A FIRM on the show floor here in Taipei is offering the chance to buy an Xbox that uses a Celeron 1.4GHz/256K cache chip rather than the feeble 733MHz Pentium III that ships with the console. Friendtech is also offering a mod for the Xbox which provides S-Video and A/V output, 5.1 surround sound and a hard disk upgrade.
The package it sells includes the console, a gamepad, an S-Video AV cable, a bag, a power cable and manuals. The chip inside this machine can be switched from a so called "standard speed" of 740MHz to a "turbo" speed of 1480MHz.
The company claims that its mod of the Xbox doesn"t affect people who buy its FT-XBX2. It says it buys its machines from Microsoft or through authorized resellers, and that allows it to change the specs of the console. The mods cause it to lose its warranty rights, but provides its own 90 day warranty on the machine. But in its product literature it says because the FT-XBX2 can read DVDs and MP3s from all regions it provides a "Media Key" with the machine which means users must agree not to use it for illegal purposes. That includes copying games and pirated movies.