Xbox 360 Jtag - Is It Worth Purchasing?

[thedragonreborn 0]

Hi.. New to the XBOX scene. I have always been a PS guy. But the scene there is really going downhill, so considering getting a 360 (too many new games piling up in the "to-play" list). Plus Kinect is just too cool

I was doing a bit of research on modded units, and was at a local shop where the following were being sold (these are all Kinect ready units):

XBOX Slim 4GB - $425

XBOX Slim 250GB - $488

XBOX Slim 160GB JTAG - $584

** Prices are actually in Malaysian Ringgits. It was converted to dollar for ease of reference.

He told me the advantage of JTAG is that I can run homebrews and perform FTP of games into the HDD of the unit and play directly without need for a CD, whereas the other 2 consoles would require CD to play. This sounded very similar to my PS3.

The question I have is whether it is worth investing the additional $150 or so for the JTAG unit? I have heard that XBOX CD's are region locked, so the JTAG would definitely be a plus as it can negate this issue.

As an added bonus, the shop was providing 15 free games with the JTAG unit, while 4GB model had no games with it.

I would really appreciate your suggestions and inputs so that I could make an informed decision and purchase the right console.

Thanks in advance!!

[deadcanadian 271]

if you wish to mod or even enjoy other things in games it is worth getting a jtag. as well if you tend to break discs this is a great alternative as you can save all your backups on a computer or xbox harddrive and never need the disc again.

however be aware that cause its a modded xbox you will loose all xbox live privilages and is recommended to have both xboxes so you can still go online.

but overall the main use for a jtag is to be able to play modded xex's thus allowing you to mod certain games like you couldnt before, or play other files that are modded that you couldnt. for example with halo we mod it so you can get more out of the game or personalize it to how our feelings are.

[ozzycow54 17]

Jtags can be VERY nice for an ultimate gaming experience, but there's much MUCH more you can do than playing without discs. A slim is also a very reliable 360 and I haven't seen a lot of slim jtags but I think you'll get much more fun out of a jtag by learning how to mod some games. As for the regular slims you're looking at, I think they're too overpriced. So, I think getting the jtag would be worth it.

[misterbanshee 51]

i love my jtag just mine has the first generation heat sinks and it tends to overheat and i even have a xcm fans put into it and a 12 volt stock fan modded onto it and it still over heats the cpu gets to like 55 and gpu climbs to 50 to 65 and gets hotter and hotter i really need a better heat sinks or more fan power but in my opinion jtag is worth the money i have alot of fun with mine

[Thunder 468]

Although JTAG's are great, I see RGH on the rise, considering it is a hardware hack, it opens a whole new door of oppurtunities. But that's beyond the point since slim JTAG's aren't actually JTAG's guys. Slims can only be RGH'ed. The fact that the store can use proper terminology would scare me away already. If you can I would have a retail and JTAG if you are into modding.

[thedragonreborn 0]

@Unforsaken Winter:

if you wish to mod or even enjoy other things in games it is worth getting a jtag. as well if you tend to break discs this is a great alternative as you can save all your backups on a computer or xbox harddrive and never need the disc again. however be aware that cause its a modded xbox you will loose all xbox live privilages and is recommended to have both xboxes so you can still go online. but overall the main use for a jtag is to be able to play modded xex's thus allowing you to mod certain games like you couldnt before, or play other files that are modded that you couldnt. for example with halo we mod it so you can get more out of the game or personalize it to how our feelings are.

I have never really done any kind of modding before with games. Usually once I get a game I just finish the story line, with as much side quests completed as possible, and then I move onto the next game I have got. As for online play, never done that much either as my current PS3 is also modded and cannot go onto PSN Home. And CD's are damn cheap here at $2.5 for a game .. But I am worried about region changes when I move back to India though .. If this is the case is it still worth going for the JTAG?

@ozzycow54:

Jtags can be VERY nice for an ultimate gaming experience, but there's much MUCH more you can do than playing without discs. A slim is also a very reliable 360 and I haven't seen a lot of slim jtags but I think you'll get much more fun out of a jtag by learning how to mod some games. As for the regular slims you're looking at, I think they're too overpriced. So, I think getting the jtag would be worth it.

Actually that slim was about the cheapest I could find in KL city. The next cheapest was at $457 hehe. Is it really so much fun to learn modding?

@misterbanshee:

i love my jtag just mine has the first generation heat sinks and it tends to overheat and i even have a xcm fans put into it and a 12 volt stock fan modded onto it and it still over heats the cpu gets to like 55 and gpu climbs to 50 to 65 and gets hotter and hotter i really need a better heat sinks or more fan power but in my opinion jtag is worth the money i have alot of fun with mine

Most of those accessories you mentioned just went above my head hehe.. but I really appreciate your suggestions

@The Grinch:

Although JTAG's are great, I see RGH on the rise, considering it is a hardware hack, it opens a whole new door of oppurtunities. But that's beyond the point since slim JTAG's aren't actually JTAG's guys. Slims can only be RGH'ed. The fact that the store can use proper terminology would scare me away already. If you can I would have a retail and JTAG if you are into modding.

