For those who haven't modded their original Xbox come see what you're missing. An original Xbox softmod is simple, easy and has plenty of features that an un-modded or stock Xbox just doesn't have. Stay tuned as we give explain why you'll want to transform your original Xbox and softmod it.
Gaming
Stock: The most important part of any gamer are the games we play. There are plenty of original Xbox exclusives including FPS games, Star Wars games, Sega games that came off of the Sega Dreamcast, not to mention the many PC ports. The original Xbox also features the best graphics of the PS2 and Nintendo GameCube generation including faster loading times.
Softmod: Gaming is by far the #1 reason to softmod the original Xbox. Not only will you be able to take advantage of numerous features that revolve all around gaming, continue reading for the top 5 gaming advantages plus many more features.
1. Emulators/ROMs
This is where the original Xbox softmod excels. With about 100+ emulators the original Xbox is capable of playing Super Nintendo (SNES), NES, Nintendo 64, MAME and Genesis just to name a few. It's also capable of playing actual Sega CD & Neo-Geo CD's which is truly amazing. Also, lets not forget that you can run rom hacks as well as playing import roms, just imaging playing SNES games that were never released in your region. For the fighter fans we compiled a list of fighting games for a soft-modded original Xbox.
2. Import Xbox Games
Simple enough, once your original Xbox is soft-modded you can play the import Xbox games released in other countries like Japan i.e. The Wild Rings, Metal Wolf Chaos.
3. Homebrew Games
Homebrew games are games that the modding community has created specifically for the original Xbox. These games are exclusive for the most part and can only be played on a soft-modded Xbox. Some examples are QuakeX, DoomX, Duke 3D X and Worms.
4. Backup Games
Access the ablity to play backup original Xbox games, this means that if you made a physical copy of the game onto another DVD disc you can run it on the Xbox.
5. Rip Games
Ripping games to the hard drive is simple and only takes a few minutes. This is great for playing system-link games since you can rip the game to each Xbox as long as each Xbox is soft-modded.
Multimedia
Stock: There's not too much to offer in multimedia other than a DVD player and the ability to rip music CD's to the hard drive.
Softmod: With a softmod installed and installing the free XBMC program you have access to numerous features, here are the main ones.
-Network Multimedia
Network your PC or Mac to the original Xbox and stream all your multimedia including photos, music and videos.
-Play DVD without Movie Playback Kit
With XBMC or soft-modding the original Xbox in general there is no longer a need for the DVD Movie Playback Kit, you can freely play DVD's region free as well.
-Play all files
XBMC is best known for playing all kinds of files video, audio and photo files. This makes it an ease to stream to the Xbox. I've never had a file that my XBMC could not run, I've never had to use a converter prior to streaming.
*XBMC is also referred to as Xbox Media Center but for when referring to the original Xbox its XBMC4Xbox
-New Dashboard
XBMC can be used as the default dashboard when you boot up the OG Xbox, this is very convenient as its much more customizable with skins, you can run all your emulators from the XBMC dashboard as well and instantly stream your multimedia.
Hard Drive
A stock original Xbox has a built in HD about 6GB of free memory.
Stock: Used to save game data instead of memory cards, rip music CD's for custom soundtracks and for DLC.
Softmod: Used for just about every feature of a softmod including the installation. There's numerous downloads that fit perfectly on the Xbox HD which also leads to all the Xbox softmod features. With a softmod the hard drive is also upgradable to take advantage of all the downloads the Xbox can contain.
DVD Player
Stock: The stock original Xbox has a standard DVD player but requires an infrared dongle and a remote to play DVD's, this accessory is the DVD Movie Playback Kit.
Softmod: Not only do you not need a the DVD Movie Playback Kit but the original Xbox will transform into a region-free DVD player and give you options to tweak video and audio options thanks to XBMC the most popular homebrew app on the OG Xbox. There's also applications/programs to be able to rip a DVD to the hard drive.
System-Link (LAN)
Stock: The original Xbox was so advanced and such like a computer that some games were compatible via system-link. It was the online gaming before online gaming. XLink Kai is a program that's used to play any of the system-link compatible Xbox games. With XLink Kai it tricks the original Xbox into thinking its hooked up on a Local Area Network (LAN) but is really online, this way you can play across the globe with friends as long as you both have the same game and connection lined up. System link games even work across to the Xbox 360.
Softmod: With a softmod installed you can play system-link games with just one disc by simply ripping the game to the hard drives. This means one Xbox game disc can be used on multiple Xbox's as long as you rip the game to each hard drive.
Ripping Data
Stock: A stock original Xbox can rip music for custom soundtracks and that's about it.
Softmod: That same ripping feature works to rip original Xbox game discs, DVD's, and music CD's into different formats to the original Xbox hard drive.
Hardware Specs
Stock: The original Xbox is just a computer turned into a console, especially since its manufactured by Microsoft. Some specs are an ethernet port for going online, 8GB hard drive and 4 USB/controller ports.
Softmod: With an ethernet port, hard drive and USB ports the original Xbox is turned into a running PC thanks to the Xbox Linux Project. Run Linux as an operating system to eventually browse the web and run common computer tasks. The USB ports also allow the use of a mouse and keyboard with a USB to original Xbox converter. Windows 98 is also able to be installed.
Accessories
Stock: There are plenty of accessories used to play original Xbox games obviously including many controller choices.
Softmod: Take advantage of the accessories such as wireless controllers, arcade fight sticks and more for retro gaming. Since the original Xbox softmod allows you to play emulators and retro game console system it great to use peripherals such as the street fighter anniversary controller with a larger d-pad for SNES and Genesis games. There's also a USB to original Xbox converter to use a mouse or keyboard if that's your preference for gaming.
