G4tv.com's Patrick Klepek recently asked a Microsoft spokesperson why the company is planning on disabling "Unauthorized Storage Devices".
According to the spokesperson, it's because "Microsoft goes to great lengths to protect the Xbox 360 and Xbox LIVE service from cheating."

Go to the source for the full article.

As part of the next Xbox 360 dashboard update, Xbox 360s will no longer recognize "unauthorized Xbox 360 storage devices." If, for example, you purchased Datel's 2GB Max Memory Card (still available at Amazon.com and can expand up to 16GB due to a replaceable Micro SD card slot) to store data, it will no longer work. Such accessories are not officially licensed by Microsoft and while they've been usable in the past, as of now, Microsoft is eliminating that option.

Xbox evangelist Major Nelson announced the change late last week on his blog. The response from the Xbox community was mixed (the first comment on Nelson's post: "Maybe if Microsoft released larger storage options at prices that weren't completely ridiculous then customers may not seek alternatives"), though many did not even seem aware these options were available to them.

The change in policy is because of cheating, according to a Microsoft spokesperson I talked to...

Miss Razz via g4tv.com »