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10 Xbox 360 Dev Kits Stolen in Germany

Posted by Zonk on from the early-adopters dept.

BlueStar writes "Ten Xbox 360 Development Kits have been stolen from a storehouse in Düren, Germany. They were being transported from HongKong for game developers in Europe together with other Microsoft products and wrapped in neutral packaging. 3 of the 10 XeDKs have been found after searches in Germany and Austria ... probably in the homes of the people that leaked out those (now deleted) Xbox 360 motherboard pictures not so long ago."

28 comments

  1. How dumb are they... by ForteMaster · · Score: 1

    You know, if the people who steal the kits HAVE ALREADY STOLEN KITS, you'd think they would be less...you know, DUMB. Still, this is good news for the HAXX0R crowd who gives us all our neat stuff like Linux on Xbox and the like. Oh, and first post.

    1. Re:How dumb are they... by Grey+Ninja · · Score: 1

      This is why the Xbox community bothers the hell out of me. GBA/GCN/NDS homebrew developers take a great amount of pride in reverse engineering them from scratch and using free tools. Xbox developers think it's perfectly acceptable to use stolen/pirated dev kits.

    2. Re:How dumb are they... by Breakfast+Pants · · Score: 2, Insightful

      The Xbox mod community is larger than the communities for any of those systems you mentioned. There are parts of the Xbox mod community that don't use the Microsoft dev kit in writing their apps. Just because there are some that do doesn't mean everyone in the community is "bad".

      --

      --

      WHO ATE MY BREAKFAST PANTS?
    3. Re:How dumb are they... by oman_ · · Score: 1

      most people don't reverse engineer game consoles from scratch. 99% of the time they have inside info. They just don't announce it to try and cover themselves legally.

      --
      Rats would be more funny if they could fart.
  2. Hey! It's life! by Pig+Hogger · · Score: 2, Insightful
    The tighter you grip, the more information you'll lose.

    Security through obscurity is stupid from the start; it ALWAYS gets b0rk3d into.

    1. Re:Hey! It's life! by Geoffreyerffoeg · · Score: 1

      A) All security can be considered security through obscurity. Take SSH for an example. If you use a keypair, the only security you have is relying on the obscurity of your private key. The moment someone gets your private key by any means, they can connect as you. If you don't agree that this is security through obscurity, please provide a clear definition of what you mean by it.

      B) This was not security by obscurity - in fact, it wasn't even security in the usual sense. This was security by only giving the dev kits to certain people's homes or offices. It's the same security as your bank's vault. It's the same security as New Orleans's late levees. Do you think they shouldn't've built levees of any strength because there might come a stronger storm? (And don't say "just don't live in New Orleans", because we're assuming there's a need for a city at the mouth of the Mississippi, just as there was a need to distribute the dev kits.)

  3. How would this help linux-on-Xbox? by cgenman · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I've already seen some comments with respect to how this could be a great leap forward in getting arbitrary code to run on the xbox. However, what you have to realize is that the Development Kits don't sign code, Microsoft signs code. All the development kits allow you to do is create code that will run on a special Xbox-like development platform. It's possible that the dev platform would help in figuring out the architecture of the system, but some kid from MIT would likely have that figured out two weeks after launch anyway. It also might also simplify the process of creating code for hacked Xboxes. But ultimately, the limitation isn't writing code on chipped consoles, the limitation has always been getting code to run on non-modified consoles. Having Xbox 360 development stations won't help that.

    There are tens of thousands of Xbox development kits floating throughout the world, many in the hands of people who would love to see Linux on Xbox. But it didn't help with that effort. And likely having a few loose cannon Xbox 360 development kits won't make a difference in getting arbitrary code on that system either.

    Microsoft signs the code. Unsigned code won't run. Either snag a code signing station (good luck!) or break the cryptography. Nothing less will suffice for a pure software solution.

    --
    The ______ Agenda
    1. Re:How would this help linux-on-Xbox? by fbjon · · Score: 1

      Or mod the chip that handles the code authentication.

      --
      True confidence comes not from realising you are as good as your peers, but that your peers are as bad as you are.
    2. Re:How would this help linux-on-Xbox? by Worminater · · Score: 1
      Microsoft signs the code. Unsigned code won't run. Either snag a code signing station (good luck!) or break the cryptography. Nothing less will suffice for a pure software solution.
      Does this make your statement seem out of place or need i go farther?
    3. Re:How would this help linux-on-Xbox? by Geoffreyerffoeg · · Score: 1

      He said pure software.

      I don't want to risk shorting something when I solder it.

    4. Re:How would this help linux-on-Xbox? by fbjon · · Score: 1

      Well, ok. For a pure software solution, a modchip is out of place. But maybe a modchip will be possible now that some devkits are out in the wild.

      --
      True confidence comes not from realising you are as good as your peers, but that your peers are as bad as you are.
    5. Re:How would this help linux-on-Xbox? by KillShill · · Score: 1

      anything that helps people own their consoles, is a step in the right direction.

      if you pay for a 360/ps3/revolution, you bought the chips and bought the rights to fully access your property.

      preventing people from having full access to their property is a criminal offense in my book.

      i'd make ms/sony/nintendo start selling uncrippled products or i'd revoke their business licenses.

      it has never been about "piracy" but control. but you see there's a small problem... you SOLD those devices to customers so you have no claim and no right to prevent people from using them in any way. and i would further add that it better be able to execute any code out of the box or i'd sue their asses.

      this is unacceptable.

      even more so when slashdotters don't even care that they're being sold deliberately crippled products. aren't geeks supposed to be smarter than the average mutton? i guess we have our answer.

