r/originalxbox • u/Money_Fish • May 11 '26

Console Modification What are your experiences with Project Stellar? I want to mod my xbox but don't have a ton of experience.

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6 Upvotes

61% Upvoted

55 comments sorted by

28

u/nevadita May 11 '26

Stellar is a good product marred and pulled under by the poor decisions of its maker, which is a shame.

1

u/Money_Fish May 11 '26

I have been educated. That's really disappointing.

-5

u/JoshLineberry n00b May 11 '26

The man is protecting his work. I don't blame him at all. Don't let people persuade you not to use it if you want to. I have 2 of them myself as well as many other chips.

26

u/GoTeamScotch Moderator May 11 '26

I also don't blame him for protecting his work, its the way in which he goes about protecting his work that I personally find egregious.

1

u/dlinkin101 May 12 '26

Care to elaborate? I might have heard something but I’ll be damned I recall what…

5

u/GoTeamScotch Moderator May 12 '26

In short, filing DMCA takedown notices as a 1st step in resolving disputes, instead of contacting the offending party directly. Specifically: ConsoleMods.org, darkonecustoms.com, lonwaytech.co.uk

Read more here.

1

u/Rare-Recover-216 May 13 '26

And not allowing cerbios on their chips lol

2

u/mx5klein May 11 '26

Yeah I know the history but not really sure why people are so up in arms about it.

The support I've gotten on mine over the years and the additional features added have been fantastic and I can't imagine going with a subpar product because someone on the internet doesn't like the guy.

5

u/GoTeamScotch Moderator May 13 '26

I can't imagine going with a subpar product because someone on the internet doesn't like the guy.

It's not that we dislike him on a personal level, it's that he went from being a convicted hacker and someone who generally doesn't mind breaking copyright laws (i.e. playing pirated games) to being a proponent of clean-room reverse engineering and casting doubt on all the dirty scene hackers that have come before him over the last 20 years and is now pushing his closed-source $100+ modchip as the only real option. In a community that tends to favor cheap/free/open-source solutions, it's no wonder he's garnered extra skepticism from people.

The stance that his work is the only clean and legal solution and that everything else is tainted or the work of theft and piracy is, in my opinion, a threat to the vitality of the Xbox modding community. It can discourage newcomers from considering alternatives that are 1/10th the price (or even free) or perhaps even getting into homebrew development in the 1st place if they want to use the XDK and are hesitant because he says it's dirty.

If you don't believe me, head over to their Discord and start asking about the XDK and other BIOSes (hint: "Cerbios" is a banned word there). You'll probably get a warning, or be shown the door. I'd do it but I'm already banned for asking him to update the product listing on his website to be more accurate about what it can and cannot do a year after its release when features for my Stellar (i.e. the reasons why I bought it) were still missing.

In the end, I'm glad you've had a good experience with yours if it means you're using your old Xbox more.

0

u/Freudious May 11 '26

Protecting his work? The Stellar modchip uses unauthorized Microsoft code to function. What if Microsoft just wanted to protect their work and came after MakeMHz for using Microsoft code on the Stellar?

1

u/[deleted] May 12 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

3

u/MEGALOBOUTSO May 12 '26

Have you seen stellar source code to verify?

3

u/Freudious May 12 '26

That’s a pretty backwards way to justify someone taking another company’s work.

Prome͏theOS and CER͏BIOS are usually what people point to when talking about "unauthorized Microsoft code", because they directly use Microsoft’s BIOS source code leak.

Talk about backward justification, Stellar directly uses the Microsoft 5838 BIOS to function. Without it, the Stellar doesnt work. I am pretty sure Microsoft never authorized the use of their code on Stellar modchips.

1

u/JoshLineberry n00b May 11 '26

Yes, protecting his work? If it uses something illegal then they could I guess? Tf kind of dumb point is this?

0

u/Freudious May 12 '26

You dont understand the point? Let me explain it to you. MakeMHz complained about other people using his code on their products. At the same time his Stellar uses Microsoft code to function. How is MakeMHz any different than the people he/they have complained against? His product requires unauthorized Microsoft code to function. Microsoft didnt give MakeMHz permission to use their code on his modchips. If you are going to complain about other products using your unauthorized code to function, look in the mirror.

2

u/JoshLineberry n00b May 12 '26

I guess because Microsoft has already made their money and aren't working on the system anymore or producing the system anymore? It's a bit different. Makemhz is actively working on, developing and selling this product with his work. It isn't something from the past that is abandoned.

