Xbox 360 Architecture
copetti.org
Xbox 360 Architecture
1–10 of 67 posts
Re: Xbox 360 Architecture
#2Hi Hackernews, don't forget you can use the alternative edition without styles: https://classic.copetti.org/writings/consoles/xbox-360/
(works better with accessibility tools, like text to speech; and translators)
There are also new PDF and EPUB editions here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/67035520 (it's a public post, I just needed a place to upload those files without consuming my hosting's bandwidth).
If you spot a mistake, please log an issue on the repo (https://github.com/flipacholas/Architecture-of-consoles) so I can review it. Thanks!
Re: Xbox 360 Architecture
#3This thing branched horribly. You had to use instructions to selectively write to distinct memory locations to avoid typical branching because misprediction was expensive.
This was Frostbite/Battlefield 3 era. Good Times.
Re: Xbox 360 Architecture
#4Wow, this is probably the best/longest essay that I've read about the 360's hardware and software (but without getting into the games themselves).
Re: Xbox 360 Architecture
#5Building the little probe used to read the x360 dvd drive key out of discrete components with zero knowledge of electronics was probably one of the most fun technical things I did in my early 20's. It was a logic level shifter if I remember correctly, wired to my PC's serial port.
Re: Xbox 360 Architecture
#6A labor of love that would benefit from reorganization and editing.
It could also use a round of fact checking. Some of the info appears to be based on third-hand speculation.
Re: Xbox 360 Architecture
#7That 2008 Windows Live Mail screenshot hit me right in the feels :') That's the period of time I got my first "high bandwidth" connection (really anything faster than a 56k dial-up connection), and basically the true start of my programming adventures...
Re: Xbox 360 Architecture
#8I love these deep dives into the hardware, thank you!
Re: Xbox 360 Architecture
#9A labor of love that would benefit from reorganization and editing. It could also use a round of fact checking. Some of the info appears to be based on third-hand speculation.
Hi, this took me 6 months to write, I've also tried as hard as possible to cross check all my references, and include them in the article in a way the reader can find the citations just like in academic writings.
Statements denoting speculation are started with words like 'presumably' or 'it is assumed that'.
I've also took an extra month to send the draft to many experts (part of whom are still active in the Xbox 360 scene) to gather feedback and make all the appropriate corrections. See the 'Changelog' at the end of the article.
I'm afraid I can only do so much. Just like you said, this is all voluntary work. I also keep a repo with all the manuscripts to correct all the mistakes after publishing any content (https://github.com/flipacholas/Architecture-of-consoles).
I don't know how else I could improve this, but I'm always open to suggestions.
I don't know what you mean with reorganization and editing.
Re: Xbox 360 Architecture
#10I used to have a G5 Mac living a second life as a doorstep with a “property of Microsoft” sticker on it because they were used as early alpha devkits for the 360. Given away at the company I worked for a year or two after the 360 shipped. Rumour has it they were even delivered at the dead of night so no one would see the MS branding on Apple hardware.