Turning your PC into an XBOX

[The Green Bean]

I was thinking to myself, "what does a PC not have that an XBOX has?"


Then I figured that I could do the following steps...
1. Get a high-end graphics card (easy)
2. Get a PCI card that accepts XBOX controllers (somewhat easy)
3. Get an XBOX based operating system to make ur PC thnk its an XBOX.

interesting idea...nyone tried it yet??

hatiom

 

[jwkuipers]

The Xbox controllers are just USB with a 5th cable (that does not need to be used). You can easily splice a usb end on them. Or some places sell a converter. Your right, it shouldn't be to hard at all, and would be pretty cool.

 

[GambiT]

1. Get a high-end graphics card (easy) ~$250-$300
2. Get a PCI card that accepts XBOX controllers (somewhat easy) USB works fine
3. Get an XBOX based operating system to make ur PC thnk its an XBOX. Extra work

Reply: I think an XBox @ $149 is a cheaper alternative.

 

[Confused]

So you want to turn a $1000 PC into a $150 games console??





Sorry, but I fail to see the logic here. Most people are trying to turn their $150 games console into a $150 usable PC.


Confused

 

[Maverick]

yeah going the other way around makes more economical sense. If you already had a PC capable of doing xbox things and could make it do Xbox stuff as well (while spending less than $150) it could be worth it.

But honestly what you're looking for is an Xbox emulator for the PC....that can't be too far off so just hold out till someone releases one.

 

[Sureshot324]

Originally posted by: Maverick
yeah going the other way around makes more economical sense. If you already had a PC capable of doing xbox things and could make it do Xbox stuff as well (while spending less than $150) it could be worth it.

But honestly what you're looking for is an Xbox emulator for the PC....that can't be too far off so just hold out till someone releases one.

An emulator is not the same thing. An emulator would emulate all the xbox hardware in software, and would need a very fast processor to do this.

An xbox has a lot of propriety hardware that games are programmed specifically for, and that hardware would need to be emulated in software, so it's not as simple as just putting an xbox operating system on a pc.

 

[jhurst]

Not to mention that PC graphics are way better (monitor resolutions > TV resolutions). Plus PC games are usually cheaper than XBOX games ($40 < $50).

 

[Maverick]

Originally posted by: Sureshot324

Originally posted by: Maverick
yeah going the other way around makes more economical sense. If you already had a PC capable of doing xbox things and could make it do Xbox stuff as well (while spending less than $150) it could be worth it.

But honestly what you're looking for is an Xbox emulator for the PC....that can't be too far off so just hold out till someone releases one.

An emulator is not the same thing. An emulator would emulate all the xbox hardware in software, and would need a very fast processor to do this.

An xbox has a lot of propriety hardware that games are programmed specifically for, and that hardware would need to be emulated in software, so it's not as simple as just putting an xbox operating system on a pc.

It has a lot less proprietary hardware than you think it does. I'm sure most of it could be emulated pretty easily. It runs a thin version of windows 2000's kernel, has the same sound chip as an older nForce motherboard.
Biggest difference is the software more than the hardware. HD uses a proprietary file system called XFS and executables are compiled to XBEs.

Emulating an xbox should be A LOT easier than something like a PS2 or gamecube.

If the purposes of "turning his PC into an xbox" are just to play xbox games...emulation is the answer. Everything else an xbox can do, a PC can do better.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

Originally posted by: jhurst
Not to mention that PC graphics are way better (monitor resolutions > TV resolutions). Plus PC games are usually cheaper than XBOX games ($40 < $50).

That's true, but there are some qualifying remarks I'd like to add. Some titles I am currently playing on my modded x-box I wouldn't enjoy nearly as much on my LCD, racing games especially. Having it on a larger screen is more immersive IMO. Then there's the points of it having Soundstorm quality audio, and the ability to play all my windows media files and DVDs just like my PC but with much greater ease of setup if moving to between rooms in the house. With console games, I can rent them first to see if they are worth buying instead of being stuck with what is often a half-assed demo for PC that doesn't do the finished title justice, ect. Then I can wait a bit and find it on the FS/FT forum for a nice discount :light: I can play from the HDD just like my PC too.

Don't get me wrong though, for FPS games I much prefer PC, but for many other titles like racing and sports games I've found prefer console. Heck, some guys even run linux distro's as an OS and have kb&amp;mouse hooked up so they can surf. I guess what I'm saying is I agree that turning a x-box into a pseudo-PC is cheaper and easier than the reverse. EDIT: unless of course what Maverick said is as simple as a download=schweetness!

