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Someone destroyed a rare Original Xbox development kit

Morinaga

Member
The response to what this guy has done is a bit exagerated.
Just seems to be off the self parts from circa 2000 and whatever (no surprise since the og xbox was developed from off the shelf parts).

I think the only thing that made the machine stand out as dev kit was some specific library files.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xbox_Development_Kit


To me it looks like a heap of junk. Dont know what the fuss is all about.
 
It's one thing to have a cool, unique PC case. It's another thing entirely to experience the supreme satisfaction of knowing that a piece of history had to be destroyed, lost for all time and for everyone, to provide your PC case. This man is truly the ubermensch of the PC master race.
 
My memory might be out of sync but I am fairly sure we had a load of those dev kits at work back during that era, so I am not so sure 'only 50 were built' is actually accurate

But like I said, I might be thinking of another kit, but I distinctly remember that tower and the logo etc. It came around the same time as the prototype controllers.
 
I remember reading about this when it happened, was so disappointed to hear he formatted the HDD that could have had info that could help Xbox emulation. He seemed to genuinely not care and a piece of gaming history died because of it.
 
If you'd like to make it a little worse, go to that link and sort the comments by "controversial".

The things people do for teh lulz...


He carefully kept them over a fucking carpet.

Why the lack of care for such hardware?

The saddest part is that in the right hands it could have meant OG Xbox emulation, which right now is pretty much impossible. Welp.

I can't believe only 50 were made. Am I crazy or does 50 developers making games for the Xbox seem like a super low number?

Are there truly no others in existence? I didn't realize Xbox emulation was basically dead. Very sad :(

I've been following the Xbox emulation scene and the people I knew who were working on it appear to be busy like espes and JayFoxRox who worked on XQEMU, so it's slowed down quite a bit but not entirely 'dead'.
 

Fancolors

Member
The response to what this guy has done is a bit exagerated.
Just seems to be off the self parts from circa 2000 and whatever (no surprise since the og xbox was developed from off the shelf parts).

I think the only thing that made the machine stand out as dev kit was some specific library files.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xbox_Development_Kit


To me it looks like a heap of junk. Dont know what the fuss is all about.

Files that could potentially further OG Xbox emulation, that's what people want. And historical value I guess.

I don't think there is a single game that works 100% on any of the available emulators out there. It's been a while since last I checked its progress tho.
 
CPU looks like a Pentium 3 with a slot 1 connector, and the video card looks like a GeForce 2 from that era. I think the tragedy here is if the content of the HDD is lost.

I would have assumed that the graphics card would be something that was a little more custom, not just some stock GeForce 2. Those components actually look a lot like a Windows 98 era PC that I own and use for playing windows 9x and later DOS era stuff. I posted images of the system here in the '90s PC thread: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=203203141&postcount=402

oo5ZD3A.jpg

It even has a slot 1 connector (though with an older Pentium Celeron) and a GeForce 2 with 64MB's of video memory. This is actually one of my old computers that I purchased in 1999 (though the video card is from 2002). I left it in storage for so long that I didn't even know if it would boot hen I got it running last year.

Going back to that Xbox Dev kit... I have to wonder what the card is that sits above the AGP port? Is that some sort of lock out/ security device?
 
Upon reflection this comes to mind:
85868.gif

In the sense of not knowing the value...

Although as has been said the hard drive was the most valuable component and that might already have been long lost.
 
Upon reflection this comes to mind:
85868.gif

In the sense of not knowing the value...

Although as has been said the hard drive was the most valuable component and that might already have been long lost.

Going by the reddit posts, people say that he reformatted the harddrive. Though i can't say if that was "satire" or not. Really insane if true, there was probably some interesting software on that HDD. I wonder what OS the machine could have used? Windows 2000?

EDIT: Oh, it uses Windows NT. But it would have been loaded with some interesting software. Hopefully he cloned the drive, because that alone would be worth a lot. The HDD was formatted in FATX, which was used exclusively for the OG Xbox. The hardware itself may be a little less special. Though that is hard for me to say.
 

Lazaro

Member
Formatting the hard drive without even checking. Oh my god. What an absolute dumbarse.

Windows does not recognise FATX (OG XBOX File System) at all. You would probably have to boot up XBHDM to access it, if it's anything like an retail XBOX you would also need the device's unique EEPROM keys to unlock the HDD.
 

1upsuper

Member
I guess I shouldn't be surprised there's a popular sub called pc master race. Ugh.

I can't quite tell how much damage this guy actually did, but the destruction of pieces with historical value or potentially useful data is one of my greatest pet peeves. Self-satisfaction in one's inappropriate actions is another.
 

robotrock

Banned
I looked at that subreddit. it's pretty bad. Sadly it's not even like top five worse subreddits, but its still worth calling out for being bad.
 
Some people here clearly don't go to the PCMR subreddi, but nothing wrong with that.

