Game Tunnel Client Links Xbox, PS2, and GC Games

SuperStar writes "XLink Kai, the only global gaming network that allows you to tunnel all link-compatible games for Xbox, PS2 and Gamecube, launched their new client. As almost all 'Online-enabled' games also allow 'link/network play', this makes Kai a free and legal alternative for Microsoft's Xbox LIVE and Sony's online PS2 service. Using psSDK (instead of WinPCAP) and a new MAC caching subsystem allows them to become the fastest frame tunnel available. They not only offer a win32 binary, but also one for Mac OS X and Linux. A hands on of this release is available."

Comments

I dont understand

[The Islamic Fundamen]

The article wasnt very clear. Does this mean you can link Ps2-XBOX games?

Re:I dont understand

[dave1g]

I'm thinking it s aprogram that all can use, but not interoperate together.

Re:I dont understand

[Anonymous Coward]

it's like using a link cable, except you use the internet instead (which provides more players, and even a medium for people to meet [a la gamespy])

Re:I dont understand

[wickedj]

No, you can't. Basically, if you have Midnight Club 2 for Xbox and PS2, you will not be able to link them and play against each other. This software is designed so that you can connect only the same consoles. The problem lies within the fact that each game is designed specifically for the console. Some have different level layouts, controls, hardware limitation, etc. which make it impossible to cross link. The only game I know of that allows a cross link is Final Fantasy 11 for PC and PSX. The other issue is region compatibility. If you have PAL as opposed to NTSC, most likely the consoles will be unable to link. Hope this answers your question.

Awesome

[marktaw.com]

And good news for LAN parties & clubs around the world. HUZZAH!

DMCA?

[LiENUS]

How long till sony nintendo and microsoft collectively call upon the DMCA? (and hopefully get the DMCA struck down in the process)

Re:DMCA?

[Anonymous Coward]

I don't think the DMCA is applicable here since they are not bypassing any copyright controls. They are simply taking the network data from "system link" games and intercepting it and sending it across the internet to another console.

Re:DMCA?

[LiENUS]

see bnetd.... nugh sed.

Re:DMCA?

[squall14716]

That was an unfair use of the DMCA because it didn't require a CD-Key.

Since when did X-Box, Gamecube, and PS2 games have CD-Keys?

Re:DMCA?

[LiENUS]

you still need a cd key to install the game to use bnetd, its just that you can use a generated cd key, actually on battle.net the real one you could use generated keys for a while.

Re:DMCA?

[thesman]

And in what does that have anything to do with a piece of software that just sniff console packets and injects the same packets remotely? If you're allowed to play on a LAN, hey... we're just helping people to be part of a bigger and wider LAN, nothing else... Compare this to a mix of Messenger + VPN thing.

No source ?

[e_AltF4]

Seems there is no source code provided, or did i miss the link ?

In English please

[Anonymous Coward]

I think Slashdot is a great source of information, but sometimes the editors forget that we're not all IT professionals.

I have no idea what psSDKs, WinPCAPs, caching subsystems or frame tunnels are. If I don't know that stuff despite being a regular computer/internet user and gamer, it's pretty much a guarantee that others don't know what you're talking about either.

Please make some sort of attempt to put this in language most of us can understand.

Re:In English please

[unixbob]

I don't mean to be rude here but this IS Slashdot and the majority of readers here either:
a) know what WinPCAP and psSDK is or
b) are interested and switched on enough to go and find out for themselves

After all, this is "news for nerds" not "news for the casual internet user". If you want this stuff explained to you then Slashdot probably isn't the sort of news site you should be reading

Re:In English please

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm sorry to tell you that with the sheer traffic this site gets, it's almost a guarantee that a significant portion of the readership *doesn't* understand the aforementioned terms.

Note also that this is Slashdot Games, not the frontpage or Developers section -- being a gamer shouldn't require the knowledge of obscure terms rarely used outside of the so-called nerd community.

And as for your suggestion that readers who are confused about these terms should go find out for themselves -- you're assuming that those readers are willing to put in that extra effort after being thoroughly confused and lost by a post that's complete Greek to them.

If not for the headline, I wouldn't have known the post had anything to do with console games and third-party online services.

And so I think while it's possible to write with a level of sophistication that will keep the traditional /. readers interested, to keep appealing to a growing readership you have to make these posts accessible to people who may not be as "l337" or knowledgeable. Judging from the way this site keeps expanding, it seems like the editors *do* want a growing audience. So, please, help the rest of us out a little and try to make posts more accessible.

Re:In English please

[WWWWolf]

Heh. I am an "IT professional" and I had no idea what the blurb really said. But I did manage to comprehend that it uses method X instead of the more popular method Y, therefore it's network performance is surprisingly good (read: it's pretty darn fast).

I think your comment just exemplifies the thing that we often forget in this side of the table: the people (management and end users), at least hopefully, don't care how you get the results, just that you get good results. Maybe the article would have been more legible if it had said stuff like "It's fast as hell" and they had put the technological discussion to next paragraph, for those who care about such things.

