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XBL update locks out 'unauthorized storage devices'

Larry "Major Nelson" Hyrb issues ominous warning that upcoming update will lock out third-party memory units, but Microsoft doesn't identify any manufacturers.

The upcoming Xbox Live fall update will add many features for gold subscribers, including an MSNBC news feed, high-definition Zune videos, and a music-focused marketplace, as well as Twitter, Facebook, and Last.fm integration.

Microsoft-made Memory Units will still work fine.

Microsoft-made Memory Units will still work fine.

However, the update will also take something away from users of third-party memory devices for the Xbox 360. In a post over the weekend, Xbox Live director of programming Larry "Major Nelson" issued the following warning:

"When Preview Program members start receiving the Xbox 360 system update next week, one of the changes is that unauthorized Memory Units will no longer work with the Xbox 360. If you've moved your profile or saved games onto one to 'back it up,' you'd better move it back onto an authorized Xbox 360 storage device prior to taking the update. If you continue to use an unauthorized Memory Unit after the update, you will not be able to access your stored profile or saved games."

Though Hryb linked to an example of a Microsoft-made, $30 512MB Memory Unit as an example of authorized hardware, he did not identify any third-party manufacturers whose products would be locked out by the update. Xbox.com lists only Microsoft-made items and those bearing green "Licensed for Xbox 360" or white-and-green "Created by Xbox" labels as being supported.

Datel ones will likely not post-update.

Datel ones will likely not post-update.

Microsoft reps did not respond to requests for clarification as to which third-party memory devices would be locked out by the update. However, several products from British electronic firm Datel are likely targets. The company makes a variety of Xbox 360 add-ons, including high-capacity Memory Units and a peripheral that allows players to move files back and forth from the console's hard drive to a PC.

Microsoft's move will further anger critics of its Xbox 360 memory unit and hard drive pricing. Currently a 120GB hard drive costs $150 and the $100 Xbox Live starter pack comes with a 60GB hard drive. By contrast, Nintendo's Wii supports high-capacity SD memory cards from any manufacturer and Sony's PlayStation 3 lets owners install internal third-party hard drives without voiding the console's warranty.

[UPDATE] A Microsoft rep has since reiterated Hyrb's comments that the XBL update "will disable the use of unauthorized Memory Units with the Xbox 360. Memory Units without an official Xbox 360 licensed logo are considered unauthorized and are not guaranteed to work with your Xbox 360 console." However, the rep declined to say if the ban applied to Datel Memory Units specifically, saying only Microsoft would not guarantee that any unit not bearing an official approval label would work post-update.

In terms of other devices, the rep said there are no plans to change the 360's current limited connectivity with third-party hard drives and memory sticks. Both can be used to transfer or stream media such as music and photos onto a 360. However, game saves and other content downloaded from Xbox Live cannot be moved off a 360's hard drive legitimately other than through Microsoft-approved Memory Units, which top out at 512KB.

307 Comments

  • JimInPT

    Posted Mar 31, 2010 9:02 pm GMT

    MSNBC news feed? That's hilarious! But it might put MessBS into a viewership rating range just north of the Golf Channel. I bet once they have more than 1,000 viewers they can really start to put the screws to Mother Jones and their other two advertisers.

    I'd pay extra to keep that loser-leftist crap OFF my system. My PS3 should be an effective barrier though, so I'm safe.

  • tytheman16

    Posted Mar 30, 2010 10:14 pm GMT

    Getting closer and closer to becoming a PS3 owner. Why does Microsoft continue to try and control their customers with annoying and unreasonable firmware updates.

  • alexLmx6

    Posted Nov 14, 2009 8:15 am GMT

    forza 3 is all thats keeping me with my 360, once gt5 comes out ill probably switch to the ps3 and a decent wheel

  • svaubel

    Posted Nov 11, 2009 9:59 pm GMT

    Wow M$ seems determined to piss off more an more people as this gen continues. I highly doubt I will support them next-gen, regardless of the games on the system if they are going to be this restrictive: That only official [and grossly overpriced] accessories can be used or you are screwed.

