|
Microsoft update will lock out unlicensed Xbox 360 storage devices
|
|
The following comments relate to this news article:
article published on 20 October, 2009
Microsoft has made a new move today that will likely anger many current Xbox 360 users; locking out unlicensed storage devices that are not sold by the software giant.
"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," writes Xbox Live's Larry Hryb, via MajorNelson.
... [ read the full article ]
Please read the original article before posting your comments.
|
|
emugamer
Suspended due to non-functional email address
|
20. October 2009 @ 12:07 |
Link to this message
|
The question is, even if you could live without the update, would you eventually need to get it for future updates? Future updates that you may need to utilize certain features of XBL or certain games? Are MS updates like Sony updates, where they tell you that they are optional, but in reality, you need them do sign on or play certain games? If I had a 360, I'd pass on this update due to having no interest in Twitter or Facebook or lastfm, but I'd be royally pissed if down the road I was forced into it due to subsequent updates.
Probably going to get some backlash from people who update without reading the details. What could be the possible reason from banning external storage devices besides wanting more money?
|
|
Advertisement
|
 |
|
|
|
Teamlloyd
Newbie
|
20. October 2009 @ 12:55 |
Link to this message
|
For a company that has yet been able to make their system last for more than a year they really should be walking on eggshells and be doing everything not to piss off their customers before they all jump ship.
Of Course if we all do leave then I dont see why Playstation wouldnt be on top because of all of our brand new money.
Also I will not be standing in line to buy the new XBOX console (whenever it come out.) I'll wait and see how many fail first. Better yet I might just get the PlayStation first since its not know for dying.
I'm off topic I know but I got thangs to say.
|
Junior Member
3 product reviews
|
20. October 2009 @ 13:03 |
Link to this message
|
|
I wonder if a custom hard drive will still work after this update.
|
AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
|
20. October 2009 @ 13:11 |
Link to this message
|
|
They are either targeting mem cards with high storage capacity or removing cards that didnt get properly licensed.
Either way without them suing for IP violations this stinks of anti competitive practices...
|
Moderator
|
20. October 2009 @ 13:15 |
Link to this message
|
Originally posted by ZippyDSM:
this stinks of anti competitive practices...
I rarely comment on games consoles but your comment is exactly how i felt when i read the article. It's not even as if it's a modchip or similar, it's a damn memory card!. Greed is the only other thing that comes to mind.
Main PC ~ Intel C2Q Q6600 (G0 Stepping)/Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3/2GB Crucial Ballistix PC2-8500/Zalman CNPS9700/Antec 900/Corsair HX 620W
Network ~ DD-WRT ~ 2node WDS-WPA2/AES ~ Buffalo WHR-G54S. 3node WPA2/AES ~ WRT54GS v6 (inc. WEP BSSID), WRT54G v2, WRT54G2 v1. *** Forum Rules *** |
AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
|
20. October 2009 @ 13:17 |
Link to this message
|
Originally posted by creaky:
Originally posted by ZippyDSM:
this stinks of anti competitive practices...
I rarely comment on games consoles but your comment is exactly how i felt when i read the article. It's not even as if it's a modchip or similar, it's a damn memory card!. Greed is the only other thing that comes to mind.
Well I have heard some programmer aqautiances mention cache and oth4er hardware issues as a reason why they would want to knock out unapproved devices, but frankly speaking if this was a IP issue they would sue first, just blocking it strikes me as if they are looking to force people to buy their products....
Copyright infringement is nothing more than civil disobedience to a bad set of laws. Lets renegotiate them.
|
|
Hopium
Member
|
20. October 2009 @ 13:39 |
Link to this message
|
|
if it was your money coming in you'd all be singing a different tune.
|
AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
|
20. October 2009 @ 13:42 |
Link to this message
|
Originally posted by Hopium:
if it was your money coming in you'd all be singing a different tune.
they (ms) could easily sale 4-16GB flash based mem cards for 50 a pop......
|
|
jookycola
Member
|
20. October 2009 @ 13:42 |
Link to this message
|
This is so ridiculous.
