modrobert writes: "A new groundbreaking product called x360key has been announced for Xbox 360 which load game backups from USB hard drive! The device connects between the SATA cable and the DVD drive, no JTAG hack required, also works on all Xbox 360 models including slim (soon) according to the team. The official website is x360key.com, and the team also posted a video on YouTube where you can see the prototype in action. I'm impressed beyond belief. Good work! Quote: Running a custom Linux system, x360key is capable of immaculately emulating the optical disk drive in Xbox 360, allowing you to play all your Xbox 360 (and Xbox 1) games from any USB media. It is compatible with all Xbox 360 models, both Fat and Slim, and offers advanced features such as emulation of the AP25 protection. After more than a year in development We are proud to announce one of the most sophisticated backup loaders the world has ever seen. Backed by a team of hardware experts and some of the most renowned and respected members of the Xbox hacking community We have no doubt this will be an instant success! We are now taking preorders and the first shipments to distributors are expected to be sent out in mid-July. Read on for features and more info...
Features:
- User friendly: intuitive interface, no soldering required
- Compatible with all fat (and soon slim!) Xbox 360 models
- Supports most Xbox 360 and Xbox 1 games
- Supports most file systems, including NTFS, EXT2/3/4, and Mac OS X Extended
- High speed USB2 interface
- Stylish USB control pad for selecting games and controlling your x360key
- Powerful embedded Linux system running from Micro SD card (included)
- Linux firmware fully updatable from USB media
- FPGA fully updatable from USB media via built-in, in-system JTAG programming
- Recovery mode - it is always possible to recover from a bad flash
- No drive flashing or JTAG hack required
- AP25 protection emulation
In A Firmware Coming To You Soon:
- Support for all slim Xbox 360 models
- Web Control Panel *
Work in progress:
- Loading games from NFS and Samba shares*
- Xbox Live support
- Backup original Xbox 360 games to USB hard drive
* Requires WiFi dongle (sold separately)
Prototype in action!
How it works:
x360key consists of 2 parts, a motherboard and a remote.
The motherboard connects to the SATA bus inside the Xbox 360, and sits between the drive and the Xbox 360 motherboard. x360key is a full-fledged computer system running embedded Linux. It is capable of many things such as
- Emulating the Xbox 360 DVD drive
- Reading USB hard drives and other USB media with various file systems
- Updating itself and other hardware from USB media
- Communicating with the remote and other external USB devices
- And a lot more! (embedded Web server and Wifi connectivity for exampe)
The remote is a simple yet stylish piece of hardware that features an OLED display and 3 buttons. It connects to the x360key motherboard via a high speed USB2 connection. It also has USB for connecting USB hard drives and other devices. The OLED and buttons are used to control various aspects of x360key. It is also used for browsing attached USB media devices and launching games."
Source: eurasia.nu