  • Thermador446

    Posted Nov 11, 2009 6:52 pm GMT

    Kinda makes me wonder how many of the million people that got the boot were just trying to not pay for a horribly overpriced HD. And $30 for 512MB!!! Like they didn't sting people enough on accessories, Microsoft must be trying to shut down XBOX. I just swooped a 1TB external for my PS3 for $80, which puts my accessory total to just a little over $100. Anyone who got a 360 because because they thought it was cheaper obviously didn't know anything about addition.

  • pukemon

    Posted Nov 11, 2009 6:22 pm GMT

    another console bites the dust... oops i mean collects dust. like microsoft isn't making enough money with overpriced windows. charging ludicrous prices for storage is unbelievable. i can see understand slightly higher prices for proprietary memory card, and of course for the proprietary controllers BUT hard drives? you have got to be joking. what's really funny is microsoft releasing a proprietary wireless N "usb" adapter. i really hope that usb isn't bottlenecked like industry standard, because i'm pretty sure wireless G is already overkill considering usb never takes advantage of it theoretical max speed. the wireless only serves to extend your range if needed, or for girly gamers, color coordinate your system. well, this only serves to remind me and others next console generation to consider upfront costs and accessory costs down the road. i recall quite a few people, including myself that whined about how expensive the ps3 was early on. now i laugh @ how stupid i was to even think the ps3 was expensive. memory at more than $1 a gigabyte is just robbery. get it? robbery. and most xbox owners are willing.

  • irilthor

    Posted Nov 11, 2009 4:04 pm GMT

    i love how people come in here to complain and throw some comments in like: oh ps3 got better exclusives blabla..

    there are like atleast 40 Top games on every platform so get the f*** outta here, im with ya on the accesoire thing tho, its f*cked up.
    thats why 1 of my xbox is connected with an oldschool wire cuzz the adapter costs 75 euro

    also i think the accesoires are too expensive, my battery packs have already broken down after 1,5 years, all 3 of them..

    i cant play fallout 3 anymore cuzz they're on my bro's xbox hard drive (we used to share that one) and i cant put them on mine without the memory card, now that would be okay if it didnt cost so frigging expensive for crying out loud.

    im all for the xbox, but the pricing on accesoires are really crap.

    so thats all that i wanted to share.. oh yeah and one last thing, the ps3 controller sux ass High 5 for this fanboy comment who's with me ?

  • coolbeans90

    Posted Nov 11, 2009 1:28 pm GMT

    Yeah, I'm probably switching to Sony, or PC gaming next gen. **** you M$.

  • johneese

    Posted Nov 11, 2009 1:26 pm GMT

    wow... what bs. lol

  • TheProfileth

    Posted Nov 11, 2009 1:15 pm GMT

    $60 1TB External Hardrive ftw suck on that console gamers Sony is the only company not dragging its ass as slowly as the others when it comes to 3rd party memory attachments if Microsoft were to be undercut by 3rd party that have competitive prices and fair quality/cost ratios then Microsoft would lose money. Just image if you could buy a Xbox wireless adapter for $35 or a a 200GB hardrive for $50 , who would buy the Microsoft ones? So in order for them to maintain their unfair business practices of poor performance/high price they have to establish a monopoly and they do this by not allowing unmodified Xboxs to use cheaper better peripherals. So eventually they release a "better" hardrive people will have no choice but to giver up on the system (like i have but for different reasons, infact I have given up on all console gaming save the PS2 and dreamcast) or spend ridicules amounts of cash on an oversized usb drive and still not be able to buy all the nice content that they give you to buy. I guess they expect you to be able to store it in your mental cloud storage. This kind of behavior is typical so what ever. I love the Xbox and the PS3 not really the Wii but I am a full convert to PC so I get bad quality ports because of you console gamers (waves fist like old man angrily) so don't be complaining if you get crappy hardware.
    End Rant (takes a bow and leaves the stage while taking his soapbox with him, complains about the 1500 character limit and that this is 1499 so ha)

  • SS4_Bowman

    Posted Nov 3, 2009 8:54 am GMT

    Wu-Tang said it best. CASH RULES EVERYTHING AROUND ME...CREAM! GET THE MONEY...DOLLA DOLLA BILL Y'ALL!

