Halo: Reach co-op requires hard drive, 4GB Xbox 360 Slims have to go solo [update: MS responds]

by Christopher Grant on Sep 15th 2010 2:30AM

Bad news for some of you who wanted to Remember Reach with some of your closest pals: Halo Reach's excellent co-op functionality requires an Xbox 360 hard drive. While that's unfortunate for all non-hard drive owning Xbox 360 gamers, it's especially worrisome for those of you who recently jumped into a 4GB Xbox 360 S. While they finally (quietly) released a hard drive for the new console, the $130 asking price is a hefty barrier to entry if you're looking for some co-op fun. Microsoft's official Halo: Reach FAQ page confirms the shortcoming:

Q1: The error "One or more players do not have an Xbox 360 Hard Drive. An Xbox 360 Hard Drive is required to play co-op on Xbox LIVE or system link" occurs when I try to play. Why?

A1: One or more players do not have a certified Xbox 360 hard drive attached to their Xbox 360 console. Some multiplayer aspects of Halo: Reach require an Xbox 360 certified hard drive.

Nukezilla further confirms that USB memory sticks can't fill in for the absent storage and UK gamers will have to wait until later this month to get the £80 hard drive. Evidently, this limitation was present in Halo 3: ODST as well. Anyone affected by this issue?

Update: Microsoft has informed Eurogamer that the issue is "temporary" and that the company is "working to resolve it."

[Thanks, Arafat!]

Source: Nukezilla
More coverage: Halo: Reach frequently asked questions

Tags: Bungie, Halo-Reach, microsoft, Microsoft-Game-Studios, xbox, Xbox-360-Slim

Reader Comments (108)

.....ouch.

@Ezio Auditore da Firenze
Ouch indeed! I can't believe MS is actually selling a version of the console that can't play all the games. Isn't that in some ways like illegal or something?
But even if it isn't, it's like they're trying to be the king of douche bags.

@2late2die
all games = all games fully, i.e. single, multi, coop and whatever else
but point still stands

@Ezio Auditore da Firenze

Not quite sure why this is being pinned on Microsoft and not Bungie.

Slim HD size has been around for Bungie to make the necessary adjustments.

@2late2die
It's not Microsoft's call to do it, it's Bungie's. My decision to quit consoles looks better and better every day.

Yet more proof of the decline of PC gaming.

@Stevorino

Microsoft is the publisher.

I don't play Halo, but this is simply a way to force people to buy the hard dirve.

This really made me mad because I wanted to play Firefight online and it wouldn't let me with my friends.

I know people who have 2GB left on their HDD and it works fine, but I can't use my 16GB flash drives to play? Makes no since to me.

Anyone who thinks this isn't an issue is dumb. People shouldn't be restricted just because they don't have an Xbox HDD. I'm glad MS/Bungie is planning on fixing it. Hopefully soon, because I can't even use theater mode.

Hmmm, I don't have an Xbox, but this seems quite unfair, considering I have been following Reach's launch, and have not heard anything about this until now...

It's no surprise. Most recent OLC games require a HDD in order to access full functionality. It's just one of the reasons stores like GameStop add "OLC" to the end of titles for games with such requirements. That way the employees can let the buyer know what's up.

Damn, this sucks.

I was about to question why Chris was up at 0230 to write a story, but I forgot the bastard got to go to Japan.

On topic: This is a shitty problem that should have been mentioned prior to release.

Damn, what *isn't* a money scam with Microsoft lately?

Wow, that's messed up. I feel for you, Xbox people.

This is like Sony telling PS3 owners that we may get PS2 compatibility back in peripheral form.

Oh wait...

@Dirge ...it is?

@Ezio Auditore da Firenze Yeah. Sony Japan just released a new patent for a new PS3 peripheral that will let you play PS2 games on your PS3.

@Dirge

Hide yo' kids, hide yo' wife, hide yo' kids, hide yo' wife, hide yo' husband too cause they rapin' errbody out here.

@Dirge Patents don't mean anything. It doesn't mean a product is coming.

Companies patent many things they don't intend to do.

@Dirge dude seriously what does backwards compatibility have to do with being forced to buy a $130 drive to be able to play co-op on a game you just bought ?

@spin cycle I know they don't. There's a 50/50 chance, though.

@Dirge

what the hell, the two aren't related in the slightest bit.