      --
      Science : Proprietary , Knowledge : Open Source
    6. Re:How would this help linux-on-Xbox? by Lehk228 · · Score: 1

      would be better off stealing a code signing station than trying to crack the encryption

      --
      Snowden and Manning are heroes.
    7. Re:How would this help linux-on-Xbox? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Grammar can be your friend.

    8. Re:How would this help linux-on-Xbox? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You do recognize that consoles are sold as stand alone systems, with no promises of upgradeability or modifiability; much like toasters. The companies are under no obligation to aid you and can legally (and morally) refuse to repair your system after you have modified it. I personally don't understand how people can be so stupid (and self centered) to argue that modification for the purpose of bypassing copy protection is a right; this is akin to saying that because a secretary works in a government office, and thus your taxes pay her salary, you should be entitled to sexually abuse her.

      If you want to run linux on a system you can buy a cheap PC for far less than the newest consoles; if you want to play the old NES and SNES classics you can either buy a used system or wait for the Revolution to be released. There are NOT legitimate reasons to modify a console; the main reasons that exist are that you're a thief or that you're a geek that (in-spite of their being no benefit) wants to run linux on a blender.

    9. Re:How would this help linux-on-Xbox? by jimi+the+hippie · · Score: 1

      So, now anyone who mods THEIR OWN CONSOLE is not only a thief, but also a sexual predator???

    10. Re:How would this help linux-on-Xbox? by Pieter-Bas · · Score: 1

      preventing people from having full access to their property is a criminal offense in my book.

      You bought the product as it is shipped. Nothing more, nothing less. When you're buying the console you know upfront it was not designed to run arbitrary code.

      I fail to see how this can be a huge disappointment to you later.

      it has never been about "piracy" but control.

      No and yes. It's in Microsoft's best interest to prevent piracy and to ensure the platform can't be used to run non-signed software. There is no profit in creating and selling consoles. Microsoft earns back the huge amount money they invested -- to make a kick-ass game console for us -- from the game sales.

      If everyone would be as narrowminded as you, there would be no market for game consoles at all anymore.

      It's okay if you want to run Linux on the thing. I personally don't really see the benefit, but it's a nice challenge to get it running anyway. However, assuming you are going to buy an xbox because you like playing the games, also you should be dead against piracy.

      --
      Common sense is not so common - Voltaire
  4. Obligatory Futurama ref. by nherm · · Score: 2, Funny

    with other Microsoft products and wrapped in neutral packaging

    Bill: I hate these filthy Neutrals, Steve. With enemies you know where they stand but with Neutrals, who knows? It sickens me.

  5. Here come the mod chips... by supabeast! · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I'm sure that at least one of these will end up in the hands of a mod-chip manufacturer, and give them a nice head start on cracking the copy protection of the 360.

    1. Re:Here come the mod chips... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I personally don't know if having a development kit 6 weeks before you can get an actual system will actually make a difference. Personally, I have never worked with or used a console development kit but I suspect that most of the hardware used in copy protection would probably be missing; after all why would you need copy protection in a development platform?

      The only real benefits I could see of examining a development platform would be that you could examine how the system works in the absence of copy protection hardware (thus you could potentially bypass it) or you could examine documentation on the hardware looking for a weakness (although why would anyone include any documentation on the copy protection?).

    2. Re:Here come the mod chips... by supabeast! · · Score: 1

      "...you could examine documentation on the hardware looking for a weakness (although why would anyone include any documentation on the copy protection?)."

      That's what I'm expecting. I'm pretty sure that some information about the copy protection will be in there, because it just seems like something developers might need to know about. Of course, I might be completely wrong...

  6. Don't be so stupid. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Hey! It's life!

    What are you on? A game studio in Germany now doesn't have development kits. If they had been working with early hardware in preparation for the arrival of the final dev. kits, their schedule has most likely been completely fucked. Which could mean very bad things for the sales of their game if they had planned on being a 360 launch title. If it's anything like Xbox 1, Xbox 360 dev kits are in *very* tight supply right now in the months before the launch. Replacing them is going to be almost impossible.

    The hardware means absolutely nothing to those that received it - besides being able to post pictures on the web and receiving a visit by the police for possession of stolen goods. Xbox 1 SDKs couldn't play final games so these 360's are nothing more than a pretty boat anchor to those who aren't developers who have to use the hardware to make games which pay bills and feed their family.

    Quit gloating at criminal actions.

    Security through obscurity is stupid from the start; it ALWAYS gets b0rk3d into.

    They should have been able to ship the packages around the world with "Cash - Crate Of Untracable Unsequential Used $100 Bills" printed on the side and it not been stolen. Our society is built on the notion of trust and honesty. That your neighbour won't stab you in the throat at the drop of a hat.

    The tighter you grip, the more information you'll lose.

    So you won't mind if I break into your house while you're away, steal your TV, computer, your music/DVD collection - and your dog - but do it justly because you "should have had a tighter grip" on your stuff?

    You, sir, are a brutally retarded moron.

  7. Re:early-adopters dept. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    how the hell is that offtopic?

  8. Torrent by andersbergh · · Score: 1

    Anyone got a torrent for that zip which is now removed?

    1. Re:Torrent by praxis22 · · Score: 1

      http://www.eppo-ombouw.nl/xbox360/index.html

  9. Oblig. Star Wars Quote by Landshark17 · · Score: 1

    The more you tighten your grip, Gates, the more XBox 360s will slip through your fingers.

    --
    This sig is false.
  10. 3 that were recovered by Is0m0rph · · Score: 1

    The 3 that were recovered were in the hands of Xbox modchip maker SmartXX. They have some forum postings on their site about it. If you dig around some more all their pictures of the dev kits torn apart, accessories, etc. are on there still.