like to do is change the skin for the CoinOPS list.   The only thing I really want to do is use the older orange "CoinOPS" lettering.

Shifting over to XBMC, I have full sharing set up to the music partition on my hard drive on my PC.  XBMC recognized it right away via Windows SMB sharing.  So I had XBMC link to it and now I can play all my music on the XBox!

I know this kind of defeats the purpose with the Xbox right next to my computer, but it was really a test as I am seriously considering a NAS system.  But what I really want now to do is put the Xbox on WIFI.

I also accessed SHOUTcast though the Xbox and I am listening to some old disco / dance classics as I am typing this (man I haven't heard this stuff in YEARS!).

So I still have much to do with XBMC.  I still have to learn how to use the playlists in XBMC.  Tonight I am finding out how powerful and HUGE XBMC really is.  I am really geekin' out over this.

Tonight I picked up a second Xbox to modify.  Luck have it, it is another version 1.0!  YAY!  That means another easy mod.  What is even more lucky was that this Xbox had it's original "Duke" controller.  I have large hands, so I actually prefer the feel of "The Duke".  So I am going to keep that controller as is and hack the other one.   For this Xbox, I also bought the Xbox IR remote control.  I am going to experiment with that tomorrow night.

I added a 200GB drive to my Xbox...but of course I only see 137GB...is there a way to partition it to ses the rest?  I couldn't find anything about after the fact partitions.

Yeah, the Xbox I bought tonight I am going to put a larger drive in it.  I am going to need a large 'local' drive for when I play movie events.   But I am probably going to go with something around that size too, about a 200gig or 300gig drive.   The Xbox doesn't support SATA so I would hold out for a NAS system and then I will go REALLY big on the hard drives.   But the NAS is really only going to work with the Xbox IF I can get it to go wireless.   So going wireless is really my next big step.

I did have issues with my front end, which I need to try and work out.

What's wrong?

  I copied my drive via DVD to my new drive, but then it wouldn't boot without an error.  I used an Xbox Live disk to boot, and then was able to powercycle and get into the interface.  FTP was wacky as well...took 2-3 days to get my 1K roms on there.  I installed Coin Ops on as well, it is a nice interface but I know I need to fix everything...it's been fun so far.

Sorry to hear you been having trouble.  I wonder if it is related to the softmod.  As of now, I am pretty much sold on the Duo X2 chips and I am probably going to get a couple more "just in case" I might want another Xbox.  But hopefully the Xbox 360 will come down in price (used) and then I can have a ball hacking into that console.

But thusfar I am having a blast with the Xbox.  Oh!  I also have it set up to play Atari 2600 games.  The AID had an Atari 2600 emulator on board, so I loaded it up.  I already had the cartridge roms on my computer since I have Stella on my PC.  So I just pushed the roms over to the Xbox emulator.

Sidebar: I just had a huge laugh, I just noticed the Xbox screen for the SHOUTcasts shows a picture of a set of Sony MDR-V700 headphones.  I just happen to have those headphones sitting on my head right now! 

Well, I am through for tonight.  It's getting late and it is a work night.  Really the only thing left I have to do with CoinOPS is figure out how to change the skins.  So as of now I am putting together an UPDATED mod chip tutorial and I will post that here and hopefully I can get it stickied.  After that I can start thinking about my control panel for the bartop cabinet.

Whew!  This SURE has been a journey.  The big hangup for me was flashing the bios, once I was past that point, I got the ball rolling.   We will see what I find out for tomorrow evening!

But for now it is goodnight!

Geo

[jukingeo]

Make sure you put Dragon's lair on that Xbox too via DaphneX and use the DVD for the M2V/OGG.

I was telling a friend about what I was doing with the Xbox and now he wants one too.  He is mostly interested in XBMC, but when we started to talk about CoinOPS and MAME...of all the games he brings up, he starts jabbering about Dragon's Lair!  And now he wants an "arcade correct" one, and he begged me to learn more about it.  So I have a funny feeling there will be a Dragon's Lair project in my near future.

Anyway, I found out that the AID Installer disc DOES have the Daphne emulator and browsing the wiki and main Daphne site, I also found out that it has a forum:

https://www.daphne-emu.com/phpBB2/

So I pointed him in that direction (and I am probably going to have to there myself).  Hopefully I am good for now, but I can 'feel' getting sucked into this one.  But he has to find a DL cabinet first.

However, I JUST have that funny feeling I am opening up a can of worms even THINKING about considering this.

