Datel gets first stab at third party memory card for Xbox 360, supports microSD expansion
By Paul Miller 
posted May 16th 2009 2:13PM
posted May 16th 2009 2:13PM
[Via Engadget Spanish]
posted May 16th 2009 2:13PM
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Can you install games on it?
You can already install Xbox Life Arcade games to the memory cards. I don't think you would be able to install disk based games to it though, it wouldn't be fast enough and I doubt the Xbox software supports it.
There's only an option to install games to the HDD, and you can't copy them between memory devices. So no.
Even if it worked it gonna be useless these memory cards is so slow for streaming this kind of stuff
That's awesome! It would be even better if they would let you use USB drives though.
Then they wouldn't get licensing fees.
I despise MS' accessory strategy. This is an improvement, because now instead of overpaying for inferior junk like the Wireless Racing Wheel, we can overpay for decent junk. But I wish they would just relent and go to a strategy like Sony's accessory strategy where we don't have to overpay to line MS' pockets.
Microsoft's junk accessories? That's limited to ONE item: The wireless adapter
The steering wheel is top notch. You obviously don't have one, so I'd recommend trying it before making anymore comments about it. Also, the 1st party controllers are top notch, the keypad is top notch, the wireless ear piece is just fine, and the camera does exactly what it needs to do.
Most third party accessories, with the exception of chargers and fans, are junk that only sells because it's much less expensive than the quality Microsoft accessories. The madcatz steering wheel is a horrible piece of crap and the off brand controllers are no better than the original controllers (unless you have tiny hands).
I agree, a lot of the accessories Microsoft sell are well worth the cost, built to last. I wasn't happy paying the inflated price for the wireless adapter, but it does the job and even gets an Open NAT type with my Belkin router.
I don't understand why people are having trouble with their NAT. Get a router with UPnP and make sure it's enabled (or just flash to DD-WRT or Tomato) and set the Xbox to automatic (DHCP). Open NAT. I've had four Xbox 360s in my house online at the same time and all with open NATs.
Worth noting: static IP addresses seem to cause the Xbox to have trouble with UPnP. So keep 'em on DHCP.
The Xbox 360's wireless adapter is absurdly overpriced, there's no way around it. It's a USB plug attached to a $5 Atheros or Broadcom wireless chip attached to a length of thin wire they call an antenna. I like my Xbox 360, but there's no denying that the 360's wireless adapter is one of the biggest accessories ripoff ever. It was a ripoff in 2005, and it's even more so now that you can often find wireless G adapters for near free on sale.
brian:
You're wrong about the wireless racing wheel. Don't call me a liar for saying I don't own one. You don't know me.
Here's my review. Try to tell me how I'm all wrong about the hole in the pedals or thow it's okay that the clamp lets the wheel come off the desk, so that the feedback system causes the wheel to hop around.
http://www.1up.com/do/blogEntry?bId=8306241&publicUserId=5710934
The wireless headset was crap. It worked fine on some 360s and on many it did not and it could not be fixed.
http://xbox.joystiq.com/2006/11/09/joystiq-video-review-of-wireless-headset/
http://www.joystiq.com/2006/12/13/microsoft-addresses-wireless-360-headset-issues/
"The steering wheel is top notch. You obviously don't have one"
Um, MS's steering wheels literally burst into flames. That's not top notch. That brings new meaning to red ring of death
http://www.bit-tech.net/news/hardware/2007/08/23/microsoft_to_fix_360_steering_wheels/1
Apparently, a number of users have been having problems with the steering wheel - problems like it starting to spew out plumes of black, resinous smoke when used in wired mode. It's speculated that, since the problem only occurs when the power supply is in use, that it may not be a fault with the wheel per se, but rather a problem with the rest of the system.
Still, we may as well take this chance to ask: how little do Microsoft know about overheating when even the official steering wheel is bursting into flames?
EXACTLY what I'm looking for. I hope you can install games on it.
