Joystiq

Microsoft phasing out memory units and 120GB hard drive

Alexander Sliwinski — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 12:30:00 EST

Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb has confirmed the inevitable to Joystiq: Xbox 360 Memory Units and the 120GB hard drive are being phased out. Acknowledging what's been in the stars since February, the Xbox spokesman stated that "the channel is being drained" of the storage options. The same goes for Memory Units, which, after today's official announcement of USB support, makes the MU even less useful.

This makes the $130 250GB HDD the primary option ... well, at least until this fall, if the Xbox Slim comes to pass.

Microsoft phasing out memory units and 120GB hard drive originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 26 Mar 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Datel suing Microsoft over Max Memory card lockout

JC Fletcher — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST

Datel announced that it has filed an antitrust lawsuit against Microsoft, in response to Microsoft's lockout (via Xbox 360 firmware update) of the company's Max Memory Cards. We doubt this is the "remedy" for the lockout issue to which the company previously referred, but it's certainly one way to address it.

"Microsoft has taken steps to render inoperable the competing Datel memory card for no visible purpose other than to have that market entirely to themselves," Datel attorney Marty Glick explained in a press release. "They accomplished their recent update by making a system change that will not recognize or allow operation of a memory card with greater capacity than their own. We believe that with the power Microsoft enjoys in the market for Xbox accessories this conduct is unlawful."

In the press release, Datel goes on to say that the lawsuit is intended to "restore competition" which, the company suggests, is beneficial to consumers. It's now up to a federal court in San Francisco to determine whether the Max Memory-crippling Xbox update constitutes unlawful anti-competitive behavior on the part of Microsoft.

The last time Datel went to court, it viewed the experience from the other side. Sony filed suit against the peripheral maker over the "Lite Blue Tool," which would have enabled users to run unsigned code on PSP hardware.

Datel suing Microsoft over Max Memory card lockout originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Datel working on 'remedy' for its unauthorized Xbox 360 memory units

Richard Mitchell — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 17:02:00 EST

There was something of an outcry in the Xbox community when Microsoft announced that the upcoming Xbox 360 Dashboard Update would disable "unauthorized" memory units. Datel, a manufacturer of such devices, recently expressed its disappointment following the announcement. Fortunately, it looks like it takes more than that to keep a good company down, as Maxconsole.net reports that Datel intends to release a solution to the problem.

In a letter to retailers, Datel stated it was "aware of the changes that are required to remedy this problem and will shortly release a solution in readiness for this potential update." Naturally, the company didn't elaborate on the necessary changes. Datel also didn't supply a precise release date for the updated memory units, saying only that they would be available "shortly." Still, it's good news for folks that want more memory for less-than-exorbitant prices.

[Via Engadget]

Datel working on 'remedy' for its unauthorized Xbox 360 memory units originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 28 Oct 2009 17:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Datel 'disappointed' by Xbox 360's unofficial memory unit lockout

David Hinkle — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 13:30:00 EST

Outlawed off-white accessory news now, with CVG relaying manufacturer Datel's unenthusiastic response to the the forthcoming Xbox 360 Dashboard update, which intends to kill support for unauthorized, third-party memory units. Datel has said that it's "disappointed" by Microsoft's decision, one that it feels will limit consumers in "exercising their freedom of choice." Specifically, their freedom of choosing a memory solution that doesn't come from Microsoft.

What to do if you're the owner of one of these bad boys? Unless you want to stay offline forever, you'll have to back up your data and transfer it to an official memory unit or hard drive. Failing that, you could just lift anchor in protest and set sail for Redmond, but we wouldn't suggest doing that unless you're English and living in 1983.

Datel 'disappointed' by Xbox 360's unofficial memory unit lockout originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 21 Oct 2009 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Upcoming Xbox 360 update locking out 'unauthorized' Memory Units

Ben Gilbert — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 19:00:00 EST

Don't worry, folks -- Microsoft knows you really hate those subversive little devils making third-party Memory Units, what with their 2GB and 4GB offerings for the Xbox 360. In an effort to stamp out these Doris Dogooders from your Xbox Live Experience[TM], Microsoft's Major Nelson announced on his blog yesterday that "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."

In plain English, this means that any third-party Memory Unit you might have been using will be rendered useless. Mr. Hryb suggests moving any saves on said devices get moved to an authorized one, unless losing access to "stored profile or saves games" simply ain't no thang for you.

Upcoming Xbox 360 update locking out 'unauthorized' Memory Units originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 17 Oct 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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