Unauthorized Xbox Controllers Crackdown Reportedly Due to New Third-Party Wireless Accessory Policy

It appears that many Xbox users have started to receive errors connected to the use of unauthorized controllers and accessories.

These errors, labeled “0x82d60002,” warn the user that using unauthorized accessories compromises their gaming experience, and the accessory in question will be fully blocked in two weeks. It also encourages the user to return the accessory to the retailer from which they purchased it.

Of course, this isn’t always possible, as some retailers selling unauthorized accessories aren’t always great in their returns policies.

If your accessory’s box has this label, you’re likely safe, assuming it isn’t counterfeit.

According to a report by Windows Central, this surge of issues that appears to have cropped up with the latest build of the console’s software may be due to the fact that Microsoft is actually opening up to more third-party controllers utilizing wireless technology.

The website’s sources allege that Microsoft is lifting the restrictions that have been forcing manufacturers to make excellent accessories that were held back by being wired. 

Making wireless technology more widely available to controller developers appears to have required new security measures to block malicious inputs. This could be indirectly affecting accessories that aren’t necessarily malicious in nature, but simply haven’t been officially authorized.

Windows users may be familiar with similar problems when they try to use unsigned applications. The big difference is that you can still manually authorize these applications (at your own risk), letting them run with no further issues. This isn’t an option with Xbox accessories. 

At the moment of this writing, no workaround has been found and Microsoft has not issued any official comment or announcement regarding this issue, which has also caused some manufacturers to issue public messages on social media to warn their users that their controllers may get blocked.

We have reached out to Microsoft to ask for clarification on the issue, and we’ll update this article if we hear back anything relevant. 

In the meantime, you can check out the latest update on the performance of the Xbox business at Microsoft.