  • phattgurl

    Posted Nov 2, 2009 1:17 pm GMT

    Just get your xbox hard drive used, then you get a better deal and stick it to microsoft by not giving them any of the cash.

  • tyco_ex

    Posted Oct 30, 2009 12:06 pm GMT

    Glad I have my 320gb hd in my ps3.

  • redwizard2000

    Posted Oct 27, 2009 7:55 am GMT

    I got into the live preview and tested my Max memory card and I can confirm that the memory card no longer works. The 360 doesn't even recognize it when it is plugged in. Oh well at least I was able to reformat the SD card and now I can use it with the USB adapter that came with my memory card to use it as a 2GB thumb drive to back up my PS3 game saves (suck on that MS) so not all is lost.

  • snarple_basic

    Posted Oct 23, 2009 5:13 pm GMT

    I love how they refuse to fix there over priced hard drive problem!!!! This is the main reason I buy a lot less Xbox arcade games!!! They make you buy the over priced hard drive then they have the nerve to ask for more money for dlc... Give me a fair price on a hdd and I will have no problem buying lots of dlc.

  • halorulz

    Posted Oct 23, 2009 2:13 pm GMT

    very last word of that article... 512 MB *****

  • Lach0121

    Posted Oct 23, 2009 11:48 am GMT

    i love how this is used for fanboys to fire shots back at one another, trying to justify their own system... instead of looking at the direct problems here. both sony and MS suffer from this kind of crap.. its called business.

    sony's new psp doesnt hav umd support.. wow imagine that.(cutting cost of production... and making people repay for the same games)
    new slimline ps3 not BC... hmm.. imagine...

    MS's next update makes most third party storage an expensive paper weight... wow imagine that. (making you go out and spend yet another bunch of money on a part that says "microsoft" on it) on a system that has a 60% failure rate... both make a good gaming system, even though one is completely unreliable, and the other has very few games that stand out, not to mention a controller i cant stand.

    what i said may have upset some of you, but deal with it fanboys.

    dont take it personal... its just business.

  • rmendez19

    Posted Oct 23, 2009 9:07 am GMT

    Now about those PS3 fanboys. This is why I think the PS3 sucks and its because of the crap controller and the stupid friend chat setup on the PSonline. You cannot just talk to anyone while playing any game as a friend plays another. You have to go to that stupid main menu to chat But you can chat if you are playing the same game which is stupid. Maybe I just want to private chat with one of my friends and not the others that are playing. Besides those 2 things Sony PS3 is OK. Xbox 360 has the better controller that fits great in the hands and the Analog sticks aren't position in a stupid weird place. Plus XBL is way better and so is the OS on the Xbox

  • rmendez19

    Posted Oct 23, 2009 8:57 am GMT

    Well I bought a 120GB HDD from ebay and it has a sticker that says made in china and a official xbox 360 sticker on it. So If i take off the sticker off Microsoft can tell that there is not official sticker on it. Well that is stupid and I think this is also called a monopoly. They need to rethink this one because there will be lawsuits coming there way.

  • AlphaCommando

    Posted Oct 23, 2009 2:38 am GMT

    Is it just me, or have A LOT of 360 fanboys seen the light and become PS3 fanboys?

  • Ravenlore_basic

    Posted Oct 22, 2009 4:09 pm GMT

    I can't blame MS. There costumers bend over and take it... then come here and defend MS's pricing. The sad part is that they also laugh at PS3 owners saying that PS3 is not worth it!!?

  • BigBacon87

    Posted Oct 22, 2009 3:55 pm GMT

    This is why Sony fanboys exist(guilty). How can you not hate on this? I don't know what's funnier.. Xbox fanboys getting scammed out of more money everytime they turn the corner, or coming here and bragging about their crappy exclusives afterwards.

  • DFBTG

    Posted Oct 22, 2009 3:41 pm GMT

    Wow M$...just....wow. Why people continue to stick with you (in the case of the 360) is beyond me.

  • Dire_Weasel

    Posted Oct 22, 2009 3:35 pm GMT

    This just in: Microsoft is doing everything in their power to get you to buy their incredibly overpriced accessories, including Hard Drives and Wireless Bridges.