@why not the LS2LS7? - Yea...Sony are making TONS of money off that stategy.
Sorry...replied to wrong person
Yes, Gamble that is correct.
Sony is not making a lot of money off their accessory strategy. And since that money would come out of my pocket, I'm glad of it.
Soooo...you're against MS making a profit? Sony and Microsoft are both out to make money, Microsoft is just better at it. While Sony's model might be more "fair" to the consumer, it's killing them.
If I can get what I want without Microsoft taking a cut, then that's all the better. Nintendo doesn't find the need to get a cut of memory card sales. Sony lets USB memory keys work and they don't get a cut of those.
So yeah, I am condemning Microsoft for taking a cut of memory cards. And hard drives. And awful racing wheels.
you cant
That's exactly my beef.
This shouldn't increase MS security risk at all. Datel has for years sold a USB device that you plug into your PC and lets you read and write Xbox 360 memory cards. This doesn't present any more danger than that.
And people have been connecting their 360 hard drives to their PCs forever. It's just a SATA laptop drive in an enclosure (a Western Digital BEVS drive marked up 250%) and can be connected to a PC just fine. Three months after the 360's release, Xplolrer360 was released, which gave users a GUI and full read/write access to the Xbox 360 filesystem (XTAF, very similar to Xbox 1's FATX).
So, this isn't a security risk at all. Pretty much every file on the 360 is signed and even then the hypervisor shuts down pretty much any attacks. There was a King Kong shader hack a while back and a downgrade exploit, but those have long since been disabled by firmware updates.
@DWells55
None of the official drives are WD BEVS. There are a few different drives used in them, but the BEVS is not one of them. The BEVS was simply the one that TheSpecialist wrote his tool for, so that you could use them to build your own on the cheap.
Yeah, my bad on that one. I recently helped a friend setup a WD BEVS drive for his 360, so I guess I had that on my mind.
I hate paying more than I have to for anything, but the facts seem to show that the PS3 does not have a very viable business model, with Sony still losing money on every unit, compared to Microsoft, which is actually in the black. Also, although the accessories are more expensive, the large secondary market in xbox 360 games have allowed me to get big titles much cheaper than I see them going for on PS3--if they even sell the game for PS3.
How the hell does this have ANYTHING to do with PS3???
Go troll somewhere else, Fanboy
Sony allows you to use memory cards and doesn't sell as many accessories as Microsoft, that is what it has to do with the PS3.
"Also, although the accessories are more expensive, the large secondary market in xbox 360 games have allowed me to get big titles much cheaper than I see them going for on PS3--if they even sell the game for PS3."
Seriously, what's your point?
Yay accessories are expensive, they bring in money for console makers. What does this have to do with the secondary market for games? Second hand games aren't putting cash in the developer's or microsoft's pockets.
http://www.joystiq.com/2009/04/23/microsoft-q309-xbox-division-loses-31-million-360-sales-up-30/
Microsoft's games division is not in the black either.
Um, calm down. This is related because the accessory market is a derivative market of the gaming console market, of which PS3 is the closest substitute product. They are clearly related goods, and as such, a positive introduction in the xbox 360 gaming market should result in a marginal increase to the demand of the xbox 360 and a marginal decrease to the demand of the PS3. It seems to make sense to talk about this introduction holistically. The idea then this product affects the total welfare provided by this product, compared to its next best alternative.
Good point, "why not the LS2lS7".
This product won't hurt the 360 market, I agree. I don't think it'll help either. Even if it were properly priced (without a cut for MS in it) it still wouldn't help the 360 market, IMHO.
But as a consumer of gaming devices, I prefer lower prices on accessories and I prefer higher quality accessories. Accessories are cheaper on PS3 in general because Sony doesn't take a cut and the breadth of 3rd party accessories means I can get a high quality headset if I want, instead of buying MS wireless headset and finding out it doesn't work. Same with wheels. The awful wireless racing wheel really hurt my enjoyment of Forza 2. If I could have used a 3rd party wheel, especially one of the Logitech wheels I already own (like I can on the PS3 with GT3, GT4 and GT5P) then I would have enjoyed the game more.
