hex editing games to force 480p? + widescreen hacks

Discussion about Modding the XBOX, including hardware and software hacks.
User avatar
SteelWolf89
Posts: 11
Joined: Sun Sep 15, 2013 10:33 pm
Been thanked: 1 time

hex editing games to force 480p? + widescreen hacks

Post by SteelWolf89 »

i've been interested in doing this ever since i heard it was possible, so i was wondering if any of you guys have had experience with it, and whether or not it's a fairly simple process once you do it a few times. i don't want to do it with literally EVERY game, just the ones i play the most, lol.


also, for those interested, it IS possible to enable true widescreen support in most games that don't have it natively, but it WILL stretch the UI in most cases, and it may mess with the FOV in some cases.

for that, visit this page: http://ps2wide.net/xbox.html
Xbox 1.6 HALO Ed. w/ UnleashX 0.39.0222A b.572, XBMC4XBOX 3.5 & MS Dash 5960.
Image
Metal Gear Online is BACK!! Visit SaveMGO.com to Learn More!
User avatar
MrMajst3r
Posts: 219
Joined: Wed Jul 18, 2012 10:35 am
Location: Poland
Has thanked: 10 times
Been thanked: 32 times
Contact:

Re: hex editing games to force 480p? + widescreen hacks

Post by MrMajst3r »

I have done it for some games. It's very simple and the graphics looks much better with progressive scan!

You have to open default.xbe file in hex-editor, find code and replace it with another piece of code.

You can find these codes on www.hdgames.net or other forums.

Hex-editor http://mh-nexus.de/en/hxd/
Some codes http://www.xbox-hq.com/html/xbox-tutorials-178.html
Image
User avatar
SteelWolf89
Posts: 11
Joined: Sun Sep 15, 2013 10:33 pm
Been thanked: 1 time

Re: hex editing games to force 480p? + widescreen hacks

Post by SteelWolf89 »

thanks for the help mate.

have you ever tried the widescreen hacks i linked? part of me wants more of them, but they were kind of a limited effort by people that had specific games they wanted in widescreen.

i really want widescreen hacks for Fable & Fable TLC, Gauntlet Dark Legacy, Halo, Psychonauts, Soul Calibur 2 in 720p mode and Unreal Championship.
Xbox 1.6 HALO Ed. w/ UnleashX 0.39.0222A b.572, XBMC4XBOX 3.5 & MS Dash 5960.
Image
Metal Gear Online is BACK!! Visit SaveMGO.com to Learn More!
User avatar
MrMajst3r
Posts: 219
Joined: Wed Jul 18, 2012 10:35 am
Location: Poland
Has thanked: 10 times
Been thanked: 32 times
Contact:

Re: hex editing games to force 480p? + widescreen hacks

Post by MrMajst3r »

No, I haven't tried widescreen hacks.

My TV scale 4:3 into wide by itself.
Image
User avatar
SteelWolf89
Posts: 11
Joined: Sun Sep 15, 2013 10:33 pm
Been thanked: 1 time

Re: hex editing games to force 480p? + widescreen hacks

Post by SteelWolf89 »

the thing about the widescreen hacks is that it actually makes the games show more geometry on the screen, instead of just stretching the video out and making everything look "squashed". it stretches the UI in a lot of games, but other than that, it's actually a great thing to have enabled.
Xbox 1.6 HALO Ed. w/ UnleashX 0.39.0222A b.572, XBMC4XBOX 3.5 & MS Dash 5960.
Image
Metal Gear Online is BACK!! Visit SaveMGO.com to Learn More!
User avatar
AwesomeNurd
Posts: 332
Joined: Mon Jul 30, 2012 3:01 pm
Location: London, United Kingdom
Has thanked: 22 times
Been thanked: 10 times

Re: hex editing games to force 480p? + widescreen hacks

Post by AwesomeNurd »

@SteelWolf89:

Is the list provided for the only games with 16:9 support? I love to play Pro Evolution Soccer 5 with a mate but I'd love it to be full screen 16:9 :/
Are the codes provided to be changed in the defaut.xbe ??

