Last updated: September 2026
RGH 3.0 is the current way to open up an Xbox 360, and it is cheaper and simpler than the RGH and JTAG methods that came before it. No glitch chip. Two wires and one resistor on a Slim. The whole parts list, tools included, comes to less than the price of a used console.
This page is the shopping list and the map. It tells you which consoles qualify, exactly what to buy for each board, and what the process looks like, then hands you to the two guides the community actually uses for the step-by-step. I have soldered enough of these points to tell you where people get stuck, and I have linked the parts I would buy.
A word on what this is for. An RGH console runs homebrew, emulators, region-free discs and backups of games you own. It is the best way to keep a 360 library alive after the store closed in 2024. It is not a way onto Xbox Live: a modified console that signs in gets its key banned, and this guide does not cover stealth servers.
Which Xbox 360 Can Be RGH 3.0 Modded
Open the console and read the motherboard, or check the manufacture date and model on the back sticker. The board revision decides everything.
| Console | Board | RGH 3.0 status | What it needs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slim (2010-2011) | Trinity | Supported, easiest | 3k to 10k resistor |
| Slim (2011-2012) | Corona v1, v2 | Supported | 1k resistor |
| Slim / E (2012-2015) | Corona v3 to v6 | Supported | 1k resistor plus a Post Fix Adapter |
| Slim 4 GB (any Corona 4 GB) | Corona 4 GB | Supported with extra hardware | The 4 GB eMMC NAND needs a PicoFlasher v2 fork or an SD tool to read |
| Phat (2008-2010) | Falcon, Jasper | Supported, hit or miss | 1N4148 diode plus 22k resistor; RGH 1.2 with a glitch chip is the fallback |
| Phat (2007) | Zephyr | Not supported by RGH 3.0 | RGH 1.2 |
| Phat (2005-2006) | Xenon | Not supported | JTAG only, and only on old dashboards |
| E (2014-2016) | Winchester | Not supported | Nothing works. Do not buy one to mod |
The Slim Trinity is the one to buy if you are shopping for a donor. Every guide agrees it is the easiest board, and it boots almost instantly once done. Corona is fine but the later revisions need the adapter. The Phat boards work on RGH 3.0 but the Xbox 360 Hub guide calls the results hit or miss and recommends RGH 1.2 for them, which adds a glitch chip and a harder install.
The Parts List
Everything below is per the Xbox 360 Hub RGH 3 guide, which is the reference I trust. Prices are Amazon on the day I wrote this.
1. A NAND programmer
You have to read the console’s NAND before you touch anything, and write a new image back. Two ways to do it:
- J-R Programmer V2, about $25. The classic tool. Comes with the cable set, works with every board through J-Runner, and the QSB (quick solder board) versions make the Slim wiring nearly solder-free.
- Raspberry Pi Pico, about $10. Flash it with the open-source PicoFlasher firmware and it does the same job. This is what I would buy today: cheaper, actively maintained, and the v2 fork is the only cheap way to read a Corona 4 GB console. You solder the wires yourself.
NAND-X, xFlasher and the MTX Flasher also work if you already own one.
2. Wire
28 to 30 AWG single-core wrapping wire. Not stranded, not thicker. Jonard 30 AWG Kynar, about $15 for 50 feet, is the standard roll and will outlast every console you ever mod. Kynar insulation strips clean and does not melt back when you tin the end.
3. The resistor or diode for your board
- Corona: one 1k resistor
- Trinity: one resistor between 3k and 10k
- Falcon or Jasper: one 1N4148 diode and one 22k resistor
A 50-value resistor kit at $9 covers every board and gives you spares for the Trinity, where you sometimes have to try a second value to get a clean boot. The diode is a few cents from any electronics supplier.
4. Post Fix Adapter (Corona v3 to v6 only)
The POST point on the later Corona boards is under the CPU and not reachable with a wire. The adapter breaks it out. It is a few dollars from the usual console-mod shops and not something Amazon stocks reliably, so order it with the programmer if your board needs it.
5. Software
All free:
- J-Runner with Extras by Octal450, the tool that reads, builds and writes the NAND image. Use the latest build, especially with a Pico.
- PicoFlasher firmware if you go the Pico route.
- XeXMenu, Aurora and DashLaunch for after the first boot. More on those at the end.
The Tools
None of this is exotic. If you have soldered before, you own most of it.
- A fine-tip soldering iron. The Weller 30W at about $13 is enough for the PLL and POST points if you keep the tip clean. If you plan on more than one console, the Pinecil at $40 is temperature-controlled and worth it.
- No-clean flux. A flux pen is the difference between a bridge and a clean joint on the PLL point. Do not skip it.
