Since the release of the Xbox 360 console in 2005, hardcore gaming enthusiasts have been uncovering interesting and useful Xbox 360 secrets. Whether it’s playing Xbox 360 games online for free or installing system updates from a USB Flash drive, there are tons of Xbox 360 secrets out there. This blog is an attempt to reference the best of the Xbox 360 secrets!One of my favorite Xbox 360 secrets is that you can play Xbox 360 games online for free! If you don’t want to pay for an Xbox LIVE account (and who blames you!) but still want to play your favorite Xbox games online with your friends, check out Xlink Kai. Xlink Kai is a free program that you run on your home PC or Mac that allows you to play Xbox 360 LAN-enabled games over the internet.
Once Xlink Kai is installed, your Xbox 360 console will use the connectivity between your PC or Mac as a “tunnel” to connect to other Xbox 360 gamers as if they were connected to you on your home network.
The only gotcha!… Microsoft has set the Xbox 360 to boot out anyone with a ping higher than 30ms, so as long as you are playing with local friends you’ll be fine.
If you don’t have your Xbox 360 console hooked up to the internet you can still get it’s needed system updates by downloading the updates to a USB flash drive first.
1. Connect a USB flash drive to your PC
2. Click here to begin downloading the update folder
3. Save it as $SystemUpdate9199.zip and save to anywhere on your pc
4. Now unzip $SystemUpdate9199.zip to the root of your USB flash drive
5. Safely unplug your USB flash drive from your PC
6. With your Xbox 360 console turned off, plug the USB flash drive into one of the USB ports on the back of the Xbox 360 console
7. The update program will start automatically.
3. Change Your Xbox 360 Live Gamertag
Follow these simple steps to change your Xbox 360 Live gamertag.
1. From the dashboard select ‘Xbox Live’
2. Highlight your gamertag and press ‘A’ on your controller
3. Now select ‘Edit Profile’
4. Select ‘Gamertag’
5. On the Edit Gamertag screen, follow the onscreen steps
6. Confirm the purchase of 800 points. That’s all there is to it.
4. Clear the Xbox 360 console system cache
If you are experiencing problems with your Xbox 360, such as sluggish game play or frozen screens, clearing the Xbox 360 cache may resolve the problem. The Xbox 360 system cache contains temporary files that are used by the console.
When you clear the cache, achievements that are stored in the cache are deleted, although the next time you connect to Xbox LIVE your achievements will be automatically downloaded. Also previously downloaded game updates and patches are removed when you clear the system cache, however the next time you play the game you will be prompted to download the update or patch.
Follow these instructions to clear the Xbox 360 console system cache:
1. From your Xbox 360 console, go to ‘My Xbox, and select ‘System Settings’
2. Select ‘Memory’
3. Highlight any storage device and press ‘Y’ on your controller
IMPORTANT: DO NOT PRESS ‘A’
4. Now select ‘Clear System Cache’
If Clear System Cache is not an option, use the following controller button sequence
clear the system cache: Press X, X, left bumper, right bumper, X, X.
Note: If you don’t see a system maintenance prompt on the screen, try pressing the button sequence again.
5. Let your Xbox 360 blog about your gaming adventures
Yes, believe it or not, you can set up your Xbox 360 to automatically blog about your daily gaming sessions. Browse on over to http://www.360voice.com/ and register for a blog. Once registered and set up, 360voice.com monitors your Xbox Live account and automatically generates blog posts about what your Xbox 360 and you have been up to. Kind of strange but cool at the same time.
If you already have a NetFlix unlimited plan and your Xbox is connected to the internet, you can easily play NetFlix movies from your Xbox 360 console. Just go to your Xbox menu and download and install the NetFlix application from within the Video Marketplace.
more to come…
This is by no means the end of our list of Xbox 360 secrets. In the upcoming days we will be adding many more of our favorite Xbox 360 secrets.