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[REDSLATE]

Ok, I either die to the first wave or the fifth wave. No in-between.

If I make it to the fifth wave, I can't shoot the anti-T'lan laser at them to clear them out. The stealth is hard to see in all the white (with my old TV contrast as well) and basically gets a free kill on me.

If I boost, I eat attacks, thereby eating up boosts' time by slowly getting up.

Fuck this game. It may have been "ahead of it's time" in regards to doing a first-person movie gimmick thing, but the combat is terrible. The lock-on screws you over when you're trying to melee smack enemies and/or get away and blocking does absolutely nothing since it'll eat into your energy AND HP in small quantities when you're facing more than 2 enemies.

If you're facing 1-2 enemies, the game is fine. But 3+ it starts to show how awful the combat is. It doesn't help that now and then I'll try to "Slider-Uppercut" and have the game recognize me wanting to launch a projectile because somehow the game won't recognize my Left Trigger and/or assumes me holding forward to get into position a second before counts as wanting to slide. Ugh.

Hang in there buddy. The gauntlet is by far the hardest part of the game, but it's necessary to complete your training. Trust me, the feeling of accomplishment you get from finishing Breakdown is unrivaled. Line up the enemies for jump-kicks and don't forget that you can slow-time and break necks. Those two moves alone should get you 85% the way there. Otherwise, take out the ranged units quickly/avoid them altogether and don't fight more than one of the big guys at once.

The controls/combat aren't "terrible," but they are a bit clunky. You have to recognize that first person fighting is a complete rarity, and it's being bound to a controller. There's no established tried-and-true system with which to reference. Honestly, this would make for the perfect VR game, and I'm hoping it's one of the first games to be backwards compatible. I'll pick up an Xbox One X just to play this game in HD.

 

[im_dany]

Bumping the thread because I'm going to get an OG soon and I'm looking for tips.

I found one working and in good conditions (not easy in Italy), it's a 1.1/1.2 according to the manufacturing date, so first thing I'll take out the capacitor. I'm 100% going to softmod it, so I can swap the HDD (any IDE is good, right? I have a few around from old PCs) and rip my discs on there, so I don't risk breaking the disc drive (heard some of them were unreliable). Heard you need it to unlock the 720p setting in PAL regions. Also going to setup Xlink for the occasional online multiplayer (Halo CE/2 if it's still alive, and maybe Counter-Strike and UT?).

Games I already own:
Halo CE
Halo 2 + multiplayer pack disc
Splinter Cell (all three)

Also looking for:
Outrun 2
Shenmue 2
JSRF
KOTOR 1&2
Jade Empire
GTA games
...more? no games that got a better version later

Any random tip? Which is better, downloading games or ripping from the original disc to the HDD directly? Any fun and/or useful homebrew app? Is it also good to stream content from my PC?

My uncle had one and it's the only one I've ever seen live (PS2 was everywhere here), I can't wait.

 

[televator]

Bumping the thread because I'm going to get an OG soon and I'm looking for tips.

I found one working and in good conditions (not easy in Italy), it's a 1.1/1.2 according to the manufacturing date, so first thing I'll take out the capacitor. I'm 100% going to softmod it, so I can swap the HDD (any IDE is good, right? I have a few around from old PCs) and rip my discs on there, so I don't risk breaking the disc drive (heard some of them were unreliable). Heard you need it to unlock the 720p setting in PAL regions. Also going to setup Xlink for the occasional online multiplayer (Halo CE/2 if it's still alive, and maybe Counter-Strike and UT?).

Games I already own:
Halo CE
Halo 2 + multiplayer pack disc
Splinter Cell (all three)

Also looking for:
Outrun 2
Shenmue 2
JSRF
KOTOR 1&2
Jade Empire
GTA games
...more? no games that got a better version later

Any random tip? Which is better, downloading games or ripping from the original disc to the HDD directly? Any fun and/or useful homebrew app? Is it also good to stream content from my PC?

My uncle had one and it's the only one I've ever seen live (PS2 was everywhere here), I can't wait.

I've been using old random Western Digital HDDs on the machines I've jailbroken and they've all worked so far. They have to be lockable which I haven't run into one that isn't.

I recommend Orta, Shadow of Memories, and THPS 2x.