@Dirge

that "new" patent is almost 20 months old..

damn, just recently bought an 360 4gb slim. Was really hoping I could play with my brother on the other side of the country. This does indeed suck for me. I wonder why a 16gb usb memory card won't work? Surely it doesn't take up more than that?

@krautmaster It doesn't work because they don't want it to, unfortunately. There's no technological reason why it couldn't.

@krautmaster
You can use an old 20gig harddrive if you just remove the old enclosure and plug the HDD straight into your new slim console.

This here is straight bogus. I JUST bought a 360 4gb slim a couple days ago and bought Reach tonight and was hoping to get some co-op in tomorrow with a few friends who've been raving about the game. Damn...this is buttcheeks

@IsThatBlazeRock
same here i sold my xbox at the beginning of the year and bought the new 2 weeks ago. now i cant play co-op. this really sucks i was gonna go legendary with my cuz! noooo

The problem can be easily fixed by giving MS more money.

I got no problem. since I have the 250GB !!! lol but Im sure MS and bungie would come with an update for this issue. Im sure all the 1000 plus employees knows about this , right?

I was annoyed with Live costing money for online play, but this is just ridiculous on so many levels.

"Anyone affected by this issue?"

Very subtle, Chris.

This sucks ass. Weak. Doesn't affect me but I feel for those who it does affect.

I still have my 60GB 360 running smooth as ever. I think that MS should let these 4GB S 360s utilize co-op if they plug in a thumb drive or something to increase the capacity.

Well Microsoft has said you couldn't access the full Xbox LIVE experience without a harddrive since launch. Still pretty lame news for the 4GB purchasers.

i really cant see why is MS releasing some of their new 360s on such a small HDD, i mean, those 4GB are prehistoricstorage since most of us have Digital Cameras using at least half of that

@NoirR The 4GB isn't using a HDD, it's using Flash Memory.

Wow...that's terrible.

This is fair ? Oh sorry you need to buy a $130 dollar drive to get all of the features from the game you just bought. Nope sorry those usb drives wont work..

This is what is known as shafting your customer base, welcome to Microsoft business practices..

What would the reaction be if Sony tried to do something like this I wonder ? ...

@McDuckScrooged

They'd probably be even FURTHER back in second place to the 360.

@Brian Griffin

By that I take it you mean its perfectly acceptable to screw your customer base and your fans as long as your not in last place in terms of over all sales ? Is that what you mean ? Because I cant remember Sony, Sega or Nintendo ever pulling stunts like this..

@McDuckScrooged Sony is hardly the paragon of customer care either. At least the Xbox hasn't lost hardware features over its revisions, or had stuff removed by updates (*cough*OtherOS*cough*). Not saying this is any better, mind you, but neither company is faultless.

@McDuckScrooged

'Because I cant remember Sony, Sega or Nintendo ever pulling stunts like this..'

Really?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expansion_Pak#Expansion_Pak

@Sentox

How does not being able to install a new OS on my PS3 have ANYTHING to do with not being able to play a game? Sony removed the OS option for security reasons and not out of some greedy motive like Microsoft. I am so sick of people like you acting as lapdogs for Microsoft. Sony has made some big mistakes, but you can not compair the deliberate, absolutely intentional, misleading, manipulation, and lies Microsoft continues to practice. I really don't know what to say to a person that thinks that Sony OR Nintendo has done anything on the same level of sleeze as Microsoft. Remember, Microsoft KNEW about this just like they knew they were shipping out millions of defective consoles and then tried to BLAME (REMEMBER THAT?) blame the consumer when their system broke. Lets not even get started on their discusting XBL policies preventing developers from updating and adding new content freely.

@That Burning Sensation Actually, the removal of the Other OS option was very much out of greed. A not-insignificant number of PS3 sales were for people who wanted to use them as servers, in particular taking advantage of the processor. Sony also sold real servers, equipped with the exact same Cell processor, for much much more. They nixed Other OS so people would have to spend more money buying Cell-based servers.

@mbarriault Has Xbox ever give you an option to run windows or Linux ? No ? Sony doesn't sell servers IBM sold servers with the cell processor.. Removal of other OS had nothing to do with greed and all to do with a particular d!ck named Geohot who tried to use Linux to crack into the actual GameOS, after that they removed the Other OS.. Stop talking crap..

@chimera fair enough, except that was a legit expansion pack adding extra ram and the games that required had it clearly written that they required it, that is the difference.. It extended the life of the N64 it didn't add stupid limitations to existing hardware..

