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View Full Version : Zune as Xbox360 Storage Device? Not Quite...


Adam Krebs
11-15-2008, 11:30 PM
<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://gizmodo.com/5086362/survey-hints-that-zune-could-double-as-extra-storage-for-the-xbox' target='_blank'>http://gizmodo.com/5086362/survey-h...ge-for-the-xbox</a><br /><br /></div><p>"<em>The most recent installment of the Zune newsletter includes a survey question that hints at the possibility of the Zune being used as additional Xbox 360 storage. After selecting "Yes" to the first question, readers are asked "Have you ever connected your Zune to your Xbox to do any of the following?" The first response to the question is "Use my Zune hard drive for extra Xbox 360 storage." One could interpret this as meaning that Microsoft is considering making the Zune official backup storage for saved games, Marketplace downloads, etc. Yes, that would be a great reason to buy a Zune, but keep in mind that the question could refer to using the Zune simply as a means to upload pictures and audio tracks to the 360 (although that would be ridiculous because nobody would give a damn). And, of course, it may mean nothing at all. We shall have to wait and see if Microsoft does the smart thing here</em>."</p><p><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/600/zt/auto/1226788673.usr495.jpg" /></p><p>While I'd like to believe something like this is a sign of what's to come, I just don't see it happening. Why would I want game content on my Zune if I can't do anything with it? What purpose does it serve to carry around my Halo 3 stats with me everywhere? Even if I could, I doubt I'd beam my gamerscore to a buddy the same way I would with a new track. I think, and as <a href="http://www.christopherprice.net/zune-xbox-360-storage-rumor-poorly-woven-697.html" target="_blank">Christopher Price</a> points out, that the question itself was just poorly worded:</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>"<em>What the question meant to ask was &ldquo;Are you storing pictures and video on your Zune, because your Xbox 360 hard drive is full from game and marketplace content?&rdquo; When you realize that&rsquo;s what they were asking&hellip; you can see how the rumor got started. Microsoft does want to know that this is an issue, because over on the PlayStation 3, people can use all kinds of storage options&hellip; it takes only a few minutes to upgrade the hard drive with one of your own (and not pay Microsoft&rsquo;s six-times-cost markup for their puny 120 GB hard drive). If the PS3 is luring away savvy customers over being able to have unbounded storage options&hellip; Microsoft needs to tackle that issue (with more than the obnoxious-highway-robbery&nbsp;of their hard drives, of which, I refuse to pay&hellip; and use my Xbox 360 less because of it).</em>"</p>

inteller
11-17-2008, 02:22 AM
i've said time and time again, if they will allow me to plug in an external hard drive and encrypt it with whatever DRM they want they can. I dont care I just want external storage options!

Adam Krebs
11-18-2008, 12:33 AM
I'm with ya. I just about had a heart attack the other day when my xbox froze and rebooted to an error message. Turns out the harddrive just wasn't sitting right in its socket, but if they didn't rely on that proprietary connection (which is really a modified SATA jack), I probably wouldn'tve had to worry.

If they let us use a pen drive or an external harddrive to handle the savegames and profiles, even if it was all surrounded in DRM, I'd be much happier with the situation.

Darius Wey
11-18-2008, 04:27 AM
I'll second (third?) that comment. In my experience, NXE's game installation feature does plenty to reduce noise and pop-in. 20GB just won't cut it anymore. And both the 60GB and 120GB HDDs are outrageously expensive.

USArcher
11-18-2008, 03:18 PM
At the moment, I am wary of any talk about XBox-Zune pairing functionality. Especially when there is a priority need for Zune to run and run extremely well on Windows Mobile platform. Perhaps in the future, Zune could be some sort of adjunct display during game play or used as a remote control.

For backup and other functionality, I'd really like to see Live Mesh integrated into XBox, Zune and Windows Home Server platforms. I believe Live Mesh will be a key enabler for accessing your media on Windows Mobile. And WHS is the ultimate storage pool for your Live Mesh network.