Xbox third-party 'unauthorized accessories' to be blocked from use after a two week warning period

A new Xbox error message has revealed that “unauthorized accessories” will soon be blocked from use, with users being encouraged to return products from stores and manufacturers. 

Highlighted by Windows Central, error 0x82d60002 appears on consoles when a user connects an accessory that Xbox deems to be unauthorized. The message reads: “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 [date]. For help returning it, check with the store it came from or contact the manufacturer.”

Furthermore, a page on the official Xbox support website reveals that affected accessories will be given a two week warning period before they’re unusable. It states: “From the moment you connect an unauthorized accessory and receive error code 0x82d60002, you’ll have two weeks to use the accessory, after which time, it will then be blocked from use with the console. At that time, you'll receive error code 0x82d60003.”

At the time of writing, it has not been confirmed if this will affect the Series consoles and the Xbox One (though we'd estimate that this is likely), and no comprehensive list of every device that will be impacted has been published, so it’s not clear how widespread a problem this could be. However, it does look like official accessories, and those from headline third parties such as Razer, Thrustmaster, and Turtle Beach could be the way forward now.

One company that's facing the consequences of this change is Brook Gaming, which specializes in third-party accessories such as its controller converters and fighting boards. In a post on Twitter earlier this month, Brook Gaming revealed that the error is affecting its XB Fighting Board and Wingman XB 2 converter, and is partially affecting its Ras1ution and Ras1ution 2 steering wheel adapters, as well as the UFB and UFB-fusion fighting boards (in regards to their Xbox platform support). The post stated that the engineering team is “fully committed to developing a solution”. 

If you’re on the lookout for some excellent new games to play, look no further than our list of the best Xbox Series X games. You can also keep an eye on future releases with our roundup of upcoming games.