Customer Rating:      Summary: Peerless Comment: This is an absolute MUST BUY for everyone who likes to tinker with electronic devices - it's like porn for hardware hackers :)
Bunnie's description of how he and the XBox hacking community came to circumvent the XBox's security infrastructure is a wonderful tale in itself. The fact that Bunnie describes the methodical approach taken, with its several false-starts and failures to its eventual success is a great lesson for hackers everywhere - a systematic approach (plus a smidgen of luck and more than a little inspiration) is generally the only way to overcome significant odds.
But this book offers far more than just the story of how the XBox was hacked and the ... ahem ... wonders of the DMCA - it is an invaluable guide to anyone interested in creating their own devices. The sections on soldering techniques, board manufacturing, etc., equipment suggestions, etc., is a boon to anyone who has an urge to create something rather than just dream about it.
I have been hacking hardware ever since I was 7 and I took apart my record player trying to work out how they managed to fit all four of the Beatles into such a small space! I have obsessively dismantled practically every electronic device I've ever owned and built several electronic devices from scratch more than I can count. I have a degree in Computer Science & Microelectronics and have worked on teams building missile guidance and weapon aiming technologies. And yet, I've learned more practical skill (as opposed to theoretical knowledge) from this book than my entire 1st year at college.
So, if you're interested in tinkering with hardware or are interested in how others do it, do yourself a favor and order this book now. You won't be disappointed :)
Customer Rating:      Summary: Good Reading Comment: Very good book if you are a beginner at computer/xbox mods. Need to have a little electrical knowledge to understand a lot of what is in the book. It is not a how-to book, but a book that will make you think and try stuff on your own. Lot of information on copyrights, DCMA and stuff like that. A great book to show how to get started, methods that can be used, and computer structure. If you are a computer wiz, then this book would seem basic, if not this would be a good book to read before you start hacking.
Customer Rating:      Summary: Has a lot of Info, but is old Comment: This book was published a couple of years ago, so it's problem is that it doesn't cover the newer 1.6 Xboxes and doesn't contain Microsoft Dashboard 5960 hacks. Otherwise, it's a wonderful book for someone looking to do something more interesting with their old Xbox, I mean, now that it's place is being taken by the newer 360.
Customer Rating:      Summary: Very, Very, Satisfied ! This book is .... My precious ! Comment: I really like to Thank's for this Amazing book, well done ... this book is a beauty and fully contain a lot of informations about my beloved XBOX System ... and more ... a lot of more .... I want to say for all .... Buy this item and enjoy ! ;-)
Customer Rating:      Summary: not exactly what I was looking for Comment: This book could be a good resource for someone interested in general hacking and reverse engineering, but it fails to provide enough details or describe enough Xbox-specific projects to be truly called "Hacking the Xbox". Maybe if the title had just been "Hacking" it would have lived up to my expectations. As such, I feel that Jonathan Harbour's "The Black Art of Xbox Mods" was more what I was looking for. Still, this book has some value for me, particularly the soldering tutorial.
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