Sidebar:  For those of you not in the know (or simply were not around in the early 80's), Dragon's Lair was a game that used a cartoon "movie" for visuals on a CPU accessible Laser Disk player.  While this technology was cutting edge at the time, the control of the game was horrible at best requiring more sheer memorization rather than skill.  You JUST had to time the controls 'right'.  (If you didn't, you died!)  Back in the day when the game came out, I just was completely frustrated with it and I would rather see a more experienced person play while I would watch to see how far they would get.  Dragon's Lair was one of the first games to require a TWO coin credit (50cents (US) as opposed to the 25cent normal cost to play a video game).  Needless to say Dragon's Lair (Space Ace, and other games like it), I quickly labeled as "quarter eaters" and I didn't play them much.

Fast forwarding, I did look into Dragon's Lair before with Mame, but I found out that the work needed to get it going was astronomical.  You also needed the original Laser disk.  

I didn't know about Daphne until now.  It 'looks' like Daphne is a bit easier to work with and it seems to work with a DVD copy of Dragon's Lair, but I am not sure if I want to undertake a project of this magnitude.

The only driving force I would have behind it is that, even though I don't like the game, I AM curious as to what it would look like on my video projector  .  So does my friend.

But it does look like I will be making another trip to Play N Trade (on my friend's behalf) and making him a modded Xbox for XBMC.  So I may as well put a BIG hard drive in it from the get go.

The F: drive is limited to 137 GB, but the G: drive can be formatted to reclaim the rest of the space on the hard drive.  It is completely usable.  

http://forums.afterdawn.com/thread_view.cfm/533828

Hello Shmokes,

Thank you for that info.  I didn't read all of it, but I know I am going to need it!  I DID get to the part with how to get the valuable backup data OFF of the built in hard drive.  That was something I wanted to do in the first place.  But I am sure I am going to have some questions once I start modding the second Xbox.  

Yes, I have been told to be sure to set the LBA48 settings to the one that says 6th partition to 137db and 7th partition is the rest within EVTool.  This is in the event that I do update a retail HDD, the Bios is already set up to recognize the larger drive.

Thanx,

Geo

[tightwad]

I used a 200GB SATA drive in mine…extra drive I had around.  I used a SATA adapter for it to work with IDE…I bought two and one was bad.  I bought this one: http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.12537 for $5 each.  This was an easy install, and my old drive is still available if I wish to downgrade to it again.

The issues I am having are probably because I farked with everything too much.  Or it could be my Xbox.  I get Error 21 and Error 13 warnings sometimes.  I installed CoinOps Reignite, but haven’t gotten as far as figuring out all the BIOS and other stuff you have…I don’t think I can wrap my brain around all that.  For now I can boot up, select the emulator I want, and I am good.  I just need to figure out how to point MAMEOX and CoinOps to the same Rom path (different drive letters currently) so I don’t have to duplicate the roms.  I am currently using UnleashedX…I had to uninstall my softmod and reinstall it to get it working somewhat.  I liked XBMC, but I needed EvoX for the backup of my eeeprom, and then I needed UnleashedX for the format of drive G.

On a side note, I now have a neo-geo cabinet for the Xbox, with a 27” TV installed.  I took the tube out of the casing at it fits with about 4” to spare on each side, and maybe 2” top and bottom.  I need to make a Bezel for it after I finish securing it in, and figuring out what to do with the electrical panel and switches…I am currently shopping for a KB/mouse adapter for the xbox, so I can use my KB adapter for connecting my control panel.  Should make modding controls simpler I THINK (not sure how people connect to the XBOX really).

[Hoopz]

I am currently shopping for a KB/mouse adapter for the xbox, so I can use my KB adapter for connecting my control panel.  Should make modding controls simpler I THINK (not sure how people connect to the XBOX really).

Contact Haruman in B/S/T.  He does controller hacks and it' probably a better solution for you.

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=76185.0

[ark_ader]

The PC version of Daphne is the same as DaphneX.  The fellows at the Daphne Website would not be able to help your friend get it to work, but I have it installed with space ace and it works fine. 

Note to those of you out there: If you are reading this and want to chirp in and say Space Ace doesn't work on the DaphneX PM me and I will be able to help.  I found out why it screws up in the middle of the game, and runs now without errors. 

You need to use xbpartitioner 1.1 to format those drives up to 1TB.  Note your Evox bios needs to be upgraded. I could not find any PATA drives more than 750gb.  The SATA -> PATA method is not without issues.