Re:In English please

[damiam]

I think you overestimate /. readers. I've been reading Slashdot regularly for years and I don't know either of those terms. Yes, I could go look them up, but a brief definition in the summary would be much easier.

Re:In English please

[forkazoo]

Frankly, anybody who gives a damn can always google for the afformentioned terms, and find the websites for the libraries, and information about things like tunnels. I've had plenty of /. articles on topics I wasn't familiar with, but I never bitched about it. Nerd doesn't mean one who knows everything. It means one who is willing to find out.

Re:In English please

[Anonymous Coward]

How did this garbage get modded so highly? It should be -5, elitist asshole.

Re:In English please

[Anonymous Coward]

psSDK is playstation software development kit
winpcap is windows packet capture

punch either of these into google and you'll get your answers

furthermore there is a link available for more information

simply anyone who does not know did not take 5 minutes to educate themselves (if you aren't willing to take 5 mins to educate yourself, then I can see how you might think someone else is an elitest asshole)

Re:In English please

[unixbob]

"If not for the headline, I wouldn't have known the post had anything to do with console games and third-party online services."

The first 3 lines of the post say

""XLink Kai, the only global gaming network that allows you to tunnel all link-compatible games for Xbox, PS2 and Gamecube, launched their new client. As almost all 'Online-enabled' games also allow 'link/network play', this makes Kai a free and legal alternative for Microsoft's Xbox LIVE and Sony's online PS2 service." "

There's one line that mentions the underlying technology with links to all three. So if you already know what they are, or aren't interested then you can ignore the links. If you want to learn a bit more about the underlying technology then you've got pointers (aside from google) to tell you where to look.

"I'm sorry to tell you that with the sheer traffic this site gets, it's almost a guarantee that a significant portion of the readership *doesn't* understand the aforementioned terms."

I wasn't suggesting that all Slashdot readers know what winpcap is. My point was that the audience that Slashdot is aimed at would go and find out for themselves if they were interested. The headline even included links to the stuff you didn't understand. If you couldn't work it out from the info provided then you probably weren't going to get it anyway.

Re:In English please

[unixbob]

Were the links in the headline not enough???

"Using psSDK (instead of WinPCAP) and a new MAC caching subsystem allows them to become the fastest frame tunnel available. "

Re:In English please

[Anonymous Coward]

Or better... the majoprity of readers know how to click on a link. The article approppriately links to psSDK and WinPCAP

Re:In English please

[Chris_Jefferson]

WinPCAP and psSDK are both packet sniffing libraries.

WinPCAP is licensed under the BSD licence, psSDK is a closed source, pay for, library. Therefore I'm really not certain why using psSDK is considered an advantage over WinPCAP..?

Chris

Re:In English please

[JVert]

You are an "IT professional" and you dont care how you get the results?

Turn in your card and karma in at the desk on your way out please.

But honestly this article would be nothing without the network details. Console tunneling has been around for a long... long... time. There are even other clients that switched from pcap recently.

Re:In English please

[WWWWolf]

You are an "IT professional" and you dont care how you get the results?

Uh, I was trying to say that as an IT guy I care about the implementation details, but the rest of the world just simply doesn't.

But this has nothing to do with the fact that I didn't understood much of the contents of the article! Two completely separate issues.

There are various fields of expertise, and in the context of this article, I'm far from an expert. I'm not an XBox/PS/GC hardware/software hacker. I'm not that familiar with low-level inner workings of the Network (the only thing I've ever done related to packet capture was that I've used Ethereal a few dozen times...).

For purposes of this article, I'm just a random fool with a GameCube who found the thought of 'net console gaming interesting, especially since the article title suggested cross-platform compatibility (but the article itself didn't - shame). Do I need to know the nitty-gritty details about which packet capture interface the people who built this used? Not really.

And to come back to the first point above: As the IT guy, I'm also capable, and willing, to learn more. If there had been a longish document on the mysterious details of the console networking, and how they managed to reverse-engineer them - that would be an interesting read, in case I could find enough coffee. =)

Any good?

[Anonymous Coward]

Has anyone tried this? I remember there was an XBOX tunneling program out before XBOX live was even out (to play halo) and I remember it was REALLY slow. Almost unusable, not to mention very unreliable and hard to setup. I'm wondering if this solves any of those problems?

Re:Any good?

[Lazyhound]

It's semi-difficult to set up (requires a router and opening a bunch of ports), but nothing beyond mortal comprehension.

Re:Any good?

[parryr]

I hear you about Halo's pain over tunnel systems. Using Xbox Connect, or Xbox Tunnel (GameSpy), or whatever doesn't make a difference - the game seems tuned for LAN levels of latency and throughput.

A new tunnel system won't solve these problems, but a larger pipe and improvements to the speed of light probably will ;)

Re:Any good?

[PoopJuggler]

This is true. Network games that run on LAN are usually made to take advantage of the speed and latency that LAN offers. Trying to tunnel this thru your 56k PPP modem or 128k ISDN line probably is not the wisest thing.