Hi all! I just wanted to share a discovery I made today.

I've got an XBox console, but I always thought it kind of stinks that you have to pay, not only for the console itself, but also for an 'XBox Live' subscription if you want to use the online multiplayer ability. So I've never bothered buying it.

Now, today I found out that you're actually able to connect all of the major consoles online and play as much as you want! And it's totally free, PLUS (!) there is NO modding/chipping involved whatsoever!

There is a protocol called 'XLink Kai' , which is a global gaming network that brings together XBox, Playstation 2, Gamecube and PSP users alltogether in one integrated community. The software runs on both Macintosh and PC.

This site, teamxlink.co.uk , is where you download everything you need to get going, and according to the authors "...Kai is the only service that is not console specific, and boasts one of the friendliest communites available."

Now, I'm not trying to get people off from the ThinkTanks community here ;) , but rather am I thinking this could mean a good thing for people who plan to buy the coming XBox release of ThinkTanks, that it might nice to know that there is a way to play it online without having to barrel out your hard-earned dough Micro$ofts way.

The trick is, that it actually lets your console think that it is connected to another console - a so called 'System Link' connection - when, in fact, it connects to these other consoles via the Internet and the XLink Kai protocol!

I didn't believe that this would work, but I gave it a chance. Inserted my dusty Halo 2 cd, connected a normal ethernet cable between my XBox and the modem, installed the Kai application, run it... And W00T! There I was! Wading through tons and even more tons of servers. (You'll also find certain chatrooms for different games and platforms, with connected users.) You can even find local servers from your region. I even found one from my own town, Gothenburg, Sweden. Now that is neat! Ping was like 20 or something!

If you want to have a go at this, go visit the teamxlink.co.uk website and remember to not only download the application, but also to register your username (!). Since this is needed to connect to the Kai network.

Note: If you are a Mac user, is also a very neat GUI frontend (free) from Nullriver Software, that makes it easier to connect to Kai. It's called Amaryllis . It's not necessary to use this, since there is a Java based UI for the Kai network, which is built-in, but Amaryllis looks nicer. Additionally, you may also want to download the Kai OSX Menu (from the teamxlink.co.uk website), which is a litle icon that resides in your menu bar, so that you can easy and quickly connect when you need a Halo 2 fix, or maybe some Outrun 2 challenges... %)

That's it. I couldn't resist telling you all about this! But remember, ThinkTanks is King. And it also has the greatest community on the whole big planet! ;)

Last edited: Sunday, April 03, 2005 at 3:18:19 AM

Damn there is no sign of Command and Conquer Red Alert 2/ Yuri's Revenge. :[

All those game that are in that website, I don't play! :(

Why didn't they put Command and Conquer, I mean it is the best war/strategy game ever! (Dang EA now ownes Westwood and making crapy games like Generals and Zero:Hour, I hope Red Alert 3 will be a much improvement!) B)

Thanks for sharing wiz. You are one great dude!

EDIT: Also, this download doesn't have SpyWare, does it? :S

Last edited: Sunday, April 03, 2005 at 3:54:31 AM

@ ZeBoLoBoT. I'm not 100% but I think - as long as the game supports System Link * gaming - you should be able to host games via Kai. I'll have to check up on this. (* System Link is the same as connecting 2 or more XBox consoles together. Kai uses this System Link mode to 'trick' the console that it actually connects to another one, when it instead does this via Kai and Internet. B) )

No, I'm pretty sure it isn't spyware. I read their Disclaimer and there it says, quote:

"PRIVACY OF INFORMATION
Team XLink values our user's privacy. Information we collect is used for functionality and site administrative purposes and nothing more. Team XLink collects information, such as email addresses and geographic location (Country), IP address, etc for purposes of software functionality. We do not collect phone numbers or addresses of children 13 years of age or younger. Email addresses are used to notify XLink users of product upgrades and events. Geographic information is used by players to help find other players near them for more responsive games. System identifiers like IP address, host name, ethernet MAC address etc are collected for functionality and administrative purposes only. This information is not given or obtainable by anyone other than Team XLink.

Team XLink does not share any information collected to any third parties for marketing, sales, or other reasons. Team XLink reserves the right to supply this information to law enforcement officials in the event of abuse or other illegal activities."

@ Bomber. That sounds odd. But if you didn't get a confirmation email, you can send an email manually to their support and they will probably set the account up for you. Try that.

@ ALL

FYI, there are even more GREAT NEWS for Xbox owners! You can now use |b]Keyboard & Mouse[/]!!! I wrote about this in another thread, but here are two third party products that enables you to use PS/2 connected keyboards and mice:

Magic Box XFPS

SmartJoy® FRAG for Xbox®

IMO, games such as FPS should be played with mouse and keyboard. This will probably enable you to play the ThinkTanks XBox version with it as well. (+ Live, for free!). :P

Last edited: Sunday, April 03, 2005 at 3:00:32 PM

Do they have Champions of Norrath? %)

I have no idea what most of this is, but it sounds really neat. Congrats on your discovery wiz, I hope it helps alot of people.

Here's one for Gamecube...

For most of us this service is too good to be true...

Are there any other free online services for XBox?