Please support Game Informer. Print magazine subscriptions are less than $2 per issue
Datel Design Sues Microsoft For Memory Card Lockout
It seems that tech behemoth Microsoft has a few more flies to swat this week, as new litigation against the company has just surfaced.
Datel Designs & Development, a game peripheral manufacturer based out of the UK, filed an antitrust lawsuit against Microsoft this past Friday, stemming from the October firmware update that locked out unauthorized Xbox 360 memory units. The update left those who use Datel products in a lurch, unable to access past data and rendering their purchase useless.
“The dashboard update is intended to, and does in fact, disable Datel's memory cards,” reads the lawsuit, which is available in full via the SeattlePI blog . “On information and belief, Microsoft's purpose in disabling Datel's memory cards is to prevent consumers from choosing a Datel product that offers far better value for the price. There is no benefit to consumers from Microsoft's decision to target and disable Datel memory cards. To the contrary, Microsoft's actions will leave approximately 50,000 consumers with useless memory cards (and without the ability to access their data on the cards), forestall innovation, and deprive future consumers of the benefits of competition.”
The update and lockout ultimately boils down to Microsoft’s move to crack down on hacking and cheating. The Datel cards, which contain SD slots for sizable storage upgrades, also allow gamers with the right know-how to hack profiles and augment achievements.
“Microsoft goes to great lengths to protect the Xbox 360 and Xbox Live service from cheating, which is the primary purpose of these unauthorized memory units,” Microsoft spokesman David Dennis said back in October.
Many gamers are upset, as Microsoft’s largest capacity memory card only offers 256MB for $29.99, while the standard Datel unit offers 2GB for $45.
Microsoft is positioning itself to be the sole king of the 360 castle, as the lawsuit follows quickly after other news of another potential suit broke in relation to the recent XBLA banning spree. A potential million Gold subscribers could be banned for modding their Xbox 360s, which includes adding extra hard drive space via non Microsoft storage devices.
Nobody likes cheaters, but is Microsoft taking preventative measures too far? Or do they signify a move in the right direction?
I’d like to ask you to support Game Informer’s continued coverage of games with a subscription. For less than two dollars per issue, we mail you a full year of 10 print magazines, each with cover stories and preview features filled with exclusive details about the most exciting upcoming games. We profile and interview game creators. We look back on the rich history of gaming, and we celebrate what’s next.
Here on the website, we offer much of our content for free, including game reviews, daily news, videos, event coverage, and more – all with minimal ads.
We do so with a small editorial team, alongside contributing paid writers from around the world – over 65 individuals from 9 countries around the world, just in the last couple of years.
It’s not possible without support.
In a time when game makers and games coverage have faced hard struggles and layoffs, the future of this 30+ year magazine and community is at risk. Our new standalone magazine subscription is the number one way you can keep us alive – and we believe you’ll get a pretty fantastic gaming magazine in your mailbox every few weeks for your trouble.
Thank you.