The subreddit isn't about thinking that consoles are trash. It's not about doing stupid shit like destroying an original dev kit (look at all the comments and the total upvotes for all the comments it got). It's not even about thinking console owners are morons or something. They even outright say you don't need a PC to be part of "PCMR".
 

1upsuper

Member
Some people here clearly don't go to the PCMR subreddi, but nothing wrong with that.

The subreddit isn't about thinking that consoles are trash. It's not about doing stupid shit like destroying an original dev kit (look at all the comments and the total upvotes for all the comments it got). It's not even about thinking console owners are morons or something. They even outright say you don't need a PC to be part of "PCMR".

The comment box warning literally says "Don't type like a dummy. You have a keyboard not a controller."
 

sueil

Member
He changed the tag to satire/joke after everyone told him what a moron he was btw. It wasn't meant as a joke. He had no idea what he had and destroyed it for a shitty case.
 
Random Reddit Fuckhead said:
you people dont understand it was internal use only it made Xbox software not games. If you guys wanted it so bad my father came on Reddit a couple years ago and got no takers and now you suffer the consequences. you act like you own it and are chewing me out for breaking your stuff, well news flash i own it i do what i feel is best and in my humble and according to you guys shitty opinion i chose an upgrade. To your point about Xbox emulators they exist. if you really want one find someone who owns one and wants to let go of it, im not that person."

Jesus christ this is the worst thing I've seen on the internet in a long time.
 
Waitwaitwait, the OG Xbox only had fifty devkits made?

Like, are we talking fifty pre-release devkits, or fifty devkits for system lifetime?

Shit, I get that the OG Xbox had a very short lifespan before the 360 came out, but only fifty?
 
The comment box warning literally says "Don't type like a dummy. You have a keyboard not a controller."

Because you'd have to be a dummy to type with a controller, if you had the option to use either of them? The sidebar even says everyone is welcome.
- Everybody is welcome here, even those that have yet to ascend.
- This is not a satirical or 'circlejerk subreddit'. Nor did it start as one. This is a normal subreddit with tongue-in-cheek and satirical humor elements.
- Owning a console does not necessarily make you a 'peasant'.
- You don't necessarily need a PC to be a member of the PCMR. You just have to recognize that the PC is objectively superior to consoles as explained here. It's not about the hardware in your rig, but the software in your heart!

I mean, have you tried looking at the hottest posts right now? Try to find one that focuses on trashing consoles. The sub doesn't tolerate the obnoxious people who spout "consoles are trash, pc mustard race!"; they have been banned for it. If you take the subreddit just by name or face value, sure, it's easy to mistake them as a sub full of those kinds of people.

Disclaimer: Never had a gaming PC for years. I only have a crappy laptop, a PS4, N/3DS/XL and Vita.
 
Could it really have brought about Xbox emulation?

Depends what was on the drive, which is now formatted and lost. Others are saying there were only 50 of these dev kits out there, so chances are SOMETHING good would have been on it if it really was that small number of units.

I'm honestly a bit blown away that his instinct was "cool, free case! let me format the drive and rip out all the parts."

If he would have simply posted at an xbox developer/emulation forum where people actually know what it is, I can guarantee that he probably would have gotten people to purchase it from him for a good chunk of change and be able to build a way better PC than the one he put into it.

Very sad.
 

1upsuper

Member
Because you'd have to be a dummy to type with a controller, if you had the option to use either of them? The sidebar even says everyone is welcome.


I mean, have you tried looking at the hottest posts right now? Try to find one that focuses on trashing consoles. The sub doesn't tolerate the obnoxious people who spout "consoles are trash, pc mustard race!"; they have been banned for it. If you take the subreddit just by name or face value, sure, it's not a difficult mistake to make.

Disclaimer: Never had a gaming PC for years. I only have a crappy laptop, a PS4, N/3DS/XL and Vita.

I mean, the non-bolded parts of your quote don't do you many favors. I get it's tongue in cheeck to a degree, but the sense of self-superiority is still pretty obvious.

And your explanation of the keyboard vs controller comment doesn't hold water, IMO. Why even bring it up then? I'm not trying to make a mountain out of a molehill here but I don't think people can just wave away some weirdness going on with that sub as just cheeky satire.
 

Tecnniqe

Banned
The response to what this guy has done is a bit exagerated.
Just seems to be off the self parts from circa 2000 and whatever (no surprise since the og xbox was developed from off the shelf parts).

I think the only thing that made the machine stand out as dev kit was some specific library files.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xbox_Development_Kit


To me it looks like a heap of junk. Dont know what the fuss is all about.
The saddest thing about this, is that Xbox emulation is dead in the water and virtually nonexistent. The contents of that HDD could change that, and open up the entire OG Xbox library to PC emulation. Even if the drive was only quick formatted, there is likely still recoverable information present.

If only OP could stop for a second and think about the importance of this hardware and software. Selling the old parts and HDD would benefit him and the community.