CoinOPS skins..... hmmm why? Anyways I found several that might be of interest.  I don't know what issues you might run into with 720p.  Look in your XBMC XML configs to see what the screen sizes are set to and use as a templete.  The skins will be different per resolution.

I just have to find those xbox friendly cocktail cabinet plans to get all the  wires, consoles and etc. put away.

[jukingeo]

The PC version of Daphne is the same as DaphneX.  The fellows at the Daphne Website would not be able to help your friend get it to work, but I have it installed with space ace and it works fine.

You are right on the money there.  I directly talked with one of the developers via mIRC chat just a few minutes ago and they told me that the DaphneX version WILL NOT WORK.   They are saying the DaphneX project is separate from them and is "no longer supported".   Supposedly the new PC/Mac version (Daphne 1.0) all you have to do is have a Bluth series Digital Leisure DVD of Dragon's Lair (or the other games in the series) and it will 'unlock' a download feature right from the Daphne website and it will load all the needed video data right to your hard drive.

Well, to tell you the truth it sure does SOUND easy to me.  Since my friend is aiming for a cabinet...perhaps he is better off with a Mac or PC.  But for myself...yeah, it would be cool to get it going if it isn't too much trouble.  After all, I didn't care for the game when it came out in the 80's.   But it is just to satisfy that curiosity as to what that game would look like on my big screen projector.

Oh!  BTW, I had a laugh when I went to Amazon to read the reviews on the Dragon's Lair DVD's.

This is from Jon Folkers Amazon review And I quote!

"This game was a revolution back in 1983 when it launched in arcades. It was simply stunning to see branching digital video in this pseudo-interactive form back then. The novelty wore off quickly when the game's high price and limited replay value came through, though. At fifty cents a play, it was a better deal to watch someone else suffer through the trial-and-error gameplay while you watched the beautiful video."

I COMPLETELY agree!  Naturally if I get this set up to demonstrate for my friend. HE is going to play it, not me!  LOL!  That made my day reading that!

Note to those of you out there: If you are reading this and want to chirp in and say Space Ace doesn't work on the DaphneX PM me and I will be able to help.  I found out why it screws up in the middle of the game, and runs now without errors.  

Does this also apply to getting Dragon's Lair to work?

You need to use xbpartitioner 1.1 to format those drives up to 1TB.  Note your Evox bios needs to be upgraded. I could not find any PATA drives more than 750gb.  The SATA -> PATA method is not without issues.

I have no intention of installing a drive THAT big.  I would say that I probably would hover around the 200gig to 500gig range.  You need the partitioner for those?

Ok, while this is still on the topic of modding an Xbox.  What would I have to do differently (software wise) from when I modded my first Xbox.

CoinOPS skins..... hmmm why? Anyways I found several that might be of interest.  I don't know what issues you might run into with 720p.  Look in your XBMC XML configs to see what the screen sizes are set to and use as a templete.  The skins will be different per resolution.

Well, if it is that much of a big issue, then I am not going to go too crazy.  Overall I just want the original 'orange' "CoinOPS" lettering.  I would be fine with that. I did place a message on the 1Emulation.com forum board about that, so I will report my findings back here.

I think really the main thing I am asking about skins is because I KNOW one day I probably will want to create a "vertical only" cabinet and I would want CoinOPS to boot directly to a vertical screen.

I just have to find those xbox friendly cocktail cabinet plans to get all the   wires, consoles and etc. put away.

That is what I find so nice about the Xbox, much much less wiring to deal with, especially if you have to pull the box out for updates for hardware changes.

BTW: check your PM .

Thanx,

Geo

[ark_ader]

No Dragon's Lair and virtually any laserdisc game out there covered by Daphne works.

Just be sure you have bought the Bluth DVD and not downloaded a rip off the internet as the crap rips do not work in DaphneX.

Its a process that is a learning curve and you get the chance to play DL.  The daphne guys have it right, but you need to have a retail DVD before you get the mpeg capture from the laserdisc as the Daphne guys advise.  Anyother titles than except Bluth & Cliff Hanger should be fair play 

If you do buy the DVD get the HD version as the colors are better.  I say this in case you opt for the DVD rip (more complex).

If you get stuck - just ask.

[jukingeo]

No Dragon's Lair and virtually any laserdisc game out there covered by Daphne works.

Just be sure you have bought the Bluth DVD and not downloaded a rip off the internet as the crap rips do not work in DaphneX.

