[Xbox Development Disks]

Hi everyone,

I've just come across the following two disks and was wondering if anyone could shed any light on them for me:

- XBOX Development Kit May 2001
- Recovery Disk May 2001 (XOB-25569)

Basically, I'd like to know any details about their usage and any potential value they may have. Currently, I don't possess any sort of dev kit for the original Xbox system, but assume these are both part of the package a developer would have received alongside the corresponding hardware.

Thanks in advance for any help you may be able to offer.

 

Hey man!

Some of the other members may be able to give more info than me, but from memory:
'XBOX Development Kit May 2001' would be the SDK that's installed on the developer's PC, and 'Recovery Disk May 2001' would be the firmware updates for the Xbox dev kits.
I'm not sure if the recovery disk would work on a final dev kit though.

I consider these disks hard to find (I'm probably just looking in the wrong place haha), but as for a price, I can't help you there.

 

Hi lucas93,

Thanks for following up so quickly! I have a nasty habit of gathering tons of miscellaneous bits and pieces like this that I rarely get round to using, but your information has gotten me off to a good start regarding understanding these disks.

Price-wise, I'm still keen to find a benchmark figure, but whether I eventually sell them or not will largely depend on if I can find the hardware to go with them.

Cheers!

 

Those disc's are for the Alpha (I&II) Xbox Dev Kit's, May 2001 is the last/final release, and argueably the best, enjoy.

 

Hi oldengineer,

Thanks for sharing that, it's most interesting indeed! When you say "the best" though, what exactly do you mean? While I consider myself to be reasonably well-versed in PlayStation development hardware, I know next to nothing about Microsoft stuff.

Cheers!

 

Very rare set of discs, basically its the software for the alpha development kits. If you get your hands on one, along with the discs would make a very valuable set up.

 

Hi LEo,

Hmm, so the consensus seems to be that these are fairly rare. Good news, obviously, but now I need to think seriously about obtaining the hardware. Forgive my ignorance, but I assume we're talking tower-PC like development kit, not something more like a console, like a debugging machine or so, right?

I'm guessing the hardware will run me a pretty penny too, and likely be tough to track down. Anyone have any leads?

Cheers!

 

Nice find mate!
Also Borman is just trying to trade his Alpha Kit with The Simspons E3 Build, early Dark Summit Debug Build and unreleased A.I. The Circuit on it for an IS Nitro, maybe he also takes Cash for it?

 

Not really looking for cash at this point anyway, but Ive already PM'd him about the disks.

 

Hi gelberhase,

Good to know! Those early builds/E3 demos do sound pretty nice!

 

The alpha kit can actually be cobbled together from "off the shelf" parts. I've seen someone do it and it is reasonably easy to get it functional but a tad more difficult to locate the parts. The CPU is dirt easy but it would appear finding the EXACT video card isn't so easy.

A real alpha kit has a spiffy case.

Ah yes here we are:

http://www.ps3news.com/forums/console-news/how-build-alpha-xbox-scratch-w-retail-parts-22278.html

 

Hi APE,

thanks for the info. Not sure if I've got the necessary expertise to "cobble" together" the hardware as you say, but it's nice to know it can be done all the same.

Btw, totally unrelated, but that's one amazing avatar pic you've got there!

 

I'm honestly not sure I do either, hacking software is something I'm not that good at and it would appear one needs to hack up a BIOS. Not entirely sure.

Thanks, I've had it ever since a news story came out when I was a freshman in high school about genetically engineered featherless chickens. Have had it since.

 

Ive mentioned that guide to him. But the fact of the matter is, it required hardware modifications as well. Its not as easy as even flashing the original bios, none of which is publicly available as far as I know, and without a full-on guide, anyone without the original authors expertise will have a hard time going at it. That project took many months, and had many issues, if I recall correctly from the original discussions while he was making it.

 

I dug up that thread about an hour ago and re-read it as well as more fully the link I supplied. Seems BIOS and video card hacking is in order.

On top of that the specific USB card, video card, and such are not known or at least aren't listed anywhere publicly. The motherboard is available on eBay though.

 

Hi APE, Borman,

As it happens, a friend of mine back in the UK used to spend a great deal of his time (and money!) tracking down and purchasing whole stock inventories from small-time, out-of-business developers. He amassed lots of Sega-gentric dev hardware and, if memory serves, some Microsoft and Nintendo stuff (IS Nitro, etc) too. I'll be shooting him an e-mail this week to see if he's got any Xbox its and pieces lying around and let you know if anything comes of it. The last thing I remember getting off him was a PS3 Test and Sega Dreamcast System Disc 2. Never got round to finding out what the latter actually did though!

 

System Disc 2? Pop it into a retail Dreamcast, wait until "COMPLETE" shows up on screen, take it out, swap in a GD-R and it boots it up like it was a regular pressed game.

Spiffy if you need one. Wouldn't mind getting my hands on another.

 

APE,

Good to know. So, you mean it allows unsigned code to run on stock, retail DC systems, or just content written to GD-Rs?

 

The Dreamcast had no system for "signing" software per se. Its a long story but the short version is that if you include the proper files, format the image you burn to a CD-R properly it'll boot up properly made code.

A retail Dreamcast, however, will not under any normal circumstance boot GD-Rs. The System Disc 2 will allow it to do so though.

 

There's been a slight development. Basically, I obtained these disks in Japan and one advantage of being able to speak Japanese is that I could ask the seller some questions regarding their origin and so on. Anyway, I've just got a reply of sorts.

It seems that he was part of a Japan-based development team and has only now decided to part with what remains of his dev-related goods. Anyway, the culmination of our chat was that he's got two additional items, this time hardware, and they're mine if I want them:

- XBOX Development Box
- XBOX Debug Kit

He described them simply as "thicker than retail units and unable to boot retail software". I don't know yet whether the disks I already bought can be used in conjunction with either of these units, but from what people here have told me, it looks doubtful. Last, but not least, he believes there is still software on the dev units' HDDs, so I'm getting really close to pulling the trigger on them.

One thing is holding me back though: the price. His current "best" offer is 20000 yen (170 Euro) for the set. Is this reasonable, do you think?