What the hell happened to XBOX-Scene?

[Alpha]

Was shocked when I checked their forums today to see less than 10 members online! It is still an awesome archive for XBOX and XBOX 360 hacking enthusiasts... but what the hell happened to the site?

 

I know activity has died quite a bit here on 1Emulation in the last few years, but we never were nearly as big as XBOX-Scene (with total posts over 4 million). So what happened to the almighty X-S and it's now lack of activity? Can someone fill me in?

[+ T +]

I don't know about the 360 community but on the original Xbox side of things, the scene has simply gotten smaller and the few actively developed projects that are left are now based on other sites (this site had FBL for instance). Also, it started to fall seriously behind on the news posting side of things. Whereas once it was the go-to resource for finding out about new releases and development, once it lost that, there was no reason left to go there at all.

[LoRd_SnOw]

Xbox-scene.com seems very healthy to me, I frequent there.

[+ T +]

Well you have to admit, it's fallen seriously behind on the news posting side of things. I even sent emails to the main site for every release of FBL and very few actually made it onto the news page or the forums.

[destronger]

it's being ran by ps3 fans... jk

[weinerschnitzel]

I had a few responses typed out, but I couldn't bring myself to hitting "Post."

 

I have my opinions, but I don't feel comfortable bashing/criticizing the website I loved for so long, even if it isn't the same as it was a few years ago.

[LoRd_SnOw]

Well you have to admit, it's fallen seriously behind on the news posting side of things. I even sent emails to the main site for every release of FBL and very few actually made it onto the news page or the forums.

I think it also has more to do with not many even knowing what Final Burn is. Though I do agree that a lot seems to slip right under their noses especially progress regarding Cxbx from blueshogan's branch.

Edited March 29, 2012 by LoRd_SnOw

[Alpha]

I had a few responses typed out, but I couldn't bring myself to hitting "Post."

 

I have my opinions, but I don't feel comfortable bashing/criticizing the website I loved for so long, even if it isn't the same as it was a few years ago.

Nobody said you had to criticize the site. Seeing as you probably were/are an active member -- what do you think led to its downfall in activity?

[Garcimak]

I had a few responses typed out, but I couldn't bring myself to hitting "Post."

 

I have my opinions, but I don't feel comfortable bashing/criticizing the website I loved for so long, even if it isn't the same as it was a few years ago.

That reminds me the french website 'gueux' - 'gx-mod.com' it was the French xbox reference. After a slump on xbox related news in 2007, all efforts were concentrated on the new 360 and ps3. Madmab and other port were overlooked and not published, despite requests - there have been arguments with some moderator of the Sony Side who acted as cops validators. When a smart moderator deigned to take things in hand it was too late. Lot of goodwill was vanished. interest remains with only a handful of people. Rest is history.

[weinerschnitzel]

I'm upset about what happened (or hasn't happened.) So anyway I put it, I will still sound jaded.

 

The Xbox 360 is what happened. They shifted their focus and the people in charge stopped caring about the old system. Between the shortage of posted Xbox1 news, the hype about the new console (hacked or not,) and the fact that the Xbox1 is more than 10 years old, its massive Xbox1 user base started dying off. Piracy related news for the 360 became their most abundant form of media until late, and anything Xbox1 related often had a few 360 users whining why Xbox1 news was still being published. As for the forums, little new attention was drawn from the lack of front page linked topics, and the moderators accepted the same fate as everyone else: disinterested and busy with their real lives.

 

No one important cared enough to re-juice it after it fell from neglect. Soon enough, lots of people working on homebrew/emulators started posting in other places, since they weren't able to get their audience well informed. 1Emu and EmuXtras picked up the slack from there. Having one site as the main Xbox hub was a real blessing in its day.

 

Things they could have done:

1. Use that news filter more than once.

2. Elect new staffers to keep the older system relevant on the front page

3. Open new forum sections for other Xbox1 related media (like emulating the Xbox, Chihiro related forums, your idea here)

4. Update and mange important topics with relevant information that breeds creative thinking and collaboration. (Plan out what is possible so anyone can get enticed and dive in)

 

With all that being said there are some very knowledgeable and very well respected users there that are keeping the forum from becoming a dark void.

 

 

After posting that, I realize I'm late on checking Xbox-Scene news. ScummVM 1.4.1 was posted just recently, and I didn't even notice. I should clarify that I'm speaking on account of the drop in the Xbox1 activity, and I can't speak for the Xbox 360. It's still active there has just been a decline.

Edited March 30, 2012 by weinerschnitzel

[+ T +]

Informative post and well put. I was also somewhat disheartened when the Xbox 360 came along and the original Xbox became old news in most people's eyes overnight. But I remember thinking at the time that the 360 would never see the same diversity of homebrew software and emulators that the original had, if for no other reason than that Microsoft wouldn't make the same 'mistakes' a second time in having such easily circumventable software security. That opinion seems to have been vindicated in that only a minority of 360 users have systems modified to be capable of running homebrew software and the range of emulators is only a fraction of those developed for the original Xbox. The only thing I was wrong about is that I kind of hoped this would bring about a resurgence of interest in the Xbox1 as a homebrew platform. But I guess by that time the damage was done.