I just got a 360 last week, and I'm not sure if what I'm going through is common, or if I'm just an idiot. Every time I start the console for the first time, it powers up, but I get a blue screen on my TV. So the xbox is running, but my TV is doing nothing. If I turn it off, and turn it right back on, everything works fine. Anyone heard of this?

Kameo: Live Co-op Nearing Completion!
from RareWare's website(2/9):

The King Kong Demo is up now for download.

It may have to do with HDTV settings. Is your TV a HDTV? Are you using component video cables to connect it to your TV? You have to make sure that you have the proper settings on the XBox 360 that match the type of tv you are using.

Chris

Sweet. Thanks for the heads up.

Both are important. You signal strenth is important because, at one bar, you have a high potential to drop your connection due to interference or losing sync with the router. Your connection speed in Madden is important because if you have a low number you are more likely to cause lag during the game.

Try rearranging the antennas on the router (spread them out to the sides at about 45 degree angle) and the Xbox. If you can't get your strength up, you may want to look into the different antennas for the router. I'm not sure if the version of router that you have is able to accept 3rd party firmwares as some of the 54gs. With the 3rd party firmware you would be able to increase your signal output on the router.

Yea, I have an HDTV and I am using the cables that came with the premium xbox. I'm pretty sure its all set up right, and I think its weird that it always seems to work the second time.

Make sure all the settings in the dashboard are correct (720p or 1080i). Also, there is a SWITCH on the video cables that selects HD or normal TV. Although, since you do get a picture, it's probably right.

That doesn't sound normal at all. On my HDTV, the video turns on maybe a second or two after the 360 starts up and I've never had to restart it to get video. If I had to guess, I'd say the OP got a lemon.

That's kind of what I figured. I started it up this morning, and it gave me an error code 74 and told me to call Microsoft. I'm gonna have to do that tomorrow. I wonder if it is just the cable or the actual system itself.

Screw that. it's a week old, take it back to the store. I wouldn't even mess with the hassle of mailing it. You may have to wait longer for another one, but I think it is a better option. Especially after reading about the other user's issue about not being able to get on live after his was returned to him.

Stores in my area finally got the plug n charge kit back in. Was it backordered / low supply everywhere else as well?

Shit no! you could walk into Target or BB/CC anyday of the week ever since launch here and get one, same goes with HDDs at Target. Maybe not nearly as many people care about the 360s here but the rediculously long lines outside of BB and Target evertime there was the slightest hint that there may be consoles there where no indication. I think your area was just the victim of shitty distribution.

http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=29706

Infineon blamed for Xbox shortage fiasco

Short memories

By Nick Farrell: Wednesday 15 February 2006, 08:22

GERMAN chipmaker Infineon has been named as the culprit for Microsoft’s inability to supply enough Xbox 360s.

On Monday we reported that Microsoft admitted that it had sorted out component problems that had led to the shortages and said that there would be enough Xboxes in the stores in four to six weeks. Vole refused to say which supplier was responsible.

Now hacks at Mercury News have identified Infineon as the outfit responsible for the shortage. It cites off the record Vole people as complaining that Infineon had trouble making enough of the chips at the right speed for the 360.

When the GDDR3 (graphics double data rate) memory chips arrived at Vole’s assembly contractors, Wistron and Flextronics, some Infineon chips ran slower than 700-megahertz speed that was required. Wistron and Flextronic wasted so much time sorting good chips from bad chips it didn’t have enough time to make enough consoles.

Infineon has declined to comment.


Chris

My area being all of Canada (via online) as well. Couldn't get it from Futureshop, Bestbuy, Amazon.

I don't think you could order them anywhere online here either but you could find the stuff in stores around me no problem (NE Indiana). I was under the impression that Canadians were having an easier time getting at least the consoles there than we were in the states, guess I was misinformed.

No you weren't, consoles were in decent supply here, its just this specific accessory.

Memory Unit and XLA Games

Hello,

How do Xbox Live Arcade Games work on a memroy unit?

Can I take my XLA games with me?

Does my Gamertag have to be on the memory unit?

What happens if my XLA game gets accidentally deleted? Can i re-download it?

Thanks

I'm not positive but I think whatever 360 you sign into with your gamertag you'll have your Arcade games with you.

Don't you have to download arcade games, though? It's not all stored on the server...

Games are downloaded to the hard drive.

Allowing them to be copied to a memory unit would hurt sales as friends would buy one copy, put it on the hard drive and pass around the memory card for everyone to do the same.

The way I think it goes is as long as the arcade game demo is downloaded to the hard drive and you purchased the game under your gamertag it will unlock the full version.

You can put them on a memory unit.

What if you don't have a hard drive?

Also I heard that you can't copy items to memory units on 360, only move them.

XLA games have to be fewer than 50 MB, to make sure they fit on a Memory Unit.

I am thinking about buying some XLA games but I will only do this if they are tied to my gamer tag and not my machine. I need to be guaranteed that if my 360 craps out I can recover all of the items I have purchased.

I know for a fact this is not how it worked on Xbox, you had to pay too download an item even if your gamer tag had already purchased that item.

I am hoping being able to download XLA games to a memory unit will fix this. I can just download them to a memory unit and if I replace my 360 the memory unit and XLA game work on my new machine.

Armando

A scan of the March 2006 issue of Official Xbox Magazine reveals "that a DirecTV blade might be added to your Xbox 360 Dashboard to accompany the Xbox Live, Games, Media, and System blades. In that blade, you could download TV episodes in high definition, HD movies on demand, and standard-definition streaming DVR (i.e., TiVo) functions."

Link to article