Seagate Technology has announced its new Game Drive for Xbox SSD, offering a solution to expanding storage space on Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One consoles. The external SSD is available in 1TB capacity, and will launch sometime in November 2021 for £144.99 (around $199.99).
Seagate has explained that the lightweight external SSD features a visual design similar to that of an Xbox console, complete with a green LED bar. Compatible with USB 3.2, the SSD can connect to Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S consoles, as well as Xbox One X, Xbox One S and base Xbox One consoles.
Seagate has stressed that installation of the Xbox SSD couldn't be easier, it just needs connecting to your Xbox console via USB, where Xbox OS will handle the rest of the installation in just a couple of minutes max.
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Analysis: a big win for Xbox One owners?
Xbox Series X/S owners already have access to those console's lightning-fast SSDs, meaning that load times during games are usually drastically reduced when compared to the previous generation of consoles.
However, given that the Series S, in particular, isn't exactly flush with storage space (the built-in SSD is just 500GB), the Seagate Xbox SSD could still make a worthwhile purchase, especially for those who frequently download larger titles from the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate service.
Owners of Xbox One consoles, though, be that Xbox One X, S, or a base model, could seriously benefit from owning an SSD, not least of all because Series X/S consoles can still be hard to come by thanks to stock shortages. Plus, this generation of consoles is fairly infamous for often having excruciatingly long load times, whether that be on Xbox or PlayStation.
An external SSD can seriously lend a helping hand here by not only offering more storage space (always a bonus) but also significantly reducing load times for games played on Xbox One consoles. While that might not seem like a big deal to the layman, all those minutes staring at loading screens add up, and that's time you could be reclaiming to actually play your favorite titles, rather than waiting on them to finish loading.
As for the quality of the product itself, we're quietly confident. Seagate has a track record of manufacturing some of the best storage solutions around, such as the near-essential Xbox Storage Expansion Card, as well as the PC-specific OneTouch 1TB external SSD.
