Is your third-party Xbox gamepad ready for the bin? Starting from mid-November, Microsoft will no longer allow unauthorized third-party accessories to be used with Xbox consoles. When trying to plug in one, an error message will be displayed instead, and you won't be able to play with your pad.
While there are still a couple of weeks to go until the ban becomes official, gamers have already been receiving error messages when trying to plug in certain third-party accessories. In particular, they seem to be getting error message 0x82d60002 which informs of the future ban coming on November 12, 2023.
The error message in full states that "A connected accessory is not authorized. Using unauthorized accessories compromises your gaming experience. For this reason, the unauthorized accessory will be blocked from use on 11/12/2023. 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. (0x82d60002)."
One of the many potential brands affected, Brook Gaming, has issued a statement on X. The brand lists several products that will be affected, such as the Wingman XB 2 converter, and others that might be too in the future. The company also says that it is working around the clock to find a potential workaround, but of course, this is not a fault of their accessories.
Apparently, Microsoft is enforcing this new protocol for security reasons, as controllers or accessories that do not undergo their "seal of approval" process, might indeed support unfair advantages for players. But, naturally, this new security protocol also cracks down on controllers which work perfectly fine.
What can you do in the meantime? We would recommend that you check for any third-party accessories that you are using (or plan to) with your Xbox and see if they carry an Xbox license. Many companies indeed do, such as Razer, so no worries on those. If you find any accessories without a licence, consider that they might soon not work.
Microsoft has yet to comment on this new security protocol, but this is not a new development as we have seen other brands remotely disabling support for older products or third-party accessories in the past. If your beloved device has an internet connection and a firmware, then be afraid...