Niveus Edge Xbox 360 Prototype?

[XboxSurgeon]

Hey all, it’s been a long while since I’ve posted but thanks to @slycooper124, we have been discussing this oddity of either homebrew ingenuity or a one off Xbox collaboration that went no where.

I’m speaking of this recent thing making waves on Discord being referred to as the Niveus Edge Xbox.

Two went up on eBay recently with zero idea whether these were much like the Lian Li aftermarket shell from years back or something completely different.

I was able to obtain one of the two known. Little information is found online. Below are pics of MY particular console. Please review and open discussion because this is something I’ve never seen before so the community might be able to help. If you have information you’d prefer to not be public, please just PM me and we can discuss what information can be released so we all know what’s up.

It has no dvd drive and it seems this is by design. There’s a lot soldered all over the place so it seems very homebrew but why. Why is the biggest question. Why would anyone take a console, remove to dvd drive just to keep it kind of cool? The shell is super heavy and clearly worth more than the retail console is so idk.

XS video coming soon over it but let’s discuss.

 

[1]

Now we know who got the second One of our staff (not naming to save harassment) got the other.

I really would love to see a nand dump of one of these to see if it's MS blessed or just a hack of retail firmware. The fact it doesn't have a DVD puzzles me into thinking it is modded but then again the boards hidden from view so that magic disco maybe just hidden from view

 

[AquaSeaWing]

Hey all, it’s been a long while since I’ve posted but thanks to @slycooper124, we have been discussing this oddity of either homebrew ingenuity or a one off Xbox collaboration that went no where.

I’m speaking of this recent thing making waves on Discord being referred to as the Niveus Edge Xbox.

Two went up on eBay recently with zero idea whether these were much like the Lian Li aftermarket shell from years back or something completely different.

I was able to obtain one of the two known. Little information is found online. Below are pics of MY particular console. Please review and open discussion because this is something I’ve never seen before so the community might be able to help. If you have information you’d prefer to not be public, please just PM me and we can discuss what information can be released so we all know what’s up.

It has no dvd drive and it seems this is by design. There’s a lot soldered all over the place so it seems very homebrew but why. Why is the biggest question. Why would anyone take a console, remove to dvd drive just to keep it kind of cool? The shell is super heavy and clearly worth more than the retail console is so idk.

XS video coming soon over it but let’s discuss.

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looks cool maybe someone made it for home theater solution?
/

 

[XboxSurgeon]

Now we know who got the second One of our staff (not naming to save harassment) got the other.

I really would love to see a nand dump of one of these to see if it's MS blessed or just a hack of retail firmware. The fact it doesn't have a DVD puzzles me into thinking it is modded but then again the boards hidden from view so that magic disco maybe just hidden from view

C’mon, lol, of course I got one

 

[aden34]

I mean, from what I gathered those Niveus Edge sold for $1500 back in 2007 and were just used for a windows media center, more than likely for a home theater pc. Im sure at that cost it was a fully built pc, and considering during that time XBMC and original xbox modding for a media center was pretty big, I wouldn't put it past a company to capitalize on it by making their own. I bet someone found a couple of these that were either recycled/nonworking and just kind of ben hecked it into a what they thought was a nicer looking system back then

 

[XboxSurgeon]

Bump, anyone got anything on this?

 

[kabojnk]

Unfortunately I have no information to add other than observations...

These units literally look to be retail X360 kits with the DVD drives removed and the cooling SERIOUSLY beefed up. I cant see this kit ever RRoDing under normal use and I am sure that is why the heat pipes and radiators are as massive as they are - done to prevent the RRoD issue that was prevalent at the time. They definitely look hand assembled as in the retail X360 kit was opened, outer plastic shell discarded and then its mobo reinstalled in a Niveus branded box, all by hand. Literally EVERYTHING is there for the X360 except the DVD drive. Even the wireless board is there so you can control the unit with an X360 wireless controller. It is quite neat that these units still have the OG Blades dashboard on them - bonus cool factor!

EDIT: Also neat to see that they tucked the power brick in there as well - lol!

All I have that may be relevant are these files I was passed to by a friend.

Spec sheet: https://mega.nz/file/aBkUCKYA#ZKNpQgM66eUHJiih21m0gMORJ2xoKykJL0vJgp8YcMM

Companion Beta Software & Setup Guide: https://mega.nz/file/aYkywayS#XfGQ4t_EqHHw5OcuLbjcRaqoT1eb6lzcNeFKPHeYynA

 

[ItsMeMario]

So, this is supposed to be a home theatre...but an xbox 360...bot not an XBOX 360 ? 1st introduced on CES 2007 ? What ?

So Niveus, leader in audio stuff..."licensed" the XBOX 360...to make a "simple" home theatre out of it ?!

Introducing The Niveus Media Extender – Edge

Of all the Extenders this is the premium device! I hope to get a first hand look at this while at CES. Introducing The Niveus Media Extender – Edge – The first Windows Media Center Extender designe…

thedigitallifestyle.com

And they now belong to Seagate ?!
(Their website beeing down since 2014 www.niveusmedia.com)

https://www.seagate.com/files/staticfiles/docs/pdf/whitepaper/cs543-niveus-media-us.pdf

Introduction video of the device by old CEO Tim Cutting :

 

[XboxSurgeon]

That’s the idea. What I personally believe is this was an eager attempt by Niveus to get in bed with Microsoft and they created multiple prototypes to try and persuade MS into a partnership. But something went south or never came to fruition for one reason or another. What’s left is scraps of what might have been with videos and these 3 or 4 mock ups as their idea pitches.

 

[Trimesh]

I don't think they would have needed any cooperation from Microsoft - just set up the media center extender on a retail Xbox 360 then rip the main board out and install it in a custom chassis. Would have been cheaper than using a PC to do the same thing.

 

[cyrix]

Yeah I think they realized it was cheaper/simpler to buy a retail 360 for a few hundred dollars than it was to buy or assemble a custom PC. $250 360 plus custom case being sold for $1,500 has a much better profit margin then any PC build from that time.

 

[XboxSurgeon]

I’m just shocked they even bothered making these up for them to have not have been a thing. These are so obscure because the idea didn’t make it off the ground long. Surprised it took the community 13+ years to discover they ever existed.