Tips: Get an 80 wire ribbon cable and yank out your clock capacitor if you have an early revision xbox (It's leaking on your mobo by now. You don't want that.) Also, go for component cables if you plan on connecting to a modern TV.

It's easiest and probably best to rip a game straight onto the HDD. Though FTP'ing isn't hard once you find the proper settings on an old wired modem. Some things you can only obtain via FTP, like the DLC for KOTOR.

 

[JDH]

Hey all!

I' haven't played an Xbox since I was about 17, so on a. kinf-of spur of the moment decision, ordered a Limited Edition Crystal Xbox (Canadian Variant) from eBay! It appears in amazing condition and the price seemed right in that regard. We don't get much here in Canada that the US doesn't get, so this was kind of nice (I'm usually more of a fan of original variants vs special editions and the like) I'm in Canada BTW if you couldn't tell.

I also ordered the official Xbox component cables, as I believe that's how you get the best quality picture from my brief reading. I'll probably connect it to my OSSC and see how it fares versus scaling via my television. Anyone have any input?

I'll see if I can post photos once I get it in, for now enjoy this stock photo!

 

[EmiPrime]

I also ordered the official Xbox component cables, as I believe that's how you get the best quality picture from my brief reading. I'll probably connect it to my OSSC and see how it fares versus scaling via my television. Anyone have any input?

Nope, sounds like you're well on your way. Enjoy!

 

[televator]

I also ordered the official Xbox component cables, as I believe that's how you get the best quality picture from my brief reading. I'll probably connect it to my OSSC and see how it fares versus scaling via my television. Anyone have any input?

Softmod to force progressive scan and hook up optical to a surround reciever. Get your money's worth out of the component cables.

 

[PumpkinSpice]

Hey all!

I' haven't played an Xbox since I was about 17, so on a. kinf-of spur of the moment decision, ordered a Limited Edition Crystal Xbox (Canadian Variant) from eBay! It appears in amazing condition and the price seemed right in that regard. We don't get much here in Canada that the US doesn't get, so this was kind of nice (I'm usually more of a fan of original variants vs special editions and the like) I'm in Canada BTW if you couldn't tell.

I also ordered the official Xbox component cables, as I believe that's how you get the best quality picture from my brief reading. I'll probably connect it to my OSSC and see how it fares versus scaling via my television. Anyone have any input?

I'll see if I can post photos once I get it in, for now enjoy this stock photo!

I have the same unit so if it's otherwise the same as mine it should have a nice Samsung DVD drive, should run fairly cool, should be a 1.6 unit, and therefore a bit annoying to hard mod. Definitely soft mod it, it's well worth it for the extra features.

Depending on your TV I'd also recommend just putting it direct into your TV if you have component inputs.

 

[JDH]

Thanks for the replies guys!!

If I softmod, can I still run the original dashboard and interface? I'm not interested in homebrew or emulation - purely Xbox games, but I also want the best quality possible of course. Sounds like that's the way to go.

Luckily my HDTV does have component. I need to do a better comparison to see which performs better; the TV or OSSC.

Any preferred resources for me to read more about softmodding? I'll try not to bug you guys too much lol

 

[mattwhite924]

I have the same unit so if it's otherwise the same as mine it should have a nice Samsung DVD drive, should run fairly cool, should be a 1.6 unit, and therefore a bit annoying to hard mod. Definitely soft mod it, it's well worth it for the extra features.

Depending on your TV I'd also recommend just putting it direct into your TV if you have component inputs.

If he does have a Samsung drive, then fair warning, the drive belt might need replacing. If not now, then be ready for it. If the disk try doesn't always come out, then it's a good sign the belt might be bad. It's pretty easy to do, so it's not a huge deal, but I've had it happen in two of them now.

 

[EmiPrime]

Thanks for the replies guys!!

If I softmod, can I still run the original dashboard and interface? I'm not interested in homebrew or emulation - purely Xbox games, but I also want the best quality possible of course. Sounds like that's the way to go.

Luckily my HDTV does have component. I need to do a better comparison to see which performs better; the TV or OSSC.

Any preferred resources for me to read more about softmodding? I'll try not to bug you guys too much lol

You can use the original dashboard. Personally while it's nice for a trip down memory lane, I much prefer a dashboard whereby I can load games off the HDD directly like XBMC. Up to you though.

Watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJOEen1-234

 

[im_dany]

I've been using old random Western Digital HDDs on the machines I've jailbroken and they've all worked so far. They have to be lockable which I haven't run into one that isn't.

I recommend Orta, Shadow of Memories, and THPS 2x.

Tips: Get an 80 wire ribbon cable and yank out your clock capacitor if you have an early revision xbox (It's leaking on your mobo by now. You don't want that.) Also, go for component cables if you plan on connecting to a modern TV.

It's easiest and probably best to rip a game straight onto the HDD. Though FTP'ing isn't hard once you find the proper settings on an old wired modem. Some things you can only obtain via FTP, like the DLC for KOTOR.

I'll do once I get it, the guy says it's tested and working so it should be fine by the time it gets to me. I got a 160GB Maxtor IDE drive, hope it still works, that should be enough for everything I want to play. Also have the 80 wire ribbon cable around somewhere.

I don't have the component cable yet, I've seen a few for less than 10€ but they're unofficial, the legit ones cost more than the console. I'll try a cheap one first and see how it fares.

I'll use FTP for those missing contents then, also saw that quite a few games can save space by deleting unused files (like a demo folder in Halo CE), can I delete them after ripping the disc or do I need to use my PC for that?

And thanks for the infos.

 

[PumpkinSpice]

If he does have a Samsung drive, then fair warning, the drive belt might need replacing. If not now, then be ready for it. If the disk try doesn't always come out, then it's a good sign the belt might be bad. It's pretty easy to do, so it's not a huge deal, but I've had it happen in two of them now.

Yeah I have that problem too. Doesn't bother me too much since I have it set up now to play everything off an SD card but I should get around to replacing the belt at some point.

I don't have the component cable yet, I've seen a few for less than 10€ but they're unofficial, the legit ones cost more than the console. I'll try a cheap one first and see how it fares.

Be prepared to be disappointed. I went through the trouble of making my own component cable from a PS2 cable due to how shit those cheap ones are.

 

[im_dany]

Be prepared to be disappointed. I went through the trouble of making my own component cable from a PS2 cable due to how shit those cheap ones are.

That's bad... but more than 60€ for an official one is a lot for me. I don't care too much about it, but if it does something weird like flickering I'm 100% going to notice it. Are they easy to build?

 

[PumpkinSpice]

That's bad... but more than 60€ for an official one is a lot for me. I don't care too much about it, but if it does something weird like flickering I'm 100% going to notice it. Are they easy to build?

Requires only basic soldering skills and some patience.

 

[im_dany]

Requires only basic soldering skills and some patience.

Will do this if the cable I get is bad, thank you!

 

[Dai101]

Hi there.

Any place where to buy the super cap for the OG Xbox? You know which one.

I've a couple of them which had said capacitor already blown/actually blown and wish to replace them, also for those that even if they are still functioning.

 

[Shaneus]

I've been using old random Western Digital HDDs on the machines I've jailbroken and they've all worked so far. They have to be lockable which I haven't run into one that isn't.

I recommend Orta, Shadow of Memories, and THPS 2x.

Tips: Get an 80 wire ribbon cable and yank out your clock capacitor if you have an early revision xbox (It's leaking on your mobo by now. You don't want that.) Also, go for component cables if you plan on connecting to a modern TV.

It's easiest and probably best to rip a game straight onto the HDD. Though FTP'ing isn't hard once you find the proper settings on an old wired modem. Some things you can only obtain via FTP, like the DLC for KOTOR.

Good luck getting a physical copy of THPS2X in Italy, though. It was a US-only NTSC title. I have a copy of it from a trip I went on to the US (I'm in Australia) and there's no way it'll play in a PAL machine without it having a region-free patch.

You'd have to resort to nefarious means to get that on your Xbox, I'm afraid!

 

[televator]

Good luck getting a physical copy of THPS2X in Italy, though. It was a US-only NTSC title. I have a copy of it from a trip I went on to the US (I'm in Australia) and there's no way it'll play in a PAL machine without it having a region-free patch.

You'd have to resort to nefarious means to get that on your Xbox, I'm afraid!

A soft mod allows you to change regions. I play PAL games on my NTSC machine.

 

[Shaneus]

A soft mod allows you to change regions. I play PAL games on my NTSC machine.

Still has to find a physical copy of THPS2X though. Would need to import one as there's no way he'd find a copy there.