I can't understand why a company that has been so good to gamers for so long would start to push people away over something so inconsequential at a time when their competition (Wii & PS3) is or has warmed up to consumers. they really better not do this an the rumored hike in Live! subscription services or this will truly be the beginning of the end for the 360's so-far great run.
|
AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
|
20. October 2009 @ 13:44 |
Link to this message
|
Originally posted by jookycola:
This is so ridiculous.
I can't understand why a company that has been so good to gamers for so long would start to push people away over something so inconsequential at a time when their competition (Wii & PS3) is or has warmed up to consumers. they really better not do this an the rumored hike in Live! subscription services or this will truly be the beginning of the end for the 360's so-far great run.
good? MS has been bad to gamers for so long, its jsut they have the games thus people ignore all the issues the 360 has....
|
Senior Member
|
20. October 2009 @ 14:49 |
Link to this message
|
This reminds me of Sony with their proprietary memory chips and their insistance that you use a Pro Duo (sony) chip in all of their devices.
|
|
xnmalletx
Member
|
20. October 2009 @ 15:01 |
Link to this message
|
Quote:
Originally posted by jookycola:
This is so ridiculous.
I can't understand why a company that has been so good to gamers for so long would start to push people away over something so inconsequential at a time when their competition (Wii & PS3) is or has warmed up to consumers. they really better not do this an the rumored hike in Live! subscription services or this will truly be the beginning of the end for the 360's so-far great run.
good? MS has been bad to gamers for so long, its jsut they have the games thus people ignore all the issues the 360 has....
issues??? By now those "issues" look cleared up to me. I think they have done a good job fixing the issues. The new chipset looks very promising and a 3 year warranty against the rrod? wow. sounds good to me
|
Senior Member
|
20. October 2009 @ 15:20 |
Link to this message
|
It's not anti-competitive. Apple do this thing all the time, for example, updating iTunes so it no longer allows Palm Pre owners to sync, or only allowing their operating system to run on computers sold by them. It's no different to that. MS doesn't have monopoly status in the games console world, so they can allow whatever peripherals they like to be used with their systems. It doesn't mean that it's a very nice thing to do though!
What is shitty about it is the fact that they've decided to do this now, after the console's been out for 4 years. The Arcade comes with 512 MB of memory built in now and obviously the Elite and Super Elite both have hard drives, so blocking unlicensed memory cards is likely to affect people who have already bought a console much more than it will affect any future buyers who will have less of a need to buy a memory card. Also, if I buy a cheap 4GB Datel memory card, it means I can buy more DLC and XBLA games. That means more money for MS in the long run. I think this is a really bad move on their part, especially as there are bound to be people who aren't aware that this is happening until after they updated and then they'll wonder why they can't access their gamertag, game saves etc.
Quote:
I wonder if a custom hard drive will still work after this update.
Someone from MS said that it only affects memory units that plug into the front of the console, not hard drives. I can't remember where I read it, but one of the gaming sites asked them for confirmation of what exactly they were going to block. I still don't know what they mean by "unauthorized" storage devices though. Does that mean any non-MS device, or are some third party devices authorised? They're not making it very clear!
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 20. October 2009 @ 15:23
|
|
ZeusAV
Member
|
20. October 2009 @ 15:31 |
Link to this message
|
Sucks to be a 360 owner if this is for non-MS hard drives. As far as I know right now the Microsoft branded hard drives are way more expensive than other hard drives of equal size on the market.
For example the $120GB Microsoft hard drive retails for $159.99 while the same size hard drive retails for around $40 from most other companies.
|
Senior Member
|
20. October 2009 @ 15:32 |
Link to this message
|
|
So wait will this stop custom hdd's from working?
|
|
Clownzill
Newbie
|
20. October 2009 @ 15:41 |
Link to this message
|
Quote:
Originally posted by ZippyDSM:
this stinks of anti competitive practices...
I rarely comment on games consoles but your comment is exactly how i felt when i read the article. It's not even as if it's a modchip or similar, it's a damn memory card!. Greed is the only other thing that comes to mind.
