6 Xbox 360 tricks you may not be aware of
1. Connect your Xbox 360 to two screens at once
If
you've got one of the component/composite dual video cables – the one
that comes in the box with most 360s – you can have your console display
its gamey goodness on two TVs simultaneously. The trick is to flick the
cable's switch to Standard Definition but hook up the composite
(yellow) cable to one screen and the component (the red, green, blue)
cables to another. It won't be high-def, but it could be handy if you're
staging a mini LAN party and want to set up a display for bored
spectators to point their eyes at.
2. Play your own music in original Xbox games
That
you can fire up your own MP3s during a 360 game is common knowledge,
but it doesn't work if you're playing a title from the original Xbox.
There's a way around it – start playing your album or playlist
before
you load the game, and it'll keep on playing once you do fire the title
up. The game's own music won't be muted, however, so if you can't do
that in its settings you'll go mad from the weird cacophony.
3. Play Xbox 360 games online for free – without a Live account
That
you have to pay a subscription for online gaming, something that's free
on other consoles and on the PC, is perhaps the 360's greatest bugbear.
Stage your own form of peaceful process by playing online without
paying a penny. You'll need
XLink Kai, a free app you run from a PC on the same network as the console that tricks the 360 into thinking the internet is a LAN.
So
it'll treat remote opponents as though they're in the same room as you –
and you don't have to pay for local multiplayer. Clever! One snag –
Microsoft has set the 360 to boot out anyone with a ping higher than
30ms, so you'll have to be selective about who you play with. Local
chums are best, not your Chinese penpal.
4. Connect your Xbox 360 to a wireless network without an official adaptor
The
good news is you don't have to drop $65 on Microsoft's offensively
overpriced Wi-Fi adaptor. The bad news is you'll need a laptop with W-Fi
to do it. Head to Control Panel – Network Connections (In Windows XP)
or Network & Sharing Center – Manage Network Connections (in Vista).
Select the Local Area Connection and the Wireless Network Connection at
once, then right-click and hit 'bridge connections'.
Disconnect
then reconnect to your wireless network, run a network cable from the
laptop's Ethernet port to the 360's, and you should be good to go.
Unfortunately, you may have to remove the bridge (repeat the above
process and you'll see the option) whenever you want to browse the net
with the laptop.
5. Play music from your iPod
Microsoft
doesn't exactly shout about the fact it plays nice with a device made
by uber-rival Apple. Hidden in the depths of the Marketplace, you'll
find a teeny download called 'optional iPod support'. Once you've
grabbed that, plug in your iPod (iPhones aren't supported yet, sadly)
and head to the Media Blade. You'll see your pod appear there, and can
now browse its music by album, artist, genre or whatever. It'll also
charge via the USB port, usefully.
6. Use any HDMI cable and still get digital surround sound
Though
the newer 360s have an HDMI output for optimal video quality, they've
built the ports in such a way that you can't have the standard
component/composite video cable, with its crucial optical audio output,
plugged in at the same time as HDMI. Instead, you're supposed to drop a
frightening amount of money on the official HDMI cable with audio
adapter. Balls to that. See the big plastic box at the end of the
standard video cable that connects to the console? Wedge a knife or
screwdriver into the join and twist to pop it off. The result looks
messy, but is small enough to plug in alongside a standard, cheapo HDMI
cable.
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