Recently, (and not so recently) I have seen loads of topics, where people want to know, if JTAGs/RGH Consoles are "worth" buying.

So I have decided to make a post, about JTAGs/RGH pros and cons, and alternatives to them.

Modding

So, a lot of people get JTAGs/RGHs for modding purposes. These range from adding mod menu's to CoD all the way to making guns talk on Halo, and sometimes, even further than that.

In my opinion, when it comes to modding, a JTAG/RGH console, is the way to go. Although you can get some mods that require nothing more than a USB, to get the really intresting mods, you need the ability to run unsigned code.

Some of the more popular mods can be achieved with ISO modding, however, this requires a flashed Xbox, or an XK3Y, I will go into more details of those 2 later.

So, to sum up that section, if you are intrested in modifying games, then yes, a JTAG is worth it.

Emulators

In most of the topics that ask the question of "is it worth it?" someone will come back with "Well if you are going to buy it for modding CoD NO! They are for Emulators N00B!"

This is an answer that has always bothered me, as I have never seen an Emulator on Xbox, that can not be found with better support for PC.
On my PC, I have the following Emulators - Master System, MegaDrive, SNES, N64, PSX, and, PS2.

As long as you have a semi decent PC, you will be able to run all of those, except for PS2, which requires a slightly higher spec PC, however, it is also the only emulator not supported on JTAG.

The other thing about running these emulators on PC, is the online support that can be found for many games, that never even supported online gaming when they were released. I mentioned in an earlier topic, that one of my favourite games from childhood, was Crash Team Racing, however, the guys I used to play 4 player split screen with, have long since moved away. That being said, I was informed of a PSX Emulator, with online support, and after trying it out, was pleasently surprised.

So to sum up, if you are buying one for Emulators, then no, I do not think they are worth it.

Games without Disc's!

This is one of the main reasons for most I think, the idea of being able to play a game without the disk, is one that appeals to many people, for many reasons.
For some, it is the idea of playing your games, without the risk of damaging them, and therefore, lowering the chance of selling them on in the future, where as for others, it is the ability to play a game, without having to pay for it(dirty pirates!). The other, and more common reason, is playing leaked games, before anyone else!

Now, although this is one of the major factors in peoples decision to buy JTAGged or RGH'd consoles, it is also the factor with the most options.
Flashed Consoles
Flashing DVD drives, has been around for a long time, and is far simpler than JTAGging, or RGHing.
The only time things get slightly more complicated than plugging in some cables and dumping, modifying, and writing new firmware, is when you are in possesion of a Lite-On Drive. However, this problem has been overcome by Team Xecuter, with the use of a 'Probe' that when held on the correct point of the board, removed the read/write protection, allowing the drive to be flashed normally.
The only downside to flashing, is the time it takes to burn the games, as most range from 7gb all the way to 24gb. Once you get upto the bigger games, it can take massive amounts of time to get games ready to play, as well the problem of DVD errors, that can render the disc unusable, and needing to be re-burnt. As well as this, MS has released(on average) a patch a year, that will detect the modified FW, and then ban the xbox, or, as with the more recent updates, prevent the game from booting at all.

DVD Drive Emulators
This is a method, that has not been out for too long, and I think sadly, has been overlooked by many.
The X360K3Y, and others such as wasabi, and XDock, are small devices, that allow the xbox to be 'tricked' into thinking a disc has been inserted, and therefore, allows you to boot games directly from an external HDD, or in some cases, your PC itself.
One of the major benifits of DVD Drive Emulators, is they emulate stock firmware, and therefore, as long as the user keeps up to date with updates, they are much harder for MS to detect, meaning that (for the moment at least) They are Live safe.
Another benifit of these Emulators over Flashing, is when performing ISO mods, you do not have to waste countless hours and discs testing mods, you can simply use public tools, to decompile the ISO image, and change the files, before re compliling, and adding to your HDD.

I will update this post when I return from work, but for now, I hope you enjoyed the post, and perhaps even learned something