The problem is that this isn't anything close to anti-competitive behavior. Microsoft isn't the only game in town and consumers have a choice of the competitor's systems (Sony or Nintendo) if the consumer does not like Microsoft's lockout policies. I myself find this decision by Microsoft upsetting BUT Microsoft will be punished by the consumer by reduced sales IF the consumer sees this as a big enough problem. On top of that, if consumers don't like the infamous "greed" of Microsoft then those consumers need to stop buying Microsoft gaming products. Many gamers talk a lot of trash about Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo but that hate sure doesn't show in their sales numbers.
|
|
manny2564
Junior Member
|
20. October 2009 @ 17:37 |
Link to this message
|
|
Wow it's amazing how Micro$oft screws the people who buy their crap over and over.... Get a playstation !!!!!!
|
|
manny2564
Junior Member
|
20. October 2009 @ 17:46 |
Link to this message
|
|
How many xbox's actually it 3 years without getting some type of error ?
I'm not sure but this number seems to be way too low for me to stick with ms on this one. And that membership rummor is a go. Remember what Micro$oft stands for.. Buy one now and another after the first one breaks
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 20. October 2009 @ 17:49
|
AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
|
20. October 2009 @ 18:04 |
Link to this message
|
Quote:
Quote:
Originally posted by ZippyDSM:
this stinks of anti competitive practices...
I rarely comment on games consoles but your comment is exactly how i felt when i read the article. It's not even as if it's a modchip or similar, it's a damn memory card!. Greed is the only other thing that comes to mind.
The problem is that this isn't anything close to anti-competitive behavior. Microsoft isn't the only game in town and consumers have a choice of the competitor's systems (Sony or Nintendo) if the consumer does not like Microsoft's lockout policies. I myself find this decision by Microsoft upsetting BUT Microsoft will be punished by the consumer by reduced sales IF the consumer sees this as a big enough problem. On top of that, if consumers don't like the infamous "greed" of Microsoft then those consumers need to stop buying Microsoft gaming products. Many gamers talk a lot of trash about Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo but that hate sure doesn't show in their sales numbers.
its anti competitive because they are limiting the choices on their platform and adding confusion for the consumer.
|
Senior Member
|
20. October 2009 @ 18:18 |
Link to this message
|
Originally posted by ZippyDSM:
Quote:
Quote:
Originally posted by ZippyDSM:
this stinks of anti competitive practices...
I rarely comment on games consoles but your comment is exactly how i felt when i read the article. It's not even as if it's a modchip or similar, it's a damn memory card!. Greed is the only other thing that comes to mind.
The problem is that this isn't anything close to anti-competitive behavior. Microsoft isn't the only game in town and consumers have a choice of the competitor's systems (Sony or Nintendo) if the consumer does not like Microsoft's lockout policies. I myself find this decision by Microsoft upsetting BUT Microsoft will be punished by the consumer by reduced sales IF the consumer sees this as a big enough problem. On top of that, if consumers don't like the infamous "greed" of Microsoft then those consumers need to stop buying Microsoft gaming products. Many gamers talk a lot of trash about Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo but that hate sure doesn't show in their sales numbers.
its anti competitive because they are limiting the choices on their platform and adding confusion for the consumer.
That doesn't make it an anti-competitive practice. There are plenty of examples where companies deliberately limit your choice. It's a standard business practice. If you can only buy an iPhone on one carrier, your choice is being limited. If your printer only takes chipped cartridges to stop you buying cheap ones, your choice is limited. If you can only play songs downloaded from iTunes on an iPod, your choice of which MP3 player to buy is being limited (I know it's not like that now, but it was). Of course, when MS do it, they're "greedy" and should be sued. lol. It may be shitty and it may be a bit late in the day to do this, but anti-competitive it is not.
|
AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
|
20. October 2009 @ 18:25 |
Link to this message
|
Originally posted by funksoulb:
Originally posted by ZippyDSM:
Quote:
Quote:
Originally posted by ZippyDSM:
this stinks of anti competitive practices...
I rarely comment on games consoles but your comment is exactly how i felt when i read the article. It's not even as if it's a modchip or similar, it's a damn memory card!. Greed is the only other thing that comes to mind.
The problem is that this isn't anything close to anti-competitive behavior. Microsoft isn't the only game in town and consumers have a choice of the competitor's systems (Sony or Nintendo) if the consumer does not like Microsoft's lockout policies. I myself find this decision by Microsoft upsetting BUT Microsoft will be punished by the consumer by reduced sales IF the consumer sees this as a big enough problem. On top of that, if consumers don't like the infamous "greed" of Microsoft then those consumers need to stop buying Microsoft gaming products. Many gamers talk a lot of trash about Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo but that hate sure doesn't show in their sales numbers.
its anti competitive because they are limiting the choices on their platform and adding confusion for the consumer.