This is what the Daphne guys told me to get:

http://www.amazon.com/Dragons-Lair/dp/B000053ZVG/ref=wl_it_dp_o?ie=UTF8&coliid=I21D678GZGKYJT&colid=2PZFUWB7KZL6V

or I could get the 3 DVD 20th Anniversary set (not the single disc version).

Its a process that is a learning curve and you get the chance to play DL.  The daphne guys have it right, but you need to have a retail DVD before you get the mpeg capture from the laserdisc as the Daphne guys advise.  Anyother titles than except Bluth & Cliff Hanger should be fair play 

Yes, that I know.  That was one of the first things that came up in the Daphne forum.

If you do buy the DVD get the HD version as the colors are better.  I say this in case you opt for the DVD rip (more complex).

Supposedly you don't have to do any kind of ripping.  The developers at Daphne say that the new 1.0 version will automatically download the correct version of Dragon's Lair that you need.  You don't need the DVD to PLAY the game through Daphne...you just need it to verify that you did indeed purchase a copy of the game.  It is basically Daphne's way of keeping everything 'legal'.

If you get stuck - just ask.

Will do! But I think it would be better to create a new post because now this is going far off topic.  For now I am going to leave it at testing with the PC version and I will order the disc from Amazon.  When I get the disc I am going to create a new post here for it because it would be unfair to those who read this and this discussion was mainly for modding the Xbox.   That was my bad for continuing the discussion here.  But for now I guess we can keep in touch via PM's on the topic of Dragon's Lair and Daphne.   Once I get everything tested then I will come back here with a new post. 

Thanx,

Geo

[tightwad]

Well, I had some time so I tinkered with my setup.  I was able to figure out where the UnleashedX dash had gone to...apparantly it installed directly on the E: drive, instead of in a dash folder.  I now have XBMC back as my dash, and I learned a bit about how the XBOX functions.

Played a few games on the Coin Ops Reignite...fun stuff, some old puzzle games had me hooked.  Can't wait to get this in the Arcade cabinet.  I am undecided about how to handle the frontend...I kind of like the jukebox option, and I could put some nice sound in that cabinet...tons of room.  I hate to narrow it down to just Arcade games and waste the 200GB of space.

One thing I did notice...I only get a preview picture for I think 1 game...is there a good place to get artwork?

[ark_ader]

I found this site that caters for the very thing.  Also the guy/gal who runs it was kind enough to donate their work too.

Lots of help on this site and NO ROMS! 

[jukingeo]

Well, I had some time so I tinkered with my setup.  I was able to figure out where the UnleashedX dash had gone to...apparantly it installed directly on the E: drive, instead of in a dash folder.  I now have XBMC back as my dash, and I learned a bit about how the XBOX functions.

Well, on a soft mod, I don't know how you would set up the paths.  But within EVTool (for a chip mod) you can specify the paths.   Using the Auto Installer Disk dashboards are set up directly in a path that reflects this layout:  <E:\(name of dashboard)\default.xbe>.  If you select to install as an application then the path would be <E:\Apps\(name of program)\default.xbe.   Naturally it goes without saying NOT to specify the "Apps" folder in a boot path.

The way I set up my boot paths are as follows:

1- E:\DASH\(install or put shortcut here for dashboard or application here, this section needs to "see" the default.xbe file
2- E:\XBMC\default.xbe   (Obviously my main Dashboard goes here, when I am not using DASH above)
3- E:\UnleashX\default.xbe  (I have not tried UnleashX as of yet, but if I wanted to get to this third option, just change the main directory from E:\XBMC\  to something else like E:\XBM\ temporarily.  Then with nothing in both BIOS pointers for #1 and #2 above, it will look for #3 which is set to UnleashX.

In my case for E:\Dash\default.xbe what I have done is to use this slot for direct booting of any application (or dashboard).  You could even install the dashboard as an application and STILL Boot to it.  The key to doing so is using a program called XBE.Shortcut.Maker.1.0.  It is a very easy to use program and it allows you to create a link or shortcut to any "default.xbe" file on your Xbox.  Hence you can set up CoinOPs to directly launch from the #1 position above.  So it would bypass XBMC completely and go right to the CoinOPs interface...which I must say is totally awesome!   Once I tested it to work, I renamed my Dash folder so I can get back into XBMC.

Now the key to going back is that you need your Auto Installer Disk (or Slayers) to boot up and get into the file manager to edit the folder so it is not recognized by the Bios.

Whatever you do NEVER alter any setting that says DVD D:\default.xbe  If you do you will NEVER be able access the Xbox via the DVD.

