PSA: Today’s the Day for Xbox 360 USB Storage
By Jared Newman
Microsoft has thrown the switch on USB flash drive storage for the Xbox 360. That means you’ll no longer need to use a proprietary Xbox 360 memory card or hard drive to save, download or install games. USB storage capability is delivered via a system update, which you can snag through Xbox Live.
Keep in mind that there are a few restrictions: Storage drives must hold at least 1 GB, and you’ll only be able to store 16 GB of Xbox 360 data, regardless of how large your drive is — the Xbox 360 creates a separate partition on the drive for its own purposes. Only two drives may be connected at once, for a total of 32 GB regardless of how many open USB ports you’ve got, but there’s nothing stopping you from swapping out thumb drives as they fill up. You can use a hard disk drive, but Xbox Live Director of Programming Larry “Major Nelson” Hryb advised against it, noting that performance on flash drives is superior.
Microsoft said it will soon launch a pre-configured 8 GB drive from SanDisk, and it will reportedly cost $40, but why not grab a generic 16 GB SanDisk Cruzer for $31, or a 16 GB Patriot Xporter for $34 after rebate, instead?
Tuesday, April 6, 2010 5:33PM
About damn time. Funny thing is, I just bought a memory card yesterday (grudgingly, shaking my fist at the general direction I believed Microsoft to be in). Lucky for me I didn't take it out of the package yet!