 

[im_dany]

Good luck getting a physical copy of THPS2X in Italy, though. It was a US-only NTSC title. I have a copy of it from a trip I went on to the US (I'm in Australia) and there's no way it'll play in a PAL machine without it having a region-free patch.

You'd have to resort to nefarious means to get that on your Xbox, I'm afraid!

I see a few going for about 20-30€ including shipping from the US though, so it's not that outrageous. KOTOR 1-2 start from 15€ for example.

And I'm 100% going to mod it. No way I risk to lose it because of a failing disc drive, and I've read pretty much everywhere games benefit a lot in loading times if you rip them onto the HDD. Region lock won't be an issue, I know the console was never big in Europe (let alone Italy) so I already expected to go around it. And apparently they blocked the highest video resolutions in Europe anyway.

 

[SKINNER!]

Good luck getting a physical copy of THPS2X in Italy, though. It was a US-only NTSC title. I have a copy of it from a trip I went on to the US (I'm in Australia) and there's no way it'll play in a PAL machine without it having a region-free patch.

Not true. Bought my copy of THPS2X from LA last year and got it to work on my softmodded PAL Xbox with no problems at all.

EDIT: There are a few games that require you to set the video setting to PAL60 or NTSC in order to display properly. NFL Blitz and Metal Wolf Chaos comes to mind. But I've yet to come across an NTSC game on my softmodded PAL Xbox that refuses to play or dishes out a "This game is not compatible in your region" message.

 

[televator]

Still has to find a physical copy of THPS2X though. Would need to import one as there's no way he'd find a copy there.

Well, yeah... I imported from Europe without a problem. Is it more difficult in reverse?

 

[mattwhite924]

Missed out on pretty much all of the Sega Xbox games since I was mostly a Gamecube guy, but I've recently been doing back and trying to pick up the ones I can.

Jet Set Radio is the double pack version.

I've also got Crazy Taxi 3 on the way.

Haven't had a chance to try Panzer Dragoon yet, but Jet Set Radio lives up to it's reputation so far. Gunvalkyrie's control scheme is going to make it really hard to get into that game. I'm going to give it a shot though.


Question about component cables while I'm here. How much of a difference is there between 3rd party component cables and the official ones? I've been using some 3rd party ones since 2005 and always thought they looked fine. Is it just modern 3rd party ones that are bad?

 

[Catch22]

Missed out on pretty much all of the Sega Xbox games since I was mostly a Gamecube guy, but I've recently been doing back and trying to pick up the ones I can.

Jet Set Radio is the double pack version.

I've also got Crazy Taxi 3 on the way.

Haven't had a chance to try Panzer Dragoon yet, but Jet Set Radio lives up to it's reputation so far. Gunvalkyrie's control scheme is going to make it really hard to get into that game. I'm going to give it a shot though.

Question about component cables while I'm here. How much of a difference is there between 3rd party component cables and the official ones? I've been using some 3rd party ones since 2005 and always thought they looked fine. Is it just modern 3rd party ones that are bad?

I've got heavy duty Monster component cables that weigh like 20 pounds and a cheap Mad Catz one. No difference. Unless you have a huge speaker or transformer nearby, then the shielding is more than enough.

BTW, congrats on your Sega purchases.

Gunvalkyrie is awesome. You just need to put in an hour getting used to it. It's not as bad as people make it seem. If you want to play it for good stage grades, then it can be a challenge.

Here's my video on how to play it properly:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHKSQHVe0Qk

When I look at all the Gunvalkyrie YouTube videos, they do not show how it is supposed to be played.

 

[Laws00]

Missed out on pretty much all of the Sega Xbox games since I was mostly a Gamecube guy, but I've recently been doing back and trying to pick up the ones I can.

Jet Set Radio is the double pack version.

I've also got Crazy Taxi 3 on the way.

Haven't had a chance to try Panzer Dragoon yet, but Jet Set Radio lives up to it's reputation so far. Gunvalkyrie's control scheme is going to make it really hard to get into that game. I'm going to give it a shot though.


Question about component cables while I'm here. How much of a difference is there between 3rd party component cables and the official ones? I've been using some 3rd party ones since 2005 and always thought they looked fine. Is it just modern 3rd party ones that are bad?

GOOD GAMES!

 

[EmiPrime]

I've got heavy duty Monster component cables that weigh like 20 pounds and a cheap Mad Catz one. No difference. Unless you have a huge speaker or transformer nearby, then the shielding is more than enough.

