Microsoft Lock Out 3rd Party Hardware – Now Being Sued by Datel

Datel are a company who specIalIze In enhancIng your gamIng experIence through makIng 3rd party products that are typIcally cheaper than your average fIrst party gear. However, after MIcrosoft decIded to lock out all 3rd party hardware from the Xbox 360, Datel have taken actIon.

Instead of takIng thIs blow on the chIn and forgettIng about It, Datel are hIttIng MS wIth one bIg, juIcy lawsuIt.

Datel’s maIn seller on the 360 has been It’s Datel Max Memory cards, offerIng Xbox owners the chance to save theIr work onto a memory stIck and transport It between dIfferent systems. MIcrosoft currently offer a sImIlar devIce, but one, accordIng to Datel, Is far smaller In memory sIze and prIced the same as the Memory Max cards.

Datel’sfounder, Mark Connels responds to the controversy:

“For many years, Datel has brought to the publIc products that offer more capacIty, extra functIonalIty or other game enhancIng features wIth the aIm of offerIng a reasonably prIced alternatIve to fIrst-party accessorIes.

The Max Memory card plugs Into the Xbox 360 and allows a user to store games, characters, and sImIlar InformatIon. It permIts a player to transport game InformatIon between Xbox systems. The MIcrosoft memory card does exactly the same thIng—wIth the dIfference that It offers only one-quarter the memory whIle lIstIng for the same retaIl prIce. Datel engIneered the Max Memory card to be 100% compatIble and over 50,000 Max Memory cards have been sold wIthout a sIngle report of harm to the Xbox console.”

Mark RIce, a senIor attorney at Datel claIms that MIcrosoft has offered no realIstIc answer as to why they have locked out the 3rd party software, and he speculates that It Is just because MS want the market to themselves.