What would be the differences between RGH and JTAG?

[misterbanshee 51]

how hard is it to make the rghed slims i saw a video of people doing it it looked quite confuseing

[Thunder 468]

how hard is it to make the rghed slims i saw a video of people doing it it looked quite confuseing

Really isn't that bad. Just time consuming.

Italics are the Answers

I have never really done any kind of modding before with games. Usually once I get a game I just finish the story line, with as much side quests completed as possible, and then I move onto the next game I have got. As for online play, never done that much either as my current PS3 is also modded and cannot go onto PSN Home. And CD's are damn cheap here at $2.5 for a game .. But I am worried about region changes when I move back to India though .. If this is the case is it still worth going for the JTAG?

There shouldn't be an issue with regions on these as I believe you can change the xbox firmware to make the disc drive run in a non region locked mode.

What would be the differences between RGH and JTAG?

RGH is a hardware hack while JTAG's use a software hack. The JTAG hack was patched while the RGH hack cannot be patched considering it's a bug in the actual motherboard. You can only RGH slims though. The JTAG hack was patched long before the Slim Xbox even came out. If someone is selling a slim JTAG, they don't know what they are talking about.

[thedragonreborn 0]

There shouldn't be an issue with regions on these as I believe you can change the xbox firmware to make the disc drive run in a non region locked mode.

Thanks for this tip. I will check with the shopkeeper if their units are modded in this manner.

RGH is a hardware hack while JTAG's use a software hack. The JTAG hack was patched while the RGH hack cannot be patched considering it's a bug in the actual motherboard. You can only RGH slims though. The JTAG hack was patched long before the Slim Xbox even came out. If someone is selling a slim JTAG, they don't know what they are talking about.

Once again a big thanks for this information. I have now some basic idea of the different versions of mods now )

I am not sure if its a Slim JTAG that the shop is selling. It could have been my misunderstanding as well.

One question thought. How useful are game mods? And apart from mods and FTP, what is the advantage I can get from investing in the JTAG?

[misterbanshee 51]

if you want a good jtag i would go for a jasper it has better heat sinks and wont over heat as bad as xenons becaus xenons have 1st generation heat sinks and will fry them selfs lol

[ZenithRaptor 44]

if you want a good jtag i would go for a jasper it has better heat sinks and wont over heat as bad as xenons becaus xenons have 1st generation heat sinks and will fry them selfs lol

I haz falcon but has a really noisy fan.

+ it r has HDMI.

but yeah Jaspers are the best.

[ozzycow54 17]

One question thought. How useful are game mods?

1. Shoot exploding brahmin out of assault rifles in Fallout 3.

2. I really hate to say this since I don't like CoD, but you can make mod menus for pretty much any Call of Duty.

3. Custom skins in Batman: Arkham Asylum (and Arkham City).

4.Halo modding :D

And much, much more.Try searching around for more info.

And apart from mods and FTP, what is the advantage I can get from investing in the JTAG?

1. Emulators to play old games that run on other systems like SNES and more.

2. Custom dashboards.

3. Loading into other dashboards immediately.

4. Very wide range in customization in general.

[misterbanshee 51]

how you mod exsploding thing in fall out for jtag thats epic lol

[thedragonreborn 0]

Hey many thanks you guys. I really appreciate your suggestions and inputs. Especially from you ozzycow54. Your inputs on what all I can do with a JTAG system is very helpful.

From what I could understand the shop does have Jasper units only. But I will be sure to ask if the 160gb version is slim, and if so whether its RGH.

But anyway I think I will go for the JTAG only. Should be a lot of fun learning about modding games and trying new things.

Cheers everyone, and I wish you all a Happy New Year

[misterbanshee 51]

happy new years to every one here as well

[Ninja4826 16]

Hey if you pay $40+shipping, I'll RGH any Trinity Slim for you. I already have a Coolrunner set to be put in. As long as it's a Trinity model, I can RGH for you. Message me if you have questions.

[misterbanshee 51]

i dont have a slim all i have is a jasper elite at could maybe be rghed ive never tryed it

[OPX 1]

how you mod exsploding thing in fall out for jtag thats epic lol

You can put PC mods on there with XLAST and you can make your own PC mods then put them on your JTAG with XLAST basically making it a dlc file with XLAST. And RGH is not hard I think its easier then JTAGGING. But they both make time fly by fast for me lol.