BTW, congrats on your Sega purchases.

Gunvalkyrie is awesome. You just need to put in an hour getting used to it. It's not as bad as people make it seem. If you want to play it for good stage grades, then it can be a challenge.

Here's my video on how to play it properly:
https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&video_id=YHKSQHVe0Qk

When I look at all the Gunvalkyrie YouTube videos, they do not show how it is supposed to be played.

Your link is broken, takes me to my own Youtube videos.

 

[MikeHattsu]

Your link is broken, takes me to my own Youtube videos.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHKSQHVe0Qk

 

[EmiPrime]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHKSQHVe0Qk

Thanks. Looks like I was already subscribed and had viewed some of the video already!

Gunvalkyrie's core idea of twirling around in the air for chains, playing a little game of "floor is lava" was a good one but relying on analogue stick presses was a bad idea and you're not really punished for playing ugly anyway (at least from what I remember). I think it might have been better off as a PS2 game for the extra shoulder buttons; could have had the dash move on L1 instead of pressing in the analogue stick.

 

[Catch22]

Thanks. Looks like I was already subscribed and had viewed some of the video already!

Gunvalkyrie's core idea of twirling around in the air for chains, playing a little game of "floor is lava" was a good one but relying on analogue stick presses was a bad idea and you're not really punished for playing ugly anyway (at least from what I remember). I think it might have been better off as a PS2 game for the extra shoulder buttons; could have had the dash move on L1 instead of pressing in the analogue stick.

You're punished on bad grades, and less money to buy upgrades.

I don't think there was any better way to execute the controls. Having the clicking-in of the thumbsticks being replaced by another button would have meant coordinating 4 fingers and 2 thumbs.

What would have been great is if microsoft sourced a better thumbstick that could execute the pressing in of thumbsticks a bit easier.

One thing is for sure, if anybody is reading this and is willing to give this game a shot- YOU NEED A GOOD AKEBONO (S CONTROLLER). The boost comboing is impossible if your thumbsticks are shot, and you'll be frustrated as hell trying to get to a mobius state. The thumbsticks are also a lot better on the S controller than the original controller.

Oh, and your fingers will hurt for at least a day. But it subsides after a day or so, as you'll build up strength in your thumbs... and start out with Sabarouta, instead of Kelly- even though she's great eye candy. It's much easier to "fly" with him.

 

[BackwardCap]

Watching Yo Videogames crew playing Original Xbox on their stream gives me hope for the potential of this service.

They're on Jet Set Radio Future right now, hope it doesn't get the stream muted.

 

[Glowsquid]

I figured this could be of some interest to technical-minded gaffers: Here's an old article about the process of porting State of Emergency from PS2 to Xbox.

 

[dubc35]

Couple questions og xbox-GAF:

Based on this website I think I have a 1.6 so I would not need to remove the clock capacitor, correct? Sept 2004 mfg date, serial ends in 06, and 43 in table 3.3. I know the only way to know for sure if to open the console which brings me to my next question.

Is there a consensus best place to buy replacement drive belts? My drive doesn't always open on it's own and this seems like a common issue that can be fixed via a drive belt replacement.

thanks!

 

[televator]

Couple questions og xbox-GAF:

Based on this website I think I have a 1.6 so I would not need to remove the clock capacitor, correct? Sept 2004 mfg date, serial ends in 06, and 43 in table 3.3. I know the only way to know for sure if to open the console which brings me to my next question.

Is there a consensus best place to buy replacement drive belts? My drive doesn't always open on it's own and this seems like a common issue that can be fixed via a drive belt replacement.

thanks!

Ebay. Basically, they look like black rubber bands for braces and they are super easy to replace.

Once your box is open, if it really is a 1,6, you wont see a large clock cap in the place where the other revisions have it and you'll have a video encodder called Xcalibur.

That encoder can actually cause some issues in some games. Like Panzer Dragoon won't display properly and requires some kind of simple work around afaik.

 

[dubc35]

Cool, thanks. They look like simple belts but I didn't know if there was a preferred place to go. I figured I'll replace the belt and have a look around inside when I do that to check.

[edit] Purchased! ...now to review disassembly guides/videos. I reviewed some a couple months ago and it seemed pretty straightforward.