@That Burning Sensation And I'm sick of people like you that are so ignorant of how the world works. Guess what? Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo... all corporations. Motivated by one thing, and one thing alone: profit. Sony doesn't care about the consumer one iota more than Microsoft does. Considering one corporation more evil than another is simple naivety.

Also, the hyperbole levels are over 9000 in your post. Do you keep a thesaurus right next to your keyboard?

The fact that some of you seem to think "security" is a valid reason to strip features from your product (and not just new revisions, but all existing models that happen to have internet connectivity) scares me, quite frankly. You think Sony was trying to protect you with that move? Riiiiiiiiiight.

Corporations are responsible to their shareholders, not you. If you think Microsoft is the great evil and Sony is relatively benign, please don't take up a career as a judge. A lawyer, on the other hand...

... *checks 360 slim*

Oh, is a 250GB model. I was about to get upset.

But it's kind of a raw deal for 4GB owners, and is definitely something that should have been well-known for a high-profile game like Reach. Like, couldn't they have slipped that little footnote in there while they were releasing another trailer or handful of screenshots? "BTW, guyz, online co-op for 4GB Xbox? NO WAI."

maybe for offline play is ok, but for co-op? Seems a little harsh.

Why is this even an issue? Halo: ODST did this a year ago so its not new. Sounds like Sony PS3 sour grapes over the 360 getting a solid game.

Further a 4GB Xbox 360 does NOT have a HDD. HDD's do not come in sizes that small. A 4GB Xbox 360 has an updated internal flash drive much as the arcades previously had 256MB. These are not large enough to do full game installs. They are there for system updates, basic content updates, and a few XBLA games. If you need more buy a HDD. Microsoft has been pretty clear about this from the start, you can cheap out on your 360 but don't expect to do substantial online functionality.

And for the folks who've asked why can't you use a memory card... really ... seriously?!?! That way lies piracy. Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo ... none of them are stupid enough to allow full game installs or game launches off a memory card. NONE of them. That would open a door to piracy that could never be closed. Why don't you ask them to just burn you pirate discs and send them to you while you're at it?

C/mon folks this is a non-issue. if you want to run the a heavily online game, get a hard drive add-on or a 360 with a hard drive. There is no other alternative.

@jabberwoch I now know why Microsoft can get away with such shady dodgy business practices they have morons like you willing to back up their every shitty move..

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Halo: Reach

Halo: Reach co-op requires hard drive, 4GB Xbox 360 Slims have to go solo [update: MS responds]

Reader Comments (108)

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 2:32AM Ezio Auditore da Firenze said

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 6:58AM 2late2die said

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 7:04AM 2late2die said

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 9:22AM Stevorino said

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 9:49AM Themoreyouknow said

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 9:52AM VegaThePunisher said

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 6:23PM JGray73 said

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 2:33AM King Johngie the Fourth said

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 2:37AM JonnyAtlas said

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 2:42AM Dirge said

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 2:44AM Ellimem said

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 2:47AM ShadowXIII said

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 2:52AM birdizzle87 said

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 2:52AM Dirge said

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 2:59AM Ezio Auditore da Firenze said

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 3:18AM Dirge said

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 3:18AM Raiki said

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 4:02AM spin cycle said

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 4:06AM McDuckScrooged said

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 4:53AM Dirge said

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 5:18AM PR0F3TA said

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 5:35AM c86 said

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 2:52AM krautmaster said

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 7:27AM Nick Spacek said

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 12:39PM fohf said

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 2:56AM IsThatBlazeRock said

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 3:22PM leemahi said

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 3:02AM Invader Verm said

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 3:04AM Espada said

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 3:04AM Sleepyperson said

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 3:10AM Acosta02 said

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 3:10AM imadogg said

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 3:18AM Accessgranted said

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 3:33AM Anticrawl said

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 3:34AM NoirR said

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 1:22PM jblank said

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 3:34AM KingBroly said

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 4:00AM McDuckScrooged said

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 4:19AM Brian Griffin said

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 4:27AM McDuckScrooged said

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 8:05AM Sentox said

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 9:20AM Chimaera said

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 9:31AM That Burning Sensation said

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 10:35AM mbarriault said

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 11:15AM McDuckScrooged said

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 6:18PM Sentox said

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 4:00AM iXeres said

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