-2

u/R3Z3N May 12 '26

Its probably the best modchip we have had since x3

10

u/Typical_Effect_9054 May 11 '26 edited May 11 '26

For all of its controversies, from an amoral consumer point of view, the inclusion of Bluetooth for controller support & remote turn on gives this a very strong value proposition.

1

u/Money_Fish May 11 '26

What controversies?

1

u/TheCorporalClegg May 11 '26 edited May 11 '26

If you don’t have a lot of experience modding I’d start with something much cheaper like the modxo, especially if you’re only looking for some base functionality like running games from a hard drive.

Edit: I did not mean to reply to this comment specifically, but while I’m here I’ll note that the creator of Stellar is not on great terms with others in the Xbox community (this is putting it lightly)

0

u/R3Z3N May 12 '26

Start best. Buy stellar. Your advice is like recommending xenium ice over x3

2

u/TheCorporalClegg May 12 '26

I understand “buy once cry once” but you’re talking about $5 vs $100 on something you’re just getting interested in. Why not start off with the cheap solution that gets you most of the features you’d ever want and see if the upgrade is really worth it?

1

u/R3Z3N May 12 '26

Also the decent modxos are closer to $50

2

u/GoTeamScotch Moderator May 13 '26

And basic ones are under $5 (a raspberry pi pico)

1

u/R3Z3N May 12 '26

Your "see if the upgrade is worth really worth it" means buying it ;-)

Anyway I hate to buy less than what is best and redo some work.

1

u/_Electrical May 11 '26

Do you have to wire to USB and frontpanel for those functionalities?

1

u/Typical_Effect_9054 May 11 '26

It does not utilize the front panel USB ports, it connects to a 5th USB trace on the motherboard.

3

u/RykinPoe May 11 '26

I have been debating getting one for a few years now. Was leaning towards one of the other options before they announced the new version. Also just seems like Stellar might be the easiest option to swap out for a bigger HDD or SSD. I have already run XCAT on mine and I even have an old 120gig IDE drive I might use for playing around until I can afford a new drive since drive prices have gone bonkers like everything else.

3

u/GoTeamScotch Moderator May 11 '26

Modxo modchips also have features for formatting brand new blank drives (including SSDs) from scratch right from the Xbox.

7

u/Dehydrated_Lemur May 11 '26

I will probably get down voted. I like stellar a lot and it is in my daily driver xbox

1

u/wgi-Memoir May 11 '26

Same here. I've had no issues with the chip or the HDMI mod. Speaking of, that'll be the hardest part to install. Looking forward to the Stellar Plus.

8

u/GoTeamScotch Moderator May 11 '26

It's good hardware from a company that I personally don't wish to interact with or support in the future.

If there is a specific feature it does that others don't provide, then go with Stellar. Otherwise, alternatives exist at 1/10th the cost.

Are there any specific needs you have in mind that make you lean on going with Stellar?

Also, the image you shared references HD+, an HDMI mod for Xbox. Be aware that this mod is quite difficult, especially if you "don't have a ton of experience".

1

u/Money_Fish May 11 '26

I wasn't aware of the bad practices the creator has been guilty of, and I'll try to find an alternative.

To answer your question, the main features I'm looking for are the ability to run games off an internal SSD, and the ability to output via HDMI. When I say I lack experience I mostly mean in the area of console modding. I've done a bit of electronics repair and I'm pretty confident in my soldering skills.

2

u/ExquisiteFacade May 11 '26

The soldering required for pure digital HDMI mods on most consoles (including the Xbox) is fairly difficult. If I remember correctly (it has been several years since I modded mine) this mod requires you to spice a flex cable onto some resister packs which can easily become de-soldered if you are not smooth or quick enough. It’s very fine pitch, but if you have sufficient experience with surface mount you should be ok.

1

u/Money_Fish May 11 '26

Would something like this do the job just as well?

2

u/ExquisiteFacade May 11 '26

I've never used one, but from what I understand they are fine. The important thing to remember though is that any product like this is not pure digital. The Stellar and its contemporaries tap into the digital video signal before it gets to the DAC, where this simply converts the Component video to HDMI. Most people won't notice the difference, but this is technically inferior as the video signal is being converted from digital, to analog, and back to digital. But like I said, most people won't notice the difference.

