Following rumors that new external SSDs for the Xbox Series X/S would be released soon, pictures of the drives in question have surfaced online. The leaks, courtesy of Windows Central, show boxes for two new drives, one from Microsoft and a third party one from Madcatz. Microsoft will be releasing a 512GB version of the external card that they currently sell. Currently, Microsoft only sells a 1TB external SSD for the Xbox Series X/S systems. The 1TB external SSD from Microsoft currently retails for $219.99. The new 512GB SSD should prove to be a much more affordable option for those who want to expand their storage on Xbox Series consoles. Next-gen games on the Xbox Series X/S can only be played via the internal SSD or one of the external SSDs that Microsoft sells. Players can expand their storage with traditional USB hard drives but they are limited to last-gen games only.
Xbox Series Consoles Storage Options are Expanding
The second drive pictured in the leaks is a 1TB external SSD from Madcatz. The SSD from Madcatz is not compatible with the Xbox expansion slot. The new Madcatz SSD is a traditional drive designed for use with Xbox Series systems. The 1TB SSD will allow players to store their next-gen games on it but it will not allow gamers to play the games off the drive itself. The drive will be limited to previous-gen titles only. However, the appeal of a large external SSD is that players will be able to copy games to and from their internal storage at super-fast speeds. Much faster than downloading games again. Copy speeds on the Xbox Series systems are incredibly quick between SSDs so the new Madcatz drive should provide a much more affordable way to conveniently store all of your games.
There’s no release date for the new drives yet, but according to Windows Central, the drives could begin appearing in promotional material from as early as next week.