- Magnification and a third hand. The PLL point is tiny and it hides under the X-clamp. A helping hands station with a magnifier at $28 makes it a two-minute job instead of a fifteen-minute one.
- T8 security Torx and T10 drivers. The 360 uses security Torx screws. A T8 security driver with a T10 in the set gets you all the way to the board.
- Kapton tape to hold the wires down, and isopropyl alcohol to clean the flux off when you are done.
- A replacement hard drive. Not required for the mod, but a modded console without storage is pointless. A 500 GB Slim drive is $31 and slots in without tools.
What the Process Looks Like
The step-by-step with photos is in the Xbox 360 Hub guide and the Se7enSins RGH 3.0 thread. This is the shape of it, so you know what you are signing up for before you buy anything.
- Open the console down to the bare motherboard. Slim consoles are a Torx-and-pry-tool job; Phats are held together with tabs and patience.
- Wire the programmer to the NAND points and connect the console’s power supply so the board has standby power. Do not turn the console on.
- Dump the NAND twice in J-Runner and confirm both dumps match. This is your backup. If anything goes wrong later, this file is how you recover. Keep it in three places.
- Build the RGH 3.0 image in J-Runner from your dump and write it back.
- Solder the PLL and POST wires and the resistor for your board. The PLL point sits under the X-clamp on the underside and you scrape the mask off it. This is the only hard part of the job.
- Disconnect the programmer and press power. Most consoles boot inside 60 seconds and Trinity boards usually boot instantly. If it does not glitch, the fix is timing or a different resistor value, not a rewire.
- Write the final image, install a dashboard, and enjoy.
Budget an afternoon for the first one and an hour for every one after that.
After the First Boot
A freshly glitched console boots to a stock-looking dashboard that can now run unsigned code. Three pieces of software turn it into something useful:
- XeXMenu is the file manager. Put it on a USB stick, launch it from the dashboard, and use it to install everything else. Guide plus Y on startup boots straight into it.
- Aurora is the dashboard you actually want, with cover art, a game library, and Kinect and emulator support. Set it as the default.
- DashLaunch is what makes Aurora load on power-on and locks the console out of Xbox Live updates so you do not brick it with a system update.
The Retro Hero’s Aurora guide walks through that sequence with screenshots.
RetroArch runs on the 360 and handles everything through PS1, and the console has native backward compatibility for the original Xbox library. Between those and the 360 library itself, it is a lot of game for a $40 donor and $60 in parts.
The Legal Side, Plainly
Modifying hardware you own to run homebrew is your business. Where it stops being your business is copying games you did not buy, and signing a modified console into Xbox Live, which gets the console’s key banned and can take your account with it. Keep the RGH console offline, play your own discs and your own backups, and use the online-capable console you probably already have for anything that needs Live.
What to Buy, in One List
| Item | What I would get | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Programmer | Raspberry Pi Pico + PicoFlasher, or J-R Programmer V2 | $10 / $25 |
| Wire | Jonard 30 AWG Kynar | $15 |
| Resistors | 50-value kit | $9 |
| Iron | Weller 30W or Pinecil | $13 / $40 |
| Flux | No-clean flux pen | $10 |
| Magnifier | Helping hands with magnifier | $28 |
| Drivers | T8 security Torx set | $10 |
| Storage | 500 GB Slim hard drive | $31 |
About $110 with the cheap iron and the Pico, and most of it you keep for the next console.
FAQ
Do I need a glitch chip for RGH 3.0?
No. That is the whole point of RGH 3.0. The Slim boards use two wires and a resistor; the Phat boards add a diode. A glitch chip is only for RGH 1.2 on boards RGH 3.0 does not handle well.
Can I RGH an Xbox 360 E?
Only if it is a Corona board. Winchester boards, which are the E consoles made from mid-2014 on, cannot be modded by any method.
Which is better, RGH 3.0 or JTAG?
RGH 3.0 works on far more consoles and on any dashboard version. JTAG only works on consoles that never updated past a 2009 dashboard, which is almost none of them now.
Does RGH 3.0 need a specific dashboard version?
No. J-Runner builds the image from your own NAND dump, whatever dashboard it is on. That is one of the reasons it replaced JTAG.
How long does the console take to boot after RGH 3.0?
Under a minute on most boards, and Trinity Slims usually boot instantly. If it takes longer or fails, adjust the timing in J-Runner or try the next resistor value.
Will I get banned?
Only if you connect a modded console to Xbox Live. Keep it offline and there is nothing to ban.
Xbox 360 Hub RGH 3 guide | Se7enSins RGH 3.0 thread | PicoFlasher on GitHub | Aurora setup guide
Last verified: September 2026