Gizmodo: datel

Microsoft Sued By Datel For Killing Off Third Party Xbox 360 Memory Units

Rosa Golijan — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:10:00 EST

Datel, a company selling memory units for Xbox 360 consoles, filed an antitrust suit against Microsoft for blocking unauthorized third party memory units. Microsoft claims innocence, as the block is meant to reduce cheating on Xbox Live, not reduce competition.

Datel maintains that Microsoft is "disabling or erecting technological barriers to Datel accessories" and thereby favoring its own products. For reference, Microsoft's 512MB memory unit is about $30, while a 2GB version from Datel is $40. Sounds like it might be worth supporting the little guy in this one. [Techflash]

Sorry about the previous typo, it's 512MB for $30 on the Microsoft memory unit, not 12MB.

Datel's Xbox 360 Memory Cards Take Up to 16GB microSD Cards

Jason Chen — Mon, 18 May 2009 19:30:00 EDT

The $50, 4GB MAX Memory card from Datel for the Xbox 360 is special not because there aren't many third-party Xbox 360 memory cards around, but because it supports microSD cards.

With the microSD cards (up to 16GB), you'll be able to supplement your own Xbox 360 expandable storage without having to pay the exorbitant rates Microsoft is charging for its own memory cards. $42 for 512MB, Microsoft? Really?

Plus with the Datel, you can dump the contents of your card directly onto your PC. Supremely useful if you have a load of games that you may or may not get back into at a later date, but want to keep the saves around just in case. [Code Junkies]

Lightning Review: Datel Wildfire, PS3 Dual Shock Alternative

Mark Wilson — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 15:40:00 EDT

The Gadget: Datel Wildfire, the first third-party PlayStation 3 controller to support a combination of Bluetooth, rumble and tilt sensitivity.

The Price: $40

The Verdict: Even at $10 less than Sony's Dual Shock 3, the Datel Wildfire is a pass. The controller actually feels decent in your hand, with an interesting pistol-like contour and a useful rubber texture. And its build quality is decent—it doesn't feel cheaper than a Dual Shock or SIXAXIS.

But the rumble isn't fantastic, the buttons are all a bit stiff and the altered, trigger-like position of L2/R2 buttons makes it a leap for your fingers to reach L1/L2 (similar to the Xbox 360, but exaggerated for the worse). I didn't notice any inherent lag or inaccuracies in either the analog sticks or the tilt sensitivity, but I found it hard to pull off any maneuver with laser speed. And additional turbo functions can do little to combat buttons that are hard to press quickly.

Plus, even though it plugs in via mini USB like official PS3 controllers, the Wildfire runs on AA batteries. Sony's integrated rechargeable lithium ion alone probably makes the $10 premium worth it.

Comfortable to hold

Bluetooth pairing was super easy, no dongle required

Stiff Controls

Awkward trigger placement

Mediocre rumble

AA batteries required
[TotalConsole]

Datel Lite Blue Tool Hacks the PSP 3000 With a Battery

Mark Wilson — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 10:45:00 EST

The Datel Lite Blue Tool looks to be the best option we've got at the moment for hacking the PSP 3000. It's essentially a smart battery that clones Sony lab equipment to put the PSP 2000 and PSP 3000 into Service Mode. From this mode, users are approaching the PSP with the access of a Sony engineer and can load old, cracked firmware that's open to run homebrew. The Datel Lite Blue Tool will be available later this month for $30. So just how much are those SNES romz worth to you? [Maxconsole]

Datel Drive Doctor, For Your Wii

Mark Wilson — Sat, 19 May 2007 17:36:57 EDT

The Datel Drive Doctor is like a brain controlling parasite for your Wii. Attach the unit through a bit of soldering, and your PC can interface with the Wii directly through its USB port.

What can you do from there? Lots. And just about nothing. While you can view the Wii's data streams in real time and even stick in a few codes of your own (mods, homebrew, etc), no one has actually created any programs to run yet.

So Gizmodo highly recommends that you buy the $35 Drive Doctor and create a healthy homebrewing community. We're right behind you. – Mark Wilson

Press Release [maxconsole]
Thanks Gabe!