Here is the main forum for CoinOPS:

http://www.1emulation.com/forums/index.php?showforum=58

I believe the creator of the program runs under the screen name "CoinOPS COMBUSTION", otherwise known as BritanysPAIRS (please don't laugh).  "Combustion" is the latest project under construction for CoinOPS:

http://www.1emulation.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=31794

Played a few games on the Coin Ops Reignite...fun stuff, some old puzzle games had me hooked.  Can't wait to get this in the Arcade cabinet.  I am undecided about how to handle the frontend...I kind of like the jukebox option, and I could put some nice sound in that cabinet...tons of room.  I hate to narrow it down to just Arcade games and waste the 200GB of space.

Heh, heh...you want a front end?  Check this out:

http://img69.imageshack.us/flvplayer.swf?f=Ptitle1&amp;autostart=true&amp;noclick=1

I put up a post about changing CoinOPs skins in the 1Emulation forum yesterday and one fellow came up with a video link to that above.  Thus far though he hasn't replied when I asked him what the front end is.  You can see my post in 1Emulation...I use the same screen name as here.

One thing I did notice...I only get a preview picture for I think 1 game...is there a good place to get artwork?

Well, yeah, you select your came on the list and then you either get a static screen shot or even a video of the game in action.  CoinOPS Reignite Showcase is made especially for video clips.  I believe it is Reignite R5 but it comes with all the video clips.  It is a HUGE 8 gig download and it certainly will not fit on my HDD.  For my Xbox I am going to have to be content with static shots.  Overall I am fine with that as all I really need is a good front end that I can make a selection from.  CoinOPS does that.   The only issue right now I have with CoinOPS is that skin editing isn't very easy to do, but color changing is, so I am just going to stick with the skin as is and change the color.  But I can see this biting me in the butt later on.   The reason I say that is because, what if I want to create a vertical only cabinet?  Yeah.  CoinOPS will play vertical games (correctly oriented) but the interface isn't vertical.  There is a discussion about this as we speak over in the 1Emulation forum.   I didn't fully read it as of yet because it was 1:00am last night and I was seriously nodding off at my machine!

Anyway, if you have been following, you would have read that I bought a second Xbox two nights ago.  This one is going to be my XBMC box and I am right now faced with the potentially scary venture of updating the hard drive.  I have a fellow that works on my company computers and he had LOADS of extra hard drives, so I am probably going to buy a 300+ gig drive from him.  But I still have to "chip it" first.  Good thing I bought TWO chips when I ordered them that time.

Well, just visit those links I posted up, you are going to be doing A LOT of reading, my friend!  There is a bunch of good info in those CoinOPS forums.

I found this site that caters for the very thing.  Also the guy/gal who runs it was kind enough to donate their work too.

Lots of help on this site and NO ROMS! 

Hello Ark_ader.  I got your PM with that link above, but like I said to Tightwad above, I just got to a point where I was nodding off at my machine and HAD to go to bed!

Anyway, while that link is brought up here, I wanted to ask you that they don't look like skins, but rather, cabinet art (even though the link does say skins).  I don't understand how I would use those as a skin because even if they are used as an underlay you would have difficulty reading the lists.  Also another issue is that CoinOPS uses the screenshot as the underlay.  Did you mean that you could use one of those skins to replace the "XBOX" start up?  If so, I am not too concerned about that...in fact I do LIKE the Xbox start up animation.  But in a cabinet scenario, one would only see that upon start up.  As you know CoinOPS does play music in the background much like MALA does.  (I use MALA as my front end on my Windows machines and I use Wah-Cade for my front end on Linux machines).  I will say though that as of now, I like the Xbox setup way better than anything I have put together in Windows or Linux.  It just looks "pro".  There is nothing to try to 'hide' as well.  In both Windows and Linux I always had to contend with trying to get rid of the desktop interface AND the dreaded mouse pointer.  These are things you DON'T want to see in an arcade game setup (I don't want to see it in a multimedia setup either).

The best part is that my local Play N Trade sells original Xbox's for $35.  I mean really it is a no brainer to mod one of these boxes for arcade cabinet use.

Anyway, I am going to put an Amazon order in soon because I have to get that Dragon's Lair disc and I want to buy the NAS box in which you put the hard drives into it.

Oh! BTW, I remember when you mentioned that wireless bridge thing?  I am interested in learning more about that, would you happen to have a link?  I would like to put the new Xbox I am modding on wireless.  Also do you have the links to get DaphneX to work?

