Microsoft Considers Unlocking Xbox 360 Once Support Ends

Microsoft could consider the idea of unlocking Xbox 360 once its lifecycle and developers support officially ends, according to Xbox Head Phil Spencer. The news comes as Spencer himself answered a question by a fan, hinting this could be a proper option for the future of the platform.

Even though Spencer didn't offer an "official answer", he said Microsoft will have to think about it in the future "to state our plan", as you can see in the tweet below.

Unlocking Xbox 360 would allow people to turn their consoles in emulators and put them into custom cabinets, for example, but this is just one example from the many things you could do with an unlocked system.

[SaveFerris]

What a great idea. Besides what is mentioned above, what else could be done with an 'unlocked' 360?

[gamerz]

Anything really; Media server, web server, home security, seti@home, video conferencing. The most interesting is such common identical hardware that's dirt cheap.

[Eonjay]

I would love this.

[breakpad]

that s a good idea ..if it happens ...Sony owes to fans do the same think with PS3

[thereapersson]

They're basically saying it's now okay in the eyes of the company to do what hackers have been doing for the last decade and a half to consoles. I remember having friends in high school that had their original Xboxes loaded up with emulators and ROMS. Pretty sweet, and not something I'm aware of that you can easily do on a Sony console.

[TWB]

Well, PS2 is somewhat easy to softmod but it doesnt mean that its exactly an "unlocked" console. Still you can do alot with a softmodded PS2.

There are many ways but probably the easiest and most straight forward method is to get a specific PS1 game (which is pretty common), load your USB drive with some files, make a burned copy of that PS1 game (with some altered files) and do few steps. When you have done it properly, the installation process is pretty much automatic.

I kinda have to do this soon because my other PS2s (slim) disc drive is about to give up. If I softmod it, I can apparently run some ripped PS2 games (in ISO format) off from a thumb drive or even possibly from an external HDD.

[thereapersson]

I'll have to try this sometime

[FallenAngel1984]

What an excellent way to send off a console

[SilentNegotiator]

That would be great, but I don't see it happening because there's simply nothing in it for Microsoft. But once it stops getting updates, I'm sure it will be hacked wide open anyway.

[Petebloodyonion]

How about good publicity?
The truth is allowing or not won't change a lot for the future of the console. Hacker who enjoy this kind of thing will do it without or witout Ms approval.
As for average Joe, Unlocking a console means the same thing as the word Bidouilleur in french.

[SilentNegotiator]

They're not going to relinquish a platform for just publicity.

[Xbonewone32015]

"Nothing in it..."

Except it would spike a sales increase in 360's you mean...

[cfc83]

Decent idea. It will keep many people alligned to the ms brand. This and other plans will keep 360 punters on the xb1 track, and make many 360 to ps4 players want an xb1. The gloves are off. The more ps4 sells, the better the deals for xb1 players.

[Darkspade]

Umm you can do this now

[optimus]

Maybe so, but not without consequence cause the minute you sign in to xboxlive it will more than likely ban the box. As it did with my original xbox... I'm all for unlocking the 360 since hackers could potentially have better emulators for it. I just loaded my friend's original xbox with 4000 games and he couldn't be happier. With the 360's ability to plug and play hardrives the process should be a lot more convenient,...not to mention lot more profitable. ;)

[Darkspade]

yes you'd be ban if you go onto XBL. But they aren't going to unlock the System til XBL for the 360 is gone... so it'll be the same for people who don't use XBL

[Activemessiah]

I bet Sony are baffled by this.

[JMyers]

The system is already unlocked for hacking... not offically though. After Rise of the Tomb Raider are there any more big games coming to the 360?... Serious question.

[optimus]

You're just not paying attention then. Ever here of a little game called metal gear 5? You also have mighty number 9, lego jurassic world, minecraft, resident evil revelations 2, kings quest, battlefield hardline...and that's just this year alone.

[Mr Logic]

Wow! Reading comprehension much? He said after Tomb Raider which is this November all the games you listed are before November.

[JMyers]

Isn't RTR in Nov? Those games you listed are most likely pre RTR.Thanks Mr Logic for understanding what I was asking.

[optimus]

Ok then, well you have black ops 3, along with the already mentioned metal gear, the next madden, just dance '16,...happy now?

[Caffo01]

rofl no way they are going to do it.

[BillytheBarbarian]

If they do that it would kill off 360 Xbox live. Opening it will lead to people trying to take down the network. I enjoy my rgh/modded 360 but I did it knowing I wasn't going to play that console on Xbox live. There's a free multiplayer app you can get for multiplayer if you really want to. I just have it for retro and keeping older 360 games on my hdd like nhl2k6, Shenmue 2, fight night 3, and others without the need for the discs. I can go from Streets of rage to Fzero, to Mario 64 to ninja gaiden 2 with no mess

[UnHoly_One]

I'm guessing their definition of "when support ends" for the 360 would be when there are no longer any 360 LIVE servers for it to connect to.

It's a safe bet to expect at some point they will shutter the 360 Xbox Live servers just like they did to the original Xbox.

[esemce]

I dont think this will happen, I can see Microsoft selling digital versions of original xbox and 360 games on their next console or even on the Xbone at a later date.

[TWB]

I hope this becomes a reality.

Honestly, now at the age of game patches and such, how well are these new games going to be preserved in the future?

If they truely unlock 360, like another user already said, you could get patches and other content from third party servers.

Not only that but all the other benefits of open platform become available. I really hope Sony is going to follow the example when PS3 dies off.

[BillytheBarbarian]

I get patches on my rgh/modded 360 by using the transfer cable on my regular 360. It's really simple. You can also do it with a USB flash drive.

[TWB]

But we are talking about a whole new ecosystem. People dont mod or hack their consoles because it requires effort (and many dont do so even after the consoles life cycle has ended due to the required effort)

If something like this was endorsed officially by Microsoft, it would give the console a whole new life bigger than the hacker/modding community can provide.

I dont want to talk down the modding/hacking community because their efforts are great after the console has died down but we are talking about much grander and greater things if MS really is going to fully unlock 360.

[JasonKCK]

Do it! I use emulators on my original Xbox. Would love to see what the modding community can do with it.