One of the main selling points Microsoft touted for the Xbox 360 was how multi-faceted it would be, having the capabilities to not only be a next-gen gaming console, but an entertainment hub for Video, Audio and Photos as well. While the inner workings of the console achieved these promises, the external hookups did not. They were sufficient to handle the modest user, but severely limited those owners that want to hook up multiple USB and memory devices with only three USB connections and no direct memory card support. With gamers needing many of the connections for peripherals such as network adapters, wired controllers and keyboards, the USB slots can become full quickly.

In response to this dilemma, Nyko introduced the Multi-Reader 360, which is a USB based device that doubles as a three-port USB hub and Media card reader. Sporting the traditional green and yellow color scheme found on most Nyko Xbox 360 products, the Multi-Reader is not only compact and lightweight (about the size of a man`s wallet), it provides an affordable way to make virtually any connection to your Xbox 360 that is needed.

The four memory card types the Multi-Reader supports are Smart Media, Compact Flash, Memory Stick and Secure Digital with the slots found on the side of the unit. Unfortunately, there is no xD slot, and due to a limitation with the Xbox 360, only one Memory Card can be accessed at a time.

The three USB ports are on one end and the USB interface port is on the opposite end. A set of three amber colored lights (recessed in the chassis near the USB ports) give a visual indicator when a corresponding USB device is connected. The other end has a larger amber light to indicate power, which seemed to generate quite a bit of heat and make a one-inch area of the Multi-Reader chassis around the light very warm to the touch. The connecting cable (to the Xbox 360) is plenty long (approximately 2 feet), and the case was extremely solid despite being lightweight.

The instructions are pretty basic, consisting of Features, Setup and Notes. The Setup section has two diagrams showing connections for USB and Memory card products while the Notes section offers some key advice for usage of the various products being connected through the Multi-Reader. One thing conspicuous by its absence was a listing of supported formats. This may be due to the Multi-Reader being a pass-through device and the Xbox 360 ultimately responsibly for format support, but would have been a nice touch.

For testing purposes, here are the Items I had connected to the Multi-Reader 360 at any given time:

-Microsoft Xbox 360 Wired Controller (USB)
-Seagate 160 GB portable Hard drive (USB)
-SanDisk Cruzer Micro 2 Gig (USB)
-Generic 512 MB jump drive
-Sony Memory Stick Pro Duo