  • jeffv541

    Posted Oct 22, 2009 3:12 pm GMT

    MS overprices EVERYTHING I just can't get behind their pricing...

  • okassar

    Posted Oct 22, 2009 1:56 pm GMT

    MS extra hard drive costs are ridiculous, I think their 120 GB costs almost as much as the system alone, lmao.

    So it's best to buy a 360 with something more than 20 gigs so you never have the problem, and MS will probably make the next gen system 1 TB, we'll never have this problem again in a few years, with anything, cell phones mp3 players u name it, storage is getting extremely cheap.

  • megamega777

    Posted Oct 22, 2009 12:50 pm GMT

    Thanks Netherscourge:
    I tried it and it works awesomely, now i have 300 gbs in total that I can use!

  • Netherscourge

    Posted Oct 22, 2009 12:49 pm GMT

    I can buy two 1 TERABYTE SATA Hard Drives for my PC for the price of one 120 GIGABYTE Xbox 360 Hard Drive... Pretty ridiculous.

  • Netherscourge

    Posted Oct 22, 2009 12:44 pm GMT

    Um - you can just use an OFFICIAL Xbox HDD USB transfer cable and a simple 3rd-party PC program (Xport) to move files back and forth from the Xbox 360 to a PC.

    Totally free, totally legal, nothing Microsoft can do about it.

  • thedemon44

    Posted Oct 22, 2009 11:19 am GMT

    Worst Customer Support I have ever dealt with = M$.

    Period.

  • Crzy1

    Posted Oct 22, 2009 10:39 am GMT

    And this is why my 360 is back in it's box and sitting in the corner. Have a 20GB HD and an upgrade to the 120GB proprietary drive would cost me more than half the cost of a 360 elite system. I don't have room for any DLC anymore, and I can't install any games to the disk which means playing from a disk is incredibly noisy. I'm done with it for the forseeable future, has gotten way, way too expensive to play when compared to my PS3 and honestly, MS doesn't have any exclusives I want to play anymore.

  • joeboosauce

    Posted Oct 22, 2009 9:03 am GMT

    Here we go again Micro$$$oft. Scamming your consumers in yet another market, this time consoles. $25 for a 512k memory card?!?!? $150 for a 120GB hard drive?!?! $100 for a wireless adapter?!? Remember folks this is MS who could have allowed any WINDOWS compatible device to operate on 360. You can get a USB wifi adapter for $15! Like a year ago!

    This is M$ getting pissed about the ps3 price cuts forcing them to cut their profits. And then getting you on the back end. Typical shady sales tactic. Trick people with a perceived lower cost on the front end and then screw them on "accessories" that you basically need. I do have to give it to Microsoft, they do know how to make a ton of money on inferior products. I guess that wasn't enough in just the PC (and now Mobile OS) market...

  • MarcJL31

    Posted Oct 22, 2009 9:00 am GMT

    This is getting out of hand with the price MS. I mean with DLC almost a guarentee for games these day, at least the big name ones, and the rate they are being pumped out, most people need higher capacity hard drives. Oh and to the person that said its a HDD that only MS can make and only be used on 360, its a basic sata HDD in an enclosure flashed with files that the 360 reads. Nothing special about it. To pay over $1 per GB is ridiculous in these times and for people like me who have A LOT of games, especially RPGs and such my 120 GB is almost maxed out. On top of using proprietary memory cards instead of having USB support, it just shows that MS is money crazy and will squeeze gamers to get there way. I like my xbox, but the over-priced accessories that should be standard or at least universal shows why people bash MS.

  • Gen007

    Posted Oct 22, 2009 8:05 am GMT

    yeah proprietary mem was def a bad move by MS this gen and they are def trying to screw people i mean come on they just wiped out third party competition so you have no choice but to but their stuff. Good news though is that next gen MS wont be able to get away with it more with sony and nintendo already using universal formats.

  • mark_unix

    Posted Oct 22, 2009 7:25 am GMT

    this is what u get for supporting Microsoft, even sony never did anything like this.