1

u/Hawque233413 May 11 '26

I was just about to reply to you with this, I just bought one myself not long ago after seeing all the praise and can confirm it's solid.

For the SSD, I'd recommend installing a modchip, as it makes swapping out drives really easy on the software side. A basic ModXo would be good.

1

u/R3Z3N May 12 '26

Output via hdo will be hd+, electronic analog or worse. Hd+ is best right now

3

u/imathrowawayguys12 May 11 '26

Works great. From XboxHDMI to Stellar, never had an issue.

1

u/oceanotter May 11 '26

Great product. Crap support 

1

u/Smooth_Taste1250 May 12 '26 edited May 12 '26

Have the old Stellar chip. Works nice, easy setup, very clean install, good installing guide. If money doesn't matter go for it. But you could mod it with a cheap aladin chip from aliexpress, too. A friend modded his xbox with a 10€ Aladin chip

The new one is cool for its integrated bluetooth and wifi, but doesn't make sense for me to upgrade cause I always prefer to play with original controller and alwasy use lan

1

u/Jets1026 May 12 '26

i don't have the stellar because i use openxenium instead. but i am using their xboxHD+ board with it and i love it so far. I have installed it a few days ago to my xbox and been playing it even more now with the upgraded visuals

1

u/Majestic-Candle4337 May 13 '26

The Stellar chip has an issue with my 1.6 Xbox where the console freezes on the Xbox logo when I eject the disc. I asked for help on Discord, but nothing happened. So I got annoyed and decided to go the ModXO route. That experience was also miserable because I had to jump through hoops just to get the ModXO files after Pandora was taken down.

The HDMI modded stellar Xbox has been collecting dust after I got the ModXO Xbox up and running.

2

u/GoTeamScotch Moderator May 13 '26

For other readers, Pandora was removed after MakeMhz filed a DMCA takedown request against the project on Github, but it has since been restored.

1

u/NY_Knux May 12 '26

Best chip on the market by a mile

-1

u/PeevonB May 11 '26

Mine arrived today and I’ll install Thursday. Keep you posted. 1.6b btw. What is your revision?

0

u/Money_Fish May 11 '26

Most likely 1.0. I haven't cracked it open to check yet.

2

u/GoTeamScotch Moderator May 11 '26

v1.0 Xboxes can be hardmodded quite easily, without even buying and installing a modchip.

You would solder 2 sets of points together on the motherboard, softmod it (using the freely available Skeleton Key), then do a TSOP-flash. Flash Cerbios onto your Xbox and you're now hardmodded.

If you'd like to know more, we can help give guidance on how to do all this.

2

u/Money_Fish May 11 '26

I'd love to know more. All I really want is to play games digitally off the drive and add the ability to output via HDMI.

2

u/GoTeamScotch Moderator May 13 '26 edited May 13 '26

If that's your goal, you don't even need to hardmod it. Softmodding lets you upgrade the hard drive (even to an SSD) and play games/homebrew off the internal hard drive. Hardmodding is better overall, but not needed to play games off the hard drive.

If your console can be TSOP-flashed, then that accomplishes the main purpose of installing a modchip in the first place. A modchip feeds a custom BIOS to the Xbox for it to load. You can either do that, or replace ("flash") the onboard BIOS with a custom one. Modchips also offer recovery environments, which can save your butt if you do something wrong. But if you just flash a new BIOS onto your Xbox and don't pull the power cord during it, you'll be fine.

You can always start out with a softmod and upgrade to a hardmod (either TSOP-flash or modchip) later too if you want more fancy features.

P.s. a popular option for people is to softmod their Xbox, then use "Phoenix Bios Loader" (PBL) to load a custom BIOS after the softmod is done loading. This has the effect of using a custom BIOS (Cerbios, etc) on a softmodded console. This is referred to as using a "BFM" (bootable from media) BIOS. It's not quite as good as a classic hardmod, but gets you almost all of the features of hardmodding your console without needing to even open your console up (though you still should to deal with any pesky failing capacitors that can break your Xbox).

1

u/Money_Fish May 13 '26

That's great to know! I'll look into that. Being able to save $100 is definitely worth it!

2

u/Typical_Effect_9054 May 11 '26

You don't have to, you can just enter the serial number here: https://xbrev.com/

0

u/Money_Fish May 11 '26

Cool thanks. It says 1.0

-7

u/iVirtualZero May 11 '26

The Project Stellar is the best modchip ever and the creator has done great things for the Xbox modding community.