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[Bernkastel]

A Primer on the Simple and Custom Storage Options Available for Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S at Launch - Xbox Wire

For Xbox players, backwards compatibility and Xbox Game Pass have made it possible for us all to have libraries of games at our fingertips at the beginning of the new console generation. One of the promises of Xbox Series X|S is the ability to play four generations of games: favorites, those...

news.xbox.com

For Xbox players, backwards compatibility and Xbox Game Pass have made it possible for us all to have libraries of games at our fingertips at the beginning of the new console generation. One of the promises of Xbox Series X|S is the ability to play four generations of games: favorites, those we’ve yet to discover, the next generation games we can’t wait to play and those we can’t yet imagine are possible.

Therefore, decisions relative to storage, both internal and expansion, were a critical element of the design of Series X|S. Our teams focused on three storage priorities: performance, choice and accessibility.

The Xbox Velocity Architecture is at the core of our next generation consoles. In addition to providing a massive leap in performance and reduction in load times, the Xbox Velocity Architecture provides the foundation for new levels of innovation and transformative game design and experiences. At the heart of the Xbox Velocity Architecture is our custom NVME SSD to store and play all your games at their best.

We also wanted to make it seamless to bring the large libraries of Xbox games you’ve already downloaded forward. The USB 3.1 storage you use today will be plug and play compatible with Xbox Series X|S. Support for high speed USB 3.1 storage was important to make the storage and transition of large game libraries easy and accessible to everyone.

You can also use USB 3.1 storage to store next generation games, optimized to take full advantage of the Xbox Velocity Architecture, for quick transfer and play on Series X|S.

And, for those who want to expand the total capacity of the custom NVME SSD of Xbox Series X|S we’ve collaborated with Seagate on a custom 1TB Storage Expansion Card, designed using the Xbox Velocity Architecture API, to deliver the exact same consistent, sustained, gameplay performance of our internal SSD. And, backwards compatible games played directly from the Storage Expansion Card will see significant improvements in load times due to the next generation performance of Xbox Series X|S.

Many of you have had questions about storage for