WD Black explains why there aren’t more Xbox Series X internal storage cards
More complicated than it seems
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TechRadar Gaming is reporting live from Gamescom 2023 on the latest and greatest developments in gaming and hardware.
Hardware manufacturer WD Black was in attendance at Gamescom 2023, and TRG had the chance to sit down with the head of product marketing, Ruben Dennenwaldt, to discuss the state of storage options for both Xbox Series X|S and PS5.
One thing that is striking this console generation is that when it comes to thebest Xbox Series X hard drive and SSDs, there really isn’t much to choose from. Especially when compared to what’s offered onPS5.
With this in mind, we spoke to Dennenwaldt about the release of theWD Black C50, which felt like a refreshing product release considering the only other internal storage solution forXbox Series X|S was, up until that point, theSeagate Xbox Storage Expansion Card.
There’s clearly a demand for more internal storage cards for Xbox this generation, so we asked Dennenwaldt why there weren’t more beyond WD Black andSeagate’s offerings. “It’s because it’s just not that easy,” he explains, “we’re not talking about a standard interface. It’s a proprietary interface that only fits the Xbox Series X|S.
“That’s somethingMicrosoftowns,” he continues, “so you have to work with Microsoft to come to an agreement so you can have a licensed product. That’s something that takes a lot of time, and that’s probably why there are not more companies offering a product.
“If you compare it toSony, Sony has a more standard interface. It’s an M.2 interface. So technically you could use any M.2 SSD for your PS5. Is it a good idea to do that? Probably not, because there are minimum requirements, and Sony pretty clearly specifies what kind of heatsinks the product needs to have.”
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Ultimately though, Dennenwaldt is correct in that storage solutions are more plentiful on PS5, as opposed to Xbox. A quick glance at ourbest SSDs for PS5page will show you that there’s a staggering amount of options available at a wide range of budgets. And that goes for WD Black’s offerings, too.
The company launched a revised officially licensedWD Black SN850for PS5 which doubled the capacity from 2TB to 4TB, as the PS5 supports this capacity. Based on this information, it could only be a matter of time before we see a new iteration of the WD Black C50 with a higher storage capacity.
In that regard, Dennenwaldt wasn’t able to give us any specifics, but he seemed optimistic about the state of storage solutions moving forward. “Sony launched beta firmware a couple of weeks ago, and that now supports up to 8TB. So that gives you an indication of where things are going. And console manufacturers do see the need to increase storage with game sizes growing.”
For more information on top Xbox products, consider browsing ourbest Xbox Series X and Series S accessoriespage, as well as our guide to thebest Xbox Series X gamesfor choice recommendations.
Rhys is TRG’s Hardware Editor, and has been part of the TechRadar team for more than two years. Particularly passionate about high-quality third-party controllers and headsets, as well as the latest and greatest in fight sticks and VR, Rhys strives to provide easy-to-read, informative coverage on gaming hardware of all kinds. As for the games themselves, Rhys is especially keen on fighting and racing games, as well as soulslikes and RPGs.
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