That doesn't make it an anti-competitive practice. There are plenty of examples where companies deliberately limit your choice. It's a standard business practice. If you can only buy an iPhone on one carrier, your choice is being limited. If your printer only takes chipped cartridges to stop you buying cheap ones, your choice is limited. If you can only play songs downloaded from iTunes on an iPod, your choice of which MP3 player to buy is being limited (I know it's not like that now, but it was). Of course, when MS do it, they're "greedy" and should be sued. lol. It may be shitty and it may be a bit late in the day to do this, but anti-competitive it is not.
Oh that is very true, its not illegal just unethical ^^
I think the real issue is they didnt care about the mem cards so much let them make 3rd party stuff and then figured out they could be lanceing the boils on the bottom line if they did soemthign like this.
Copyright infringement is nothing more than civil disobedience to a bad set of laws. Lets renegotiate them.
|
Moderator
|
20. October 2009 @ 18:28 |
Link to this message
|
Apple are the King of 'Lock-in', you won't get Apple praise from me.
All this wordplay on whether it's anti-competitive or not is moot, what annoys me is that MS are blocking (for instance) 3rd party memory cards. Just because they built the console doesn't make it right. Why the hell would i buy a 512MB memory card when i could buy a cheaper, larger one from someone else. It's a bloody memory card, it's not like it's a hard drive or anything else. It's ridiculous. As it happens i wanted a memory card recently so that i could transfer my gamer profile between my two 360's as it's a pain to have to keep recovering the profile via xbox live. Then i saw that the memory cards were £10 so i decided to stay as i was. Or i could start swapping the two hard drives over.
However i certainly won't be buying a memory card now, it's more of a ripoff than before.
Main PC ~ Intel C2Q Q6600 (G0 Stepping)/Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3/2GB Crucial Ballistix PC2-8500/Zalman CNPS9700/Antec 900/Corsair HX 620W
Network ~ DD-WRT ~ 2node WDS-WPA2/AES ~ Buffalo WHR-G54S. 3node WPA2/AES ~ WRT54GS v6 (inc. WEP BSSID), WRT54G v2, WRT54G2 v1. *** Forum Rules ***
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 20. October 2009 @ 18:29
|
AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
|
20. October 2009 @ 18:33 |
Link to this message
|
Originally posted by creaky:
Apple are the King of 'Lock-in', you won't get Apple praise from me.
All this wordplay on whether it's anti-competitive or not is moot, what annoys me is that MS are blocking (for instance) 3rd party memory cards. Just because they built the console doesn't make it right. Why the hell would i buy a 512MB memory card when i could buy a cheaper, larger one from someone else. It's a bloody memory card, it's not like it's a hard drive or anything else. It's ridiculous. As it happens i wanted a memory card recently so that i could transfer my gamer profile between my two 360's as it's a pain to have to keep recovering the profile via xbox live. Then i saw that the memory cards were £10 so i decided to stay as i was. Or i could start swapping the two hard drives over.
However i certainly won't be buying a memory card now, it's more of a ripoff than before.
TO be fair they are blocking some 3rd party mem cards, its a gray area the IP owner can chose to ignore or not ignore. I think the 2 main reasons for it is to start hardening the loopholes in peripherals(notice there are not alot of 360 turbo controllers) and to further their own profit.
Copyright infringement is nothing more than civil disobedience to a bad set of laws. Lets renegotiate them.
|
Senior Member
28 product reviews
|
20. October 2009 @ 18:38 |
Link to this message
|
|
What I find interesting is how they do not say why they won't let you use other storage devices other than those made my M$. Everyone here obviously knows why; money money money.
|
|
Advertisement
|
|
|
|
scorpNZ
AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
|
20. October 2009 @ 20:28 |
Link to this message
|
|
Don't know what you lot are complaining about pricing for it's not as tho you live downunder,on average we pay 2-1/2 times what you'd pay,we're so used to getting shafted we all walk around hunched back *evil smiley*
|