Thanx,
Geo

[ark_ader]

Any AP that can be configured to be used as a client should suffice.

[jukingeo]

Any AP that can be configured to be used as a client should suffice.

Ok, so basically that will plug into the ethernet port instead of going into USB as most WiFI devices do?  I guess that will then communicate with a standard wireless router, correct?

As of now I am almost done with getting the roms ready for CoinOPS and tomorrow I should get all my artwork over to the Xbox.  I also went out and got a 350gig IDE HDD from my computer guy...so that will go into the second Xbox I have.

Other than that, not too many updates for tonight.  I am also still gathering all the info from this experience to create that updated guide.

I am hoping in another week or so I can start to plan the control panel.

Geo

[DJ_Izumi]

Actually a router rigged as a client wouldn't work except to share internet, because it would make it's own NAT table and the Xbox is on that.

What you want is something that will act as a wireless BRIDGE (Like a network switch, but linked to the main router wirelessly instead).  The offical wifi adpator for Xbox1 was just a wireless bridge and any other piece of hardware that will bridge will do just fine.

But using a device as a straight up client won't work right for LAN access.

[shmokes]

I think routers that can be flashed with WRT-DD or Tomato can be set to bridge mode.  So if you've already got a router you hoped to use, you might check to see if it's compatible with one of those firmwares.

[DJ_Izumi]

I think routers that can be flashed with WRT-DD or Tomato can be set to bridge mode.  So if you've already got a router you hoped to use, you might check to see if it's compatible with one of those firmwares.

It's also important to have a router that supports bridges in the first place.  I've seen some that won't let other routers bridge to them, one that did support it but would crash every 30mins when my DD-WRT router was bridged to it.  When doing bridging since (Don't do it often) I just use DD-WRT routers for all units.  Also nice to have the same interface on each one.

But there's also the cheapest option.  Like 50 feet of ethernet cable.

[jukingeo]

What you want is something that will act as a wireless BRIDGE (Like a network switch, but linked to the main router wirelessly instead).  The offical wifi adpator for Xbox1 was just a wireless bridge and any other piece of hardware that will bridge will do just fine.

Yes, that is what the guys were saying when I first mentioned wireless, to use a Wireless Bridge, but I am very new to the whole wireless WiFi thing.  But I know it is something I NEED to get into because I want to set up my home network to accept WiFi because I want to get a laptop for my wife so she can go on the computer while she is watching the kids.  So naturally with the investment of a wireless router on the horizon, I thought it would be a good idea to to put the Xbox on wireless as well.  Doing that I could set up my network system with a NAS and could have the Xbox access it for "movie house nights".  If you been following this thread, that basically means the nights I set up my big screen video projector.   The system is huge so I don't leave it set up, thus being 'portable' I got the idea to replace the current computer that is 'running the show' with an Xbox on XBMC.

I think routers that can be flashed with WRT-DD or Tomato can be set to bridge mode.  So if you've already got a router you hoped to use, you might check to see if it's compatible with one of those firmwares.

Well, I have a Linksys router right now, but it isn't wireless.  My intentions are to buy this:

http://www.amazon.com/Linksys-WRT54GL-Wireless-G-Broadband-Compatible/dp/B000BTL0OA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1267796830&sr=8-1

I chose this one primarily because it is like the router I have now and it is also compatible with Linux as my computer can do both Linux and Windows XP (I have a double boot system) and my wife's computer has only Windows XP.  The laptop I am going to buy will be Windows XP, and eventually down the road I would like to get a MacIntosh laptop for myself  (I never had a Mac before, so I want to try one out).

So naturally with just about every other format under the moon on my network, I do need quite a bit of compatibility.

It's also important to have a router that supports bridges in the first place.  I've seen some that won't let other routers bridge to them, one that did support it but would crash every 30mins when my DD-WRT router was bridged to it.  When doing bridging since (Don't do it often) I just use DD-WRT routers for all units.  Also nice to have the same interface on each one.

Well, that is where I need the help.  Would my Linksys Wireless router pick above work?

But there's also the cheapest option.  Like 50 feet of ethernet cable.

No that wouldn't work because when it gets warmer, I would like to take my "movie nights" outside in the backyard and I certainly would need more than 50 feet of cable to do that (more like 75 to 100ft).  Even now running a wire up to the living room would be a massive pain the neck.   So my only options would be a wireless internet link or a big hard drive in the Xbox and I would just have to manually connect the Xbox when I change my programming.

