Xbox's Plan To Block 'Unauthorised' Accessories Has The Fighting Game Community Concerned

This is not acceptable. I honestly hope there is loud enough backlash to this as there was when they attempted the old stupid Xbox live gold price hike stunt.

Microsoft is making every play in the book to make their console as unappealing as possible.

Thought I made a decent decision buying two Series Xs. Now I'm doubting that depite being an Xbox Live member for 18 year.

There's only so many anti-consumer choices they're willing to change their mind on... and even then their word's not worth much. Remember when a date came out for the 360 Store closing, they said something along the lines of 'we have no plans to close it anytime soon', and they released a end date a few months later? It's constant choices like this by Microsoft that advertise PlayStations more than Sony's own marketing team could with an infinite budget.

This is what I was saying in the original story. Xbox was already having a hard time trying to peel away fighting fans from PS and PC, but this is a nail in the coffin for fighters on Xbox. Once the FGC completely jumps ship, less fighting games will be played, purchased — and then eventually not see Xbox ports at all when publishers think the money isn’t there/it’s not worth it.

What a sucky announcement to happen right before KI gets its big next gen update.

Hopefully Microsoft will reconsider this. Sure, I have a Hori stick for Series X but this decision is still lame.

What about the sim racing community too? No way am I using the official Xbox wheel and ditching my G29. Seriously it would be cheaper for me to just buy a PS5 than build a whole new racing rig.

Nice move, at the same time as they are trying to make their public image be "for all the gamers".
I'm feeling lucky I haven't invested in any peripherals for my Xbox. To think I thought about bridging a wheel to Xbox for Forza.. what a waste that would have been.

There are certainly situations where this decision sucks for consumers, but I feel like this isn't one of them and the FGC argument is just one for them to make some noise. You can get a competent arcade stick for $100, so their concern is that players won't be able to use a $60 converter to use their PS5 stick on Xbox, costing them an extra $40 to participate at tournaments which use Xbox (which are basically non-existent)? Okay...

@MaxC it's the hit box controllers, most fighting gamers are gravitating towards them. And competent doesn't mean great. In a world of professional gamers or people like myself who want the best experience with limited skill, then advanced peripherals help. Wherever that's cell loaded pedals for racing, a hitbox with socd cleaning for fighting or a hotas with additional sticks on the yoke for space / aircraft simulators.

I'm really not liking Microsofts recent turn to all these anticonsumer policies.

@themcnoisy Which is why I led with this being something that sucks for consumers. My point was more that this is being picked up by the FGC for the daily video news cycle to cry about a practically unheard of scenario (Fighting game tournaments run using Xbox where entrants have been able to afford a console, games, online subscription, an arcade stick, the entrance fee to the tournament, and a converter for their arcade stick, but are now feeling pressured to buy a new arcade stick). That's what I find absurd.

Once again, really sucks for MS to paint Xbox as an open platform, but then lock people out of using unauthorized/unlicensed accessories. Very lame. But also, they're the only ones who have numbers on how many unlicensed accessories are actually being used by Xbox players, and I'm guessing the actual numbers are miniscule compared to the now disproportionate amount of bad press they are getting. But that's their fault.

Also, I wonder why Hitbox hasn't bothered to get licensed yet. So many weird unheard of brands on the officially licensed list for Xbox accessory makers, but not them.

Who knew that MS would start changing once they got what they wanted?!

But seriously MS just need to announce what is licensed. ( or you know type your accessory into a bar and MS tell you wether supported or not) Make it easier for gamers, with proper communication the uproar could be much more placated.

I do wonder if some of brooks products can get licensed. Perhaps not the converters but the boards for xbox systems. I’m of mixed opinion about this. With shoryuken’s old forums and the knowledge within gone I am less interested in building a modern fightstick when I can just mod a licensed one. But this will make a number of pre existing sticks incompatible.

Yet I sorta get MS’s complaints, as third parties that have no license are not subject to MS’s rules of manufacture which are in place to both protect the system itself and prevent reverse engineering. Modern consoles rely too much on constant firmware updates to make this a free for all. It’s also not fair to businesses that get licensed when other companies do whatever they want.

This is essentially a death sentence for local fighting game events that run on Xbox, much less, others that can only afford one arcade stick. The @brookgamingfans converters are not cheat devices. They’re a huge boon to the FGC.

This was my point on the other thread. Brook devices aren't a cheap thing and are perfect for expensive fighting sticks, so I think Brook should do something and ask for a licence. Some fighting sticks and racing wheels aren't even available for Xbox. The purpose of the Brook adapters is to use a fighting stick, racing wheel or controller designed for another console, not for cheating. They shouldn't have a problem getting the licence and updating the firmware if they care about their customers. It's the only way forward after Microsoft's decisions regarding cheating. Every fighting game is available on Xbox: Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, Killer Instinct, Tekken... On top of that, the most serious racing simulator is an Xbox exclusive: Forza Motorsport.

Color me the other guy. I can't stand cheaters. Microsoft said they are going to approve devices. You have to wait and see if they fumble this or not.

People just need to complain to the FTC. I'm sure they would love a second chance to make a run at Microsoft. lol

All of the companies potentially up for getting banned can avoid the ban by completing the license process to avoid it. Why is MS the bad guy for enforcing it's existing policies for devices that claim to be "Xbox compatible?"

You should be asking why your 3rd party accessory maker is trying to avoid doing the right thing to ensure their products are guaranteed to work properly.

Bought one of these devices last year to use my PS3 and Wii fight sticks on my Series X.

I play street fighter and soul caliber among a half dozen other fighting games. This is just typical anti consumer greedy nonsense by Microsoft. Every month MS get worse and worse.

I don't expect they'll overturn this. I don't think for a second they give a *****. And it's sickening. My fight sticks are useless now and my usb dongle is worthless now too.

Basically all the fgc cheaters are freaking out because they can't Program their combos into their controller online anymore. They actually might have to use a real controller like everyone else! Omg! So stupid and good on MS for this. Fyi their are plenty of officially licensed for xbox controllers. They are fine. Grow up. Stop cheating. The fgc community is so toxic.

@MaxC Nah, this is a legitimate threat to playing fighting games on XB. A lot of FGC guys on XB (like myself) use Brook based controllers that naturally work on XB and Playstation (universal boards) or are native XB and then cheaply adapted to PS for tournament play. I've also hosted a TON of locals on XB (people who bring set-ups choose the platform) but the majority of controllers are adapted Playstation 4 stock. Sure, it's a niche within a niche, but to that community it would definitely be a deathblow to lose Brook.

@SamhainX31 I know you can't say if it's trolling because it kills the troll, but....trolling? Right?

@Banjo- Spot on.

@Zochmenos Thanks, you too!