 

[PGamer]

CXBX-Reloaded updates:

Goal Reached: $400
Progress Report: June 2017

 

[sixteen-bit]

 

[JDH]

What is the best replacement for the analog thumb sticks on the S controller? I have read the 360 ones will work fine; what about the Xbox One sticks?

I see a lot of cheap-os on eBay ($1.00 for a set) from China. Are these acceptable, or is there a better source?

 

[PumpkinSpice]

What is the best replacement for the analog thumb sticks on the S controller? I have read the 360 ones will work fine; what about the Xbox One sticks?

I see a lot of cheap-os on eBay ($1.00 for a set) from China. Are these acceptable, or is there a better source?

The ebay ones were fine for mine.

 

[jsnepo]

Got myself the OG Xbox last week. The S controller feels great and kind of surprised me that there aren't bumpers in it like the 360 controller.

Anyway, I've been hunting for component cables for this thing and have been disappointed so far. Are cables for this rare? I know there's the AV pack but I read somewhere that there's this revision that doesn't have the box. I also read that the 3rd party ones are prone to interference. So I'm left with not much choice but to mod the composite cable into a component cable. Has anyone done that here? How's the PQ?

 

[Big Papa Husker]

Can you install a 1 or 2TB drive into the Original XBOX? I'd like to install all my games on the drive so I can put my games in storage.

 

[Big Papa Husker]

Has anyone done any mods to their XBOX? I was thinking about putting down more thermal paste and possibly replacing the fan at the back of the console. The reason I'm thinking about doing that is that my cpu is running at around 115 degrees idling. For anyone that has done either of these mods, did it help drop the temperature?

 

[televator]

Has anyone done any mods to their XBOX? I was thinking about putting down more thermal paste and possibly replacing the fan at the back of the console. The reason I'm thinking about doing that is that my cpu is running at around 115 degrees idling. For anyone that has done either of these mods, did it help drop the temperature?

Farenheight? That's well within the operating temp of a Pentium III. My CPU with redone paste and maxed out fan speed tops out @ ~ 54C under load and idles at around 45C.

Sheepy just put at bigger fan in his and got better results.

 

[PumpkinSpice]

Yeah I put in an 80mm Cooler Master silent fan. Required some dremel work which was not so nice.

My objective was a silent box so I wasn't too concerned about heat but I hit about 50C max with the fan set at 3X.

 

[televator]

Also worth noting that your xbox is newer and uses components that run cooler.

 

[Big Papa Husker]

Farenheight? That's well within the operating temp of a Pentium III. My CPU with redone paste and maxed out fan speed tops out @ ~ 54C under load and idles at around 45C.

Sheepy just put at bigger fan in his and got better results.

Also worth noting that your xbox is newer and uses components that run cooler.

Ah, well that explains it. I didn't realize they ran that hot. It also probably doesn't help I have a 1.0.

 

[jsnepo]

So I modded the composite cable to a component one and added two RCA cables for audio. Awesome!

 

[Peltz]

I fucking loved the music in JSRF.

EXTRA SUGAR AND EXTRA SALT

 

[sixteen-bit]

 

[Dai101]

GOD DAMMIT xD

I fucking loved the music in JSRF.

EXTRA SUGAR AND EXTRA SALT

EXTRA OIL AND MSG!!

 

[REDSLATE]

Can you install a 1 or 2TB drive into the Original XBOX? I'd like to install all my games on the drive so I can put my games in storage.

Yes, you can put up to 2 TB in a modded Xbox. If you do a HDD upgrade, go ahead and swap the 40 wire ribbon cable for an 80 wire. You'll see a significant decrease in load times.

Also, couldn't find much info on it previously, so I just went for it: 1TB SSD confirmed working.

Had it in for over a month now. Works great, and surprisingly further decreases load times (would have thought the PATA cable would bottleneck any speed gain by SSD).

Has anyone done any mods to their XBOX? I was thinking about putting down more thermal paste and possibly replacing the fan at the back of the console. The reason I'm thinking about doing that is that my cpu is running at around 115 degrees idling. For anyone that has done either of these mods, did it help drop the temperature?

Sure man; sky's the limit. Good thermal paste is way better than the stock crap they put in there by default. Should see it run a few degrees cooler. I've swapped out the fan for a smaller one, but if your goal is temperature, you probably want to go bigger (more airflow).