SmartXX, gone for good?
 

http://joystiq.com/entry/1234000480062401/

Basically, 10 xbox 360 dev kits prototypes were stolen (this was not known until now). A while back, SmartXX posted images of 3 beta kits and the innards. They were attempting to crack the system.

If you read that story, exactly 3 were found after raiding homes. So, SmartXX may be gone for good, if they were the kits that the team was holding http://www.fileforums.com/images/smilies/eek.gif.

I always wondered how SmartXX could get their hands on Xbox 360 Devkits in the first place.. Too bad it turns out like this!
I guess that the person who stole them got a ****load of money from modchip makers! Chipmods makers gets a lot of money each year and could probably easily pay several hundred dollars (maybe even thousands) to get their hands on them and be the first one to release a modchip.

Lets see,
if smartxx got 3 there is still 7 left
Xecuter - 2-3?
Xodus (Xenium chips) - 2-3
and the stealer 1... That kinda sums up for me.... :eek:

Guess SmartXX were dumb when announcing they had 3 of them with those pics. I also doubt that SmartXX would be gone for good. On the other hand they could be severely damaged by it if the 3 boxes were at their top debuggers/crackers.

But the way the xbox's were obtained make me feel that is was very good that they captured them.

There is a big article posted by SmartXX. It's crazy. Turns out that SmartXX contacted MS as soon as they were asked by the thieves to buy the consoles. Smartxx bought 3 to help catch the foes. There was the big plan to catch em. You can read it on the front page of X-S or go strait to the smartxx forums and read the original post.

In the end, they were not cought because MS f'ed up... :(

Oh, thanks for the tip!
Interesting reading to say the least!!!

Too bad MS where to dumb to pull it off....

They forgot (or thought they did) to put gps devices in the consoles...How the hell to you forget somethign like that...

The reason is simple:
we are talking about Microsoft...

Like they ever have cared about protecting their products..
Games: Using SmartE protection without anything enable (CD-checks and no more)
OS: Does Windows even have anything more advanced then Serial check?
Console: Original xbox with a very useful Debug port in the retail package


hmmmm... speaks for itself... :p