3 ms·
Hacking the original Xbox + x360 is what I credit as getting me "really into computers" For OG xbox, I was a definition script kiddie but I learned how to use
by cheeze 3y ago
Hacking the original Xbox + x360 is what I credit as getting me "really into computers"
For OG xbox, I was a definition script kiddie but I learned how to use FTP, how to connect via crossover cable, how to solder, the basics of what exploits are and how they work, and a ton of other skills that I use daily.
X360 required me to take the damn thing apart (which was terrifying as a 14 year old who wouldn't get a replacement if I broke things). I learned about firmware, SATA connections, the bits (I forget the name) that specify whether something was retail or not, why the exploit wouldn't let you run unsigned code, etc.
I was just a broke kid who wanted to watch movies and play games I couldn't afford, but it literally got me into tinkering and hacking, even though what I was doing wasn't much more than "follow a guide, script kiddy"
- nebula8804 3y agoDitto for me with the OG XBOX. I was in high school and had no clue what I was doing with static ip addresses and crossover cables. We didn't even have a router hence the static ip address. Each cool homebrew XBE I FTP'ed over to my XBOX was another exciting adventure! My computing journey started earlier on DOS but XBOX kept me going through a period of post 9/11 depression where the excitement of childhood and an amazing future was slowly disappearing. I stopped even playing video games after the end of the XBOX lifecycle (despite continuing to buy new gen hardware just so I could take it apart and admire the internals). Now living in the post ChatGPT days and wondering about my future, i'm looking back wishing I could live through those late nights one more time.
- chadkeck 3y agoSame here for the OG Xbox. Lots of TSOP flashes for friends over SSH after booting a saved game exploit for 007: Agent Under Fire. Reading lots of the forums on xbox-scene.com. Learned to solder with a soldering iron I picked up from the local Radioshack.
- bombcar 3y agoXbox modding (and similarly with the Wii) was a huge entry-level introduction to so many computer concepts.
- Jerrrry 3y agoMicrosoft actually just tricked an entire generation of us into learning C# and .NET. They were playing the long-con game.
- samuria 3y agoFor me it was creating “gift card code generator” for games like Habbo Hotel and RuneScape in C# and distribute it among my friends to get into their accounts. 14 year old me was proud of my “hacking” skills.
- echelon_musk 3y agoA +1 for me too. The Xbox modding scene taught me the foundation of my systems knowledge despite already having a Windows PC.