Cheers
User avatar
SteelWolf89
Posts: 11
Joined: Sun Sep 15, 2013 10:33 pm
Been thanked: 1 time

Re: hex editing games to force 480p? + widescreen hacks

Post by SteelWolf89 »

its basically enabling/forcing 16:9 on a game that lacks it on the Xbox itself, instead of relying on your TV to stretch the picture. it displays more geometry than without the hacks, and its pretty cool for some games, but it stretches the UI, like i mentioned before.
Xbox 1.6 HALO Ed. w/ UnleashX 0.39.0222A b.572, XBMC4XBOX 3.5 & MS Dash 5960.
Image
Metal Gear Online is BACK!! Visit SaveMGO.com to Learn More!
mwaterbu
Posts: 41
Joined: Mon Jan 28, 2013 3:22 am
Been thanked: 4 times

Re: hex editing games to force 480p? + widescreen hacks

Post by mwaterbu »

This is interesting. I didn't know about the wide-screen hex edit before. I had heard about the 480p mod though. Do you think, similar to how the 480i/p has an autoselect for some games, that the wide-screen mode would have some sort of auto select too?
I am also wondering how people have come up with these hex edits. I would like to figure out which games (out of some of my favorites) have wide-screen and 480p support, and if they don't, patch them to enable it.
I have heard in some places as well that you can force a higher resolution like 720p, but that most times, it will just cause the game to look worse. This, I would be interested in, simply as a proof of concept, but also since it should imply having wide-screen too.
User avatar
AwesomeNurd
Posts: 332
Joined: Mon Jul 30, 2012 3:01 pm
Location: London, United Kingdom
Has thanked: 22 times
Been thanked: 10 times

Re: hex editing games to force 480p? + widescreen hacks

Post by AwesomeNurd »

Is it possible to do it for every game or only the ones mentioned on that website?
The HDGames list doesn't show any hex code to replace right? It just shows the list of 480p/720p able games right? Or am I missing something? :?
fxmech
Posts: 673
Joined: Wed Aug 01, 2012 9:15 am
Has thanked: 37 times
Been thanked: 46 times

Re: hex editing games to force 480p? + widescreen hacks

Post by fxmech »

AwesomeNurd wrote:Is it possible to do it for every game or only the ones mentioned on that website?
The HDGames list doesn't show any hex code to replace right? It just shows the list of 480p/720p able games right? Or am I missing something? :?
The HDgames list isn't even really that accurate, but mostly. Many conflicts in the facts between people with different TVs. I have no idea, but would think more games are possible to get hexed for widescreen. I am going to do all the ones listed on the ps2wide site soon.
User avatar
AwesomeNurd
Posts: 332
Joined: Mon Jul 30, 2012 3:01 pm
Location: London, United Kingdom
Has thanked: 22 times
Been thanked: 10 times

Re: hex editing games to force 480p? + widescreen hacks

Post by AwesomeNurd »

fxmech wrote:The HDgames list isn't even really that accurate, but mostly. Many conflicts in the facts between people with different TVs. I have no idea, but would think more games are possible to get hexed for widescreen. I am going to do all the ones listed on the ps2wide site soon.
I think you are right about that, I tried Forza Motorsport, it's running on 480p, HDGames classified it as a 720p game ... I tried 25 To Life, it's a 720p game.
fxmech
Posts: 673
Joined: Wed Aug 01, 2012 9:15 am
Has thanked: 37 times
Been thanked: 46 times

Re: hex editing games to force 480p? + widescreen hacks

Post by fxmech »

I have a collection of the HD games listed at that site. If it said widescreen or 480p, I (should) have it.

Haven't ran them all and I lost a couple in a backup dump gone distracted and awry. But I can catalog something here once I get my new 1TB built.
User avatar
AwesomeNurd
Posts: 332
Joined: Mon Jul 30, 2012 3:01 pm
Location: London, United Kingdom
Has thanked: 22 times
Been thanked: 10 times

Re: hex editing games to force 480p? + widescreen hacks

Post by AwesomeNurd »

I tried to hex edit Halo with the codes provided, I can't find the hex codes in the default.xbe file, I have the NTSC version :?