However, even with a big hard drive, I still would like to be able to get onto a wireless internet connection so I could access all those great on-line features of XBMC.

Thanx,

Geo

[tightwad]

I too plan to get my Xbox on wireless via a bridge.  I have  a router I installed DD-WRT on, which I am currently using for FTP purposes from a nearby computer.  I haven’t yet figured out the Bridge part of it….I get messed up with which router should be assigning IP addresses and such.  It will be easier if I am not using the router as a wireless router as well, which was my initial intention (extending my wireless range with it for the computers in the living room).

Having it on a wireless bridge will be helpful when it is in a cabinet, if I want to use it to watch movies…no reason they can’t since I am using a 27” TV screen in the Cab as well.  I haven’t even touched that part of XBMC yet, so far it has just been about the games.

[jukingeo]

I too plan to get my Xbox on wireless via a bridge.  I have  a router I installed DD-WRT on, which I am currently using for FTP purposes from a nearby computer.

Is this DD-WRT what you need for the bridge?  Remember I don't know ANYTHING about wireless, except that it exists.

  I haven’t yet figured out the Bridge part of it….I get messed up with which router should be assigning IP addresses and such.  It will be easier if I am not using the router as a wireless router as well, which was my initial intention (extending my wireless range with it for the computers in the living room).

You are using a REGULAR router instead of a wireless one?  Is that possible?

Having it on a wireless bridge will be helpful when it is in a cabinet, if I want to use it to watch movies…no reason they can’t since I am using a 27” TV screen in the Cab as well.  I haven’t even touched that part of XBMC yet, so far it has just been about the games.

Well the good thing about wireless IN a cabinet is that you don't have do the disc or memory stick shuffle.  Just connect and upload your changes.  In my case using a memory stick doesn't bother me, but for the XBMC/big screen project, having wireless is almost a necessity.  In the summer I would like to take my rig outside where I can put up an even BIGGER screen.

Have to run!

Geo

[tightwad]

I am currently using a wireless router, but just the wired portion...connecting a computer to one port, and the Xbox to another port.  There is no internet communication available of course.

As I understand it DD-WRT is a better bios for the router, allows more flexibility.

Additionally, the IP Address can only be assigned by one device, so either the main router can do the assigning, and the bridge just passes the information across, or the second wireless router could do the assigning, but that is where I get lost.

Basic wireless routing is super easy to set up....15 minutes max. 

[ark_ader]

Actually a router rigged as a client wouldn't work except to share internet, because it would make it's own NAT table and the Xbox is on that.

What you want is something that will act as a wireless BRIDGE (Like a network switch, but linked to the main router wirelessly instead).  The offical wifi adpator for Xbox1 was just a wireless bridge and any other piece of hardware that will bridge will do just fine.

But using a device as a straight up client won't work right for LAN access.

This one does and it works perfectly.

There is no DHCP with this just connection to the router direct. 

Perhaps you might want to research your comments more before stating facts which are not true.   

[DJ_Izumi]

This one does and it works perfectly.

There is no DHCP with this just connection to the router direct.  

Perhaps you might want to research your comments more before stating facts which are not true.  

No, the issue is that your device isn't acting as a client.  It's just bridging.

Well, I have a Linksys router right now, but it isn't wireless.  My intentions are to buy this:

http://www.amazon.com/Linksys-WRT54GL-Wireless-G-Broadband-Compatible/dp/B000BTL0OA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1267796830&sr=8-1

I chose this one primarily because it is like the router I have now and it is also compatible with Linux as my computer can do both Linux and Windows XP (I have a double boot system) and my wife's computer has only Windows XP.  The laptop I am going to buy will be Windows XP, and eventually down the road I would like to get a MacIntosh laptop for myself  (I never had a Mac before, so I want to try one out).

So naturally with just about every other format under the moon on my network, I do need quite a bit of compatibility.

Well, that is where I need the help.  Would my Linksys Wireless router pick above work?

You are confused.  That router isn't 'compatible with linux' as in it will work with computers running linux.  ALL routers are, it's just a matter of Linux supporting the wireless adaptor in the computer.  Wifi itself is standardized outside of the OS afterall.  That router RUNS Linux.  The L in WRT54GL means 'Linux'.  It's firmware is actually linux based.  And yes, that model is sold specifically to best support open source firmwares including DD-WRT.  I use one myself.  You install DD-WRT and your $60 router gets about $600 of features on it.  It's also actually easy to use, it uses a nice clean webgui though you could SSH into it and go by command line if you REALLY wanted to.  You can set up one DD-WRT router to easily bridge to another.  There's even a guide on how to do it in their wiki.