I don't see how the accessory market makes it so there are more games for 360. If it did, there would be less, because except for the excellent bundled controller (and to a slightly lesser extend the keypad), the 360 has a lineup of pretty unremarkable to lousy accessories.
Look at the PS3 for example. The PS3 keypad is a turd. Only a fool would buy it. But you can buy a Logitech keyboard instead if you'd like. You don't even have to buy a PS3-branded one, I use my Apple Bluetooth keyboard instead. What happens on the 360 side if you don't find MS' keypad acceptable? You have no alternatives.
@why not the LS2LS7?
You can just use a regular usb keyboard with the 360 if you want no bluetooth
YES!!!
MICROSOFTRULEZ!!!
God, you are fucking annoying.
NO I'M NOT!
@GoGoGadget
The Caps Lock key is located to the left of the A button, below the Tab button and above the left shift key. Please press this button. Thank you.
@AGUILUZ
THANKS FOR THE TIP, NOW I DONT HAVE TO HOLD THE SHIFT KEY!!!!
>_> I'm kidding of course ^__^
thanks, really appreciate that! now i know what caps lock is for. thanks alot!
Scroll lock is situated between SysRq and Break, to further your knowledge, so if you are breaking sysrq's you can quickly lock the scroll, it's all well thought out you see.
Here's another little trick for you to learn!
Press Alt and then F4! Oh it is truly hilarious!
Sooner or later, this will be used for an exploit. Then, sales of it will skyrocket.
we can already get data on and off the harddrive. as someone else mentioned, there also is software for managing save games on the market already. this product alone does nothing to improve any exploit potential. the most interesting thing about this is breaking the size limit imposed on the memory cards, and the ability to use an SD card itself at all.
Breaking size limits on MS designed systems equals buffer overflow which in turn equals hacks, usually.
Great! An even more expensive memory option. $50 for a 4GB card with the ability to spend another $35 on a 16gb SDHC. Now I've spend $85 for 20GB. I can go buy a 120GB drive for not much more than that. How is this good?
Or you could pick up a 20GB drive on ebay for $20. Really, I'm not sure why someone would buy this device. Especially not for $50.
If Datel wants to make something that will sell, they should come up with a way to use aftermarket hard drives with the 360. It's downright criminal for MS to charge $150 for a 120gb drive when you can pick up a 320GB drive for less than half that.
I can think of one reason that puts me on the fence about this thing. I currently already have a 64MB card (got it back when 64 was the only size it came in) so I could take my saves with me to a friend's place without disturbing my harddrive. Some games' save files are 20MB a pop. The Orange Box, for example, is 20MB per singleplayer game (totaling 80 for that game alone). I'd like to simply keep all my gamesaves on a memory card that can easily be moved from place to place, and use my harddrive for game installs and DLC. The expandability means that if sometime in the future those gamesaves actually exceed 4GB, I can simply increase the card's capacity.
Is there a huge market for something like this? No, definitely not. But this is essentially my dream memory card, and at 4GB for $50, it's priced the same as Microsoft's 512MB card. I'd say that for whatever reason, if someone's looking for a card instead of a drive, Datel's is such a better deal it's ridiculous. Unless, of course, MS takes action against it somehow, like DWells55 points out.
D'ling UFC for Xbox atm @ 1.1mb/s :) ... Lockdown? I don't think so...
Interesting... I don't suppose you (or anyone else) could recommend a website where I could learn to manipulate the exploit you are refering to? ;)
Just want to mention that most of the time you have to sacrifice the niceties of online play, unless anything has change since... let's say... my friend... yah... my friend... since he was involved in similarly questionable affairs ;)
How about a 3rd party hard drive? Microsoft assholes...