Microsoft strikes back in Xbox war

Microsoft has taken further steps to make it harder for hackers to chip its Xbox games console to run their own software.

Chipping Xbox has been a popular method for running custom software, legally and illegally copied game discs and imported games.

Microsoft has already tried several tactics to discourage such hacks, and rumours that the Redmond giant was making changes emerged in August.

Now the Australian Xboxhacker.net website is to publish pictures of the reconfigured consoles so that hackers can work around the changes.

The changes appear to have been made to the mainboard, and involve the removal of a fan on the nVidia video chip and a small chip missing behind the onboard Bios, the basic software that controls the console's operation.

There are also different connections for the control leads inside, and a small board that the control leads plugged into is now missing.

The hacker who posted the information said that all mod chips he had tried would not work.

"If you fit the evox mod chip the machine won't power up ... Hope this isn't a major setback in the mod chip world," he said.