EDIT: I tried with another Hex Editor and I found it :D
Last edited by AwesomeNurd on Tue Mar 25, 2014 2:46 pm, edited 1 time in total.
ted209
Posts: 22
Joined: Sat Jul 21, 2012 9:04 pm
Location: East Sussex, United Kingdom
Been thanked: 1 time

Re: hex editing games to force 480p? + widescreen hacks

Post by ted209 »

AwesomeNurd wrote:I tried to hex edit Halo with the codes provided, I can't find the hex codes in the default.xbe file, I have the NTSC version :?
Have you tried searching for the codes in the whole iso file? Also, just double-check you're searching hex not text values (I use HxD).

I haven't done Halo yet, but I have done several of the PS2 widescreen hacks which worked perfectly.
User avatar
AwesomeNurd
Posts: 332
Joined: Mon Jul 30, 2012 3:01 pm
Location: London, United Kingdom
Has thanked: 22 times
Been thanked: 10 times

Re: hex editing games to force 480p? + widescreen hacks

Post by AwesomeNurd »

I tried the editor that was mentioned in this thread and it's working flawlessly.
I spent a few hours looking if there's a way to hex edit Soul Calibur II (720p mode) to get it working on widescreen mod... no luck so far :/
mwaterbu
Posts: 41
Joined: Mon Jan 28, 2013 3:22 am
Been thanked: 4 times

Re: hex editing games to force 480p? + widescreen hacks

Post by mwaterbu »

ted209 wrote:
AwesomeNurd wrote:I tried to hex edit Halo with the codes provided, I can't find the hex codes in the default.xbe file, I have the NTSC version :?
Have you tried searching for the codes in the whole iso file? Also, just double-check you're searching hex not text values (I use HxD).

I haven't done Halo yet, but I have done several of the PS2 widescreen hacks which worked perfectly.
The ps2 hacks work for Xbox? Which games were they?
ted209
Posts: 22
Joined: Sat Jul 21, 2012 9:04 pm
Location: East Sussex, United Kingdom
Been thanked: 1 time

Re: hex editing games to force 480p? + widescreen hacks

Post by ted209 »

mwaterbu wrote:The ps2 hacks work for Xbox? Which games were they?
Apologies for the misunderstanding. I meant I have used the PS2 ones on the PS2 console.
Although (for example) the Auto Modellista hex code change is partly the same.
mwaterbu
Posts: 41
Joined: Mon Jan 28, 2013 3:22 am
Been thanked: 4 times

Re: hex editing games to force 480p? + widescreen hacks

Post by mwaterbu »

Ah, OK. That makes sense. Thanks for clarifying. I'd still love to know how they found these codes to begin with.
ted209
Posts: 22
Joined: Sat Jul 21, 2012 9:04 pm
Location: East Sussex, United Kingdom
Been thanked: 1 time

Re: hex editing games to force 480p? + widescreen hacks

Post by ted209 »

mwaterbu wrote:I'd still love to know how they found these codes to begin with.
On the PS2, the basic principle is:

1) run the game in a PS2 emulator
2) use a cheat tool to search for memory locations that could contain the horizontal field of view value (there will be thousands)
3) use the cheat tool to change the potential addresses found (you can change hundreds at a time), while watching the emulated game to see if the display changes

I tried this for Richard Burns Rally. I found a couple of values which changed the overall zoom and I found values which switched off various 2D elements of the display. But I didn't manage to find the horizontal field of view, thankfully, Nemesis2000 did using presumably different or more advanced techniques.

Clearly this approach isn't possible on the xbox (as there's no good emulator). Perhaps for Halo, he used the PC version to find the value and address?

I still think it's pretty ingenious and really neat that the resulting hack is a simple hex edit.
mwaterbu
Posts: 41
Joined: Mon Jan 28, 2013 3:22 am
Been thanked: 4 times

Re: hex editing games to force 480p? + widescreen hacks

Post by mwaterbu »

Interesting, thanks for sharing.
Not sure how they did it, but regardless, I agree, ingenious!
Post Reply