[shmokes]

Maybe some definitions will help:

Router:  A hardware  device designed to take incoming packets, analyzing the packets and then directing them to the appropriate locations, moving the packets to another network, converting the packets to be moved across a different type of network interface, dropping the packets, or performing any other number of other types of actions. To the right is a picture of the Linksys BEFSR11 router  and is similar to what most home users would use for their home network.

A router has a lot more capabilities than other network devices such as a hub or a switch that are only able to perform basic network functions. For example, a hub is often used to transfer data between computers or network devices, but does not analyze or do anything with the data it is transferring. Routers however can analyze the data being sent over a network, change how it is packaged and send it to another network or over a different type of network. For example, routers are commonly used in home networks to share a single Internet connection with multiple computers.

Switch:  On a network, a switch is a hardware device that filters  and forwards  packets through the network, but often not capable of much more. The first network device that was added to the Internet was a switch called the IMP, which helped send the first message on October 29, 1969. A network switch is more advanced than a hub but not as advanced as a router.

Wireless Bridge:  A wireless bridge takes a device that lacks WiFi (like the Xbox) and connects it to a wireless network.  You run an ethernet cable from the Xbox to the bridge; the bridge then connects to a wireless router just like a laptop would.  The wireless router then sees the Xbox as though it did have WiFi.  Essentially it converts ethernet to WiFi.


When Tightwad says he is just using the wired portion of a router, he means he is just using the built-in switch  (the four ports that you can plug computers into so the computers can talk to each other).  He is not using the port meant to connect those computers to the internet and he is not using the router's wireless capabilities.

What you need to hook the Xbox to a wireless network is a wireless ethernet bridge like this one.  When you buy a router it can almost certainly not act as a bridge of this sort.  Even if it has an option to go in bridge mode, it is talking about something else.  However, some routers can be hacked by flashing them with a new firmware (like installing a new operating system on the router).  WRT-DD and Tomato are the two firmwares of interest.  If you install WRT-DD on your router, I believe it does have the option of turning the router into an ethernet bridge.

I hope this helps.  Honestly you might be happier just buying a bridge like the one I linked to.  It's $50, but it's 802.11n which means it can stream HD video wirelessly.  802.11g is too slow to stream HD video reliably.  Of course, the Xbox won't play true HD video anyway, so 802.11g might be just fine for you.  If you don't mind the extra work and research and learning curve, you can save a bit of money by getting an old router and flashing it with WRT-DD or Tomato, but you can save a lot of headache by just buying an off-the-shelf wireless ethernet bridge.

[ark_ader]

This one does and it works perfectly.

There is no DHCP with this just connection to the router direct.  

Perhaps you might want to research your comments more before stating facts which are not true.  

No, the issue is that your device isn't acting as a client.  It's just bridging.

Oh really?  Please could you show me on the manual where it is bridging?

Bridging requires WDS neither of my wireless routers are WDS compatible.

Sift though the manual by all means but please do not state comments which are false - they are misleading and negative.
http://www.airlink101.com/download/download_links/m-ap431w.pdf

[shmokes]

ark_ader, DJ is right.  You are wrong.  WDS is for bridging two wireless access points together so they seamlessly act as one.  Ethernet bridging is what we are talking about here.  It is a completely different thing.  It's why I said in my post that most routers cannot act as ethernet bridges out of the box, even if they have a "Bridge" option.  Because that bridge option is usually talking about bridging two access points together to extend the range of the wireless network. 

[ark_ader]

ark_ader, DJ is right.  You are wrong.  WDS is for bridging two wireless access points together so they seamlessly act as one.  Ethernet bridging is what we are talking about here.  It is a completely different thing.  It's why I said in my post that most routers cannot act as ethernet bridges out of the box, even if they have a "Bridge" option.  Because that bridge option is usually talking about bridging two access points together to extend the range of the wireless network. 

Please supply some reference to your argument Shmokes.  I think you and DJ are not understanding how this AP client works.

I submitted a PDF reference of the manual and yes, the AP can connect via WDS, but my ADSL router doesn't support WDS.  I have had wireless bridges on my network and at my place of employment so I do know what you are talking about, but unfortunately both of you are missing it completely. 

WDS is not industry compliant and is prone to many issues.  This AP is very good and works on 5v so you can have it powered remotely.  Please just do not make a comment like "you are wrong" without backing it up with some reference as it just looks dumb.