 

[Hyperlite]

still IMHO, pc's will always own any console, not to mention they are ALOT more versitile. i mean, cmon, i can't use an xbox to look at por....uh i mean...ok so mabye it DOES have DOA volleyball, but that beside the point. yeah i don't see much point, 1) you can just have a PC 2) if you want an Xbox, buy an xbox

 

[DAPUNISHER]

Originally posted by: Hyperlite
still IMHO, pc's will always own any console, not to mention they are ALOT more versitile. i mean, cmon, i can't use an xbox to look at por....uh i mean...ok so mabye it DOES have DOA volleyball, but that beside the point. yeah i don't see much point, 1) you can just have a PC 2) if you want an Xbox, buy an xbox

You can watch pron with sex-box, in any format you watch it on PC I agree PCs are better than x-box even highly modded but having both is better yet :beer:

 

[The Green Bean]

im assuming that I already have a pretty high end PC. And instead of "buying" a XBOX, I want to do it for free. Ny chance? What graphics hardware and Processor does the XBOX use?

Just I can have 2 for the price of 1.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

Originally posted by: hatim
im assuming that I already have a pretty high end PC. And instead of "buying" a XBOX, I want to do it for free. Ny chance? What graphics hardware and Processor does the XBOX use?

Just I can have 2 for the price of 1.

According to Maverick it just requires a good emulator so hit up Google and find out

 

[T9D]

I see no point in doing this. Just get an xbox and an outboard TV tuner box for your monitor. Very easy and cheaper.

I wish they would make like an xbox, playstation2, cd drive. The card would have most the hardware it needs and you just slip it in and hook the controllers to it. And it would also come with a PCI card. That should still be cheap.

 

[CXGJarrod]

You also forgetting that the Xbox has a proprietary chip on it that allows its games and hardware to be played/used on the system.

 

[mrwxyz]

xbox = pc with geforce3 graphics

if have a better graphics card than that, u already have a better xbox. Practically all xbox games worth playing are on pc anyway....y not play halo with a mouse?

 

[Viper96720]

Emulators are available already. Xeon is one of them.

 

[stranger707]

Wouldn't that be like turning a Porsche into a VW bug?

 

[VisableAssassin]

Originally posted by: stranger707
Wouldn't that be like turning a Porsche into a VW bug?

Porsche and VW and pretty much the same anyways.
swapped the 4 banger outta my 914 into a VW bug was a type 3 motor swap nothing difficult.
also whoever said the GFX card in the BOX was a GF3 your only partially right...its a GF3 with an extra shader unit.

 

[brunswickite]

Originally posted by: mrwxyz
xbox = pc with geforce3 graphics

if have a better graphics card than that, u already have a better xbox. Practically all xbox games worth playing are on pc anyway....y not play halo with a mouse?

actually geforce 4

 

[VisableAssassin]

Originally posted by: brunswickite

Originally posted by: mrwxyz
xbox = pc with geforce3 graphics

if have a better graphics card than that, u already have a better xbox. Practically all xbox games worth playing are on pc anyway....y not play halo with a mouse?

actually geforce 4

nope
Geforce 3 with extra shader...its not quite a GF4

 

[tweeve2002]

Xbox
CPU - P3 ~733Mhz
RAM - 64MB I think
Video - Gefoce with 32MB
Sound - compatable to soundstorm
HDD - 10GB

PC
CPU - most < 2+Ghz
RAM - 256 - 1024MB
Video - Unless onboard ~128MB or more
Sound - Equal or better
HDD - at least 40+GB

Even though most PCs are far better than any xbox, the xbox because the games are written just for it has equal and sometimes better graphics of PCs. Yes they have Halo for PC but when it first came out for PC most high end systems could barly run it. The xbox ran it fine with 16 players doing mulitplayer over lan.

Most people talk say that PC is better than Xbox for gamming, Have YOU ever played a Xbox game made for HDTV and played it on a HDTV big screen :Q Im sorry I have just started seeing PC games catch up to that.

 

[hahher]

instead of emulating the system, can't an OS be written to make PC function as xbox?

 

[The Green Bean]

Originally posted by: hahher
instead of emulating the system, can't an OS be written to make PC function as xbox?

exactly...

 

[0roo0roo]

eh, its not that easy at all. there are companies that mod xboxs with faster chips. 1.5ghz instead of 733 or whatever. tomshardware.com has a review i think. or was that sharkyextreme or firingsquad, i forget. atleast 2 of those sites did. at 1.5ghz setting the modded xboxs would play somethings at double speed basically timing was based on processor...

apparently xbox isn't as easy to emulate as the haters claimed frmo the start. remember years ago when it was coming out and all the pc freaks kept saying it'll be emulated in weeks, its just a pc.. blah blah blah