Xboxist

Xbox 360 Update Brings USB Storage, But No Music

You can now use a standard USB key to transfer and save files from your Xbox 360 console, but the uses for this feature are somewhat limited. A new automatic firmware update from Microsoft allows users to partition external flash drives for use with the machine. Each USB port can support a maximum of 16GB of storage, making it possible to connect two flash drives for a total of 32 GB of additional space. Data that can be loaded or stored from the thumb drives include Xbox 360 games, game data and movies. In order to defeat piracy, users will not be able to load original Xbox games or MP3 music files (boo!). Look, my television set already has a USB connectivity feature that allows me to play MP3 files, so this omission just reeks of bone-headed copyright madness. Let's hope Microsoft see the light and change this policy in a future update.

To configure a USB flash drive, the console must have the latest update, which can be acquired through Xbox Live. The drive can be removed and used like a normal storage device in other machines, but it will carry a special Xbox 360 partition once it has been configured.

SanDisk is taking orders for a pre-configured Xbox 360 branded flash drive, which will include the update, according to the company's Web site. Their 16GB stick is priced at $69.99, while the 8GB is $34.99. But you don't need these drives to benefit from the feature, which works with any old USB key you might have laying around.