One day, once all OG Xbox's stop working, there will be no way to play the complete Xbox game library anymore. Unless emulation can save the day.


TLDR why mad tho
 

Cerium

Member
The saddest thing about this, is that Xbox emulation is dead in the water and virtually nonexistent. The contents of that HDD could change that, and open up the entire OG Xbox library to PC emulation. Even if the drive was only quick formatted, there is likely still recoverable information present.

If only OP could stop for a second and think about the importance of this hardware and software. Selling the old parts and HDD would benefit him and the community.

One day, once all OG Xbox's stop working, there will be no way to play the complete Xbox game library anymore. Unless emulation can save the day.


TLDR why mad tho

I just had the terrifying thought that Panzer Dragoon Orta might be lost to history.

This kid is a monster.
 
Jesus christ this is the worst thing I've seen on the internet in a long time.

This can't be real, I suppose the negative responses they got did no favors but way to come off as a bit of an ass?

At the end of the day it was their dev kit, they can do whatever they want with it.
It's just a shame that they seemingly destroyed something which may have contained valuable data that could have aided game preservation for many generations to come, video games are art to me, and it's a real shame to lose something like this.

It also may not have contained anything special, but is it really worth risking something like this for a case?

I mean, the non-bolded parts of your quote don't do you many favors. I get it's tongue in cheeck to a degree, but the sense of self-superiority is still pretty obvious.

And your explanation of the keyboard vs controller comment doesn't hold water, IMO. Why even bring it up then? I'm not trying to make a mountain out of a molehill here but I don't think people can just wave away some weirdness going on with that sub as just cheeky satire.

It's just silly stuff, I wouldn't take it too seriously.

About the keyboard and controller:

I find typing with a controller slow and a pain in the butt in comparison to a keyboard that i can type on at a higher word count per minute, I still type with them though but I rather use a keyboard for typing, even on my consoles. When not using a mic in console games that support text communication I prefer to use a keyboard over a controller.

I do love the Xbox One's UI for typing though, and I can write things pretty quickly with that, the PS4's UI is okay too.
 

Bendo

Member
Could it really have brought about Xbox emulation?

Probably not. The primary reason Xbox emulation is dead is because nobody cares enough to spend the thousands of hours it would take to make it work. Pretty much the entirety of the top 20 catalogue of the Xbox was crossplatform or has been ported, so beyond preservation purposes (which let's be honest, is almost never what drives emulation), there's very little incentive to work on it.

It's a real shame that he destroyed that thing, but at the end of the day the only valuable part was the contents of the drive, and if it really was as rare as people claim (which I have trouble believing) then it was probably thoroughly wiped.
 

Dusk Golem

A 21st Century Rockefeller
I'm pretty sure this is a purposeful troll.

Guy knows how to make a custom case and purposely taking pictures and making comments about things that would infuriate anyone who knows what they're talking about.

Seems like a joke to me.
 
I mean, the non-bolded parts of your quote don't do you many favors. I get it's tongue in cheeck to a degree, but the sense of self-superiority is still pretty obvious.

And your explanation of the keyboard vs controller comment doesn't hold water, IMO. Why even bring it up then? I'm not trying to make a mountain out of a molehill here but I don't think people can just wave away some weirdness going on with that sub as just cheeky satire.

Think about it.

Controllers are a pain in the ass to type with. They take forever. Shortcuts are made, corners are cut and half the time it doesnt make any sense.

Not sure why youre all upset by it.
 

1upsuper

Member
Think about it.

Controllers are a pain in the ass to type with. They take forever. Shortcuts are made, corners are cut and half the time it doesnt make any sense.

Not sure why youre all upset by it.

I'm not upset, and I have thought about it. It just seems to me that they're bringing up controllers for no real reason other than to make another point about PC > consoles. Of course typing on a keyboard is easier, good grief. But who would type on Reddit with a controller to begin with? What I'm trying to say is that it comes off as another forced slight against consoles, which is not a very healthy attitude.
 
Send the HDD to the FBI or something, they can recover it right?

Alert the president via Twitter!

Seriously though, it may take longer than if we had that info but I'm still confident we'll preserve the original Xbox somehow. Life will find a way! It always does.
 

The_Lump

Banned
Wow the comments on reddit are....eye opening.

I mean he fucked up, but he unwittingly fucked up. They're acting like he knowingly did this to personally piss them off. Give the guy a break, I'm sure he feels bad enough now.

Edit: Ok he is being a bit of a dick about it now. But can be expected after the chewing out he's gotten.

Which could have had it's data recovered still, with 2 wipes I doubt it. There goes Panzer Dragon Orta and Ninja Gaiden Black, lost to history.

Not sure if it was debunked, but he seemed to imply that his father (ex Microsoft employee) knew for a fact it was only used for developing internal Microsoft (Xbox) tools and not actual games themselves.
 
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