From November 12, Microsoft will block all unauthorized third-party accessories for Xbox consoles.
Microsoft has recently made a shocking revelation, All third-party accessories that are not officially licensed by Xbox will be blocked. This policy, revealed via Windows Central, will come into effect on November 12, 2023. Currently, users are showing a message when having their unauthorized device plugged in.
The message states,
“Using unauthorized accessories compromises your gaming experience. For this reason, the unauthorized accessory will be blocked from use on 12/11/2023. For help returning it, check with the store it came from or contact the manufacturer.
To see authorized accessories, go to www.xbox.com/accessories. (0x82d6002)”
Please note that this message came from an Xbox from the U.K. The message could be different depending on your region and language.
What this means for Third Party Companies
It is quite unfortunate that Microsoft had to make this decision. Many third-party companies, including Brook, Cronus and XIM, will take a huge loss on their products as they aren’t officially licensed. Brook has already posted on X explaining what products will be affected and partially affected.
They later took a jab at Microsoft by posting a picture of a rock in the shape of an Xbox controller. The tweet read, ‘Next-level haptic feedback, whatchu think?’. Understandably, companies will take this decision very harshly. They have been designing and manufacturing their products that fans have come to love. Cronus and XIM are used by FPS enthusiasts as they allow a keyboard and mouse to run on Xbox consoles.
However, If you own official Xbox licensed products then you are in the clear. All the products that you have, and are officially licensed will function without any issues. Many companies have produced third-party licensed products that won’t be affected by this policy. This includes companies such as Razer, ASUS ROG, HyperX, PDP, Power-A, Thrustmaster, and Turtle Beach.
Why is Microsoft Pushing this Forward?
According to online sources, Microsoft is removing restrictions on the ability of third-party product manufacturers to build wireless accessories for Xbox Series X|S consoles. For the longest time, we have had amazing Razer controllers like the Razer Wolverine V2 Chroma or PowerA Fusion Pro 2 Xbox Controller. The downside to these controllers was they were wired. However, the first-ever third-party officially licensed wireless Xbox controller is the Scuf Instinct Pro Wireless Controller. Previously, Microsoft made it quite complicated for third-party manufacturers to get wireless controllers. Only headsets were getting approval via a security chip by Microsoft. What we know so far, Microsoft is in the process of approving third-party wireless controllers. This new restriction aims to control third-party wireless controllers to be officially approved by Microsoft. They don’t want companies putting in special inputs giving players an unfair advantage.
People are giving mixed reactions as many players are accustomed to their unlicensed Xbox controllers or other peripherals. Therefore, some time is still left for users to return their products and pick up something new.
