This week, space-hungry users of the Xbox 360 gaming console are finally getting a little relief: Once you download the latest update to the 360 software, you'll be able to plug a USB thumbdrive into your device to instantly expand its storage capability.
Users are already quietly rejoicing: Formerly, the only way to add storage capacity to the 360 was to update the hard drive with a Microsoft-approved upgrade — an extremely expensive proposition. (The official 250GB hard drive, the largest option currently available, costs $130; meanwhile, standard terabyte hard drives cost well under $100 now.)
It's not perfect. Be advised that the 360's USB storage-upgrade enhancement comes with a long list of quirky caveats. Microsoft's official Web page on the subject offers more details and some explanations for the new policies, and a few warnings about how the 360 gobbles up space on whatever drive you use for overhead.
USB flash drives can be used to store gamer profiles, saved games, and downloaded content, but the big sell is that you can now easily take your characters and saves with you when you play at a friend's house (thus earning Achievements when you're hanging on someone else's couch).
The console upgrade isn't perfect, but at least it's something. Any tech nerd has stacks and stacks of old USB drives lying around, and this is at least one way to put them to some use. But more compelling is how it frees us from the burden of having to remove the hard drive (much more susceptible to damage than a flash drive) or even dragging the whole console out of the house just to play the content on it. And, hey, at least the update is free.
http://gamer86.livejournal.com/
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