YouTuber turns OG Xbox into powerful console using mods for Xbox Live & more

The original Xbox is somewhat unloved compared to its successors, but one YouTuber has turned an OG Xbox into a machine suitable for gaming in 2024.

YouTuber and modder Modern Vintage Gamer sought to overcome the issues posed by aging electronics in retro hardware, like the OG Xbox, through clever application of mods that bring the retro console up to date and worthy of a spot in your living room.

Modern Vintage Gamer, or MVG, started by turning the console over and taking it apart. One of the first jobs on the list was the removal of the clock capacitor. This component keeps track of the internal clock, but since it uses an electrolytic capacitor it is prone to failure.

A leak in this capacitor can destroy vital components, so removing it is necessary for preventative maintenance.

Next, a mod chip was installed. The Project Stellar mod chip allows for ISO loading, which means users can load ISO disk images directly.

To improve image quality and ensure the Xbox was compatible with modern TVs and monitors, MVG used an HDMI adaptor called Electron X-Out.

Of course, the original Xbox came with a hard drive. Old HDDs can become unreliable over time, and many drives from this era have failed. MVG replaced the original 10GB HDD with a new 2TB SATA drive.

This necessitated another mod to convert from IDE to SATA. The Project Stellar chip was employed to grab the original hard drive data before the new drive was installed.

Once the hardware was taken care of, there was the question of software. Many Xbox modders like to install a custom dashboard. This allows a user to adapt the look and feel of the Xbox UI to their own preferences.

MVG chose a version called XBMC4Gamers, which is a repurposed Xbox Media Centre interface.

Incredibly, MVG even managed to get a version of Xbox Live working, using a service called Insignia. This means that games such as Halo can still be played online.

Though not every Xbox Live title is supported by Insignia, it is still an impressive achievement.

The overhaul makes the original Xbox not only able to play online games and talk to modern TVs, but will continue to run smoothly for many years.