  • thenephariouson

    Posted Oct 22, 2009 6:39 am GMT

    Dont get me wrong guys, i love my 360 for gaming, however for media flexibility it is very restrained

  • profileap600

    Posted Oct 22, 2009 4:51 am GMT

    I guess their memory units weren't selling good enough. I would use my 4GB memory stick to transfer everything on my HDD to my new 60GB, but I have to go buy a piece of garbage 512mb memory card for 4 times the price I spent on my 4gb memory stick. Of course that was my problem before the update anyways. lol

  • thenephariouson

    Posted Oct 22, 2009 4:35 am GMT

    Sorry, but i thought that MS marketed the 360 as a 'Mutimedia Hub', i currently store all my DiVX movies on an external 500gb USB drive, now does that mean i can no longer watch them via my dashboard? If anything MS needs to allow external storage devices in the same way as Sony allows 3rd party HDD's to be installed into the PS3. This is a very stupid mistake in my opinion, and will go some way in determining my 'Next Gen' console.

    I want NAS connectivity, the ability to connect external drives etc, this is pathetic!!

  • Darkness7089

    Posted Oct 22, 2009 3:35 am GMT

    Console storage was always a bust. I got a 931gb(1TB) portable hard drive for my PC for about 120$, and this was almost a year ago. Like anything with pc, it blows any of these consoles storages out of the water. Throw in the fact that I can access it much more easily and put absolutely anything I want on it. 360 only lets me put game installs or demo's/downloads on it. Can't even store music on it for play. I lost interest in 360 storage when I realized that my 120gb hard drive couldn't be used by my PC. Luckily I solved the problem soon after, and am still currently looking to sell my 360.

    Ppl need to go get themselves a PC already, consoles are a real waste of money by comparison. 120GB for 150$? That's a laugh, you could get 1TB for less than that if it's on your PC. Don't buy into the greed and scams. Look up portable harddrives for PC and see what I mean, the difference is startling.

  • glitcho471

    Posted Oct 21, 2009 8:25 pm GMT

    I just wish the price of memory could just even slightly compare to that of a pc. I payed 60$ for a 500gb for my pc and a 60gb is almost 100$ for an xbox. are you kidding me?

  • facistinabag

    Posted Oct 21, 2009 7:51 pm GMT

    Really, Datels stuff is so effin shoddy, I'd rather buy the the real stuff anyway.

    I got almost all the oblivion DLC on my 20 gig, and I'm still pretty comfortable for space. But, then again, I don't like to pay for DLC lol

  • Trentdo

    Posted Oct 21, 2009 6:48 pm GMT

    marthinuss
    Take that 360 fanboys. My PS3 with extra HDD, built in WiFi and Blu-Ray looks a lot better now. So go out 360 fanboys and blow some more $ on stuff that I get out of the box.
    ---------------------------------------
    ^ yeah I better do that since I have to buy a new memory card!! lol

  • shootingrobot98

    Posted Oct 21, 2009 5:56 pm GMT

    What Bill Gates does before bed: showering in his money, brushing his teeth with money, wiping his a** with money, sleeping in his money bed, and dreaming about money. Oh, his alarm clock screams "money, money, MONEY!" and spouts quarters in his face when he has to wake up.

  • fester420

    Posted Oct 21, 2009 3:12 pm GMT

    Awesome, now the only storage devices you can buy for the 360 are the ones that are 5 times more expensive than their exact counterpart.

  • Flint247

    Posted Oct 21, 2009 1:41 pm GMT

    My comment got marked down because I said I was going to buy a 360? Is there a problem with that?

  • shawise

    Posted Oct 21, 2009 12:49 pm GMT

    My advice continue to voice your opinions and instead of buying try doing without to get your point across. 1080 HD the system should already be playing movies in 1080. Who needs or even wants the other updates. Dammit! put your foot down.

  • gardneed

    Posted Oct 21, 2009 6:20 am GMT

    Lame. M$ hardware strategy on the xbox 360 sucks. If they want to sell more media, they better drop the cost of storage. I will never buy anything from XBL until they drop the prices of the hdd to something reasonable. You can get a 1TB drive for a PC for $100. That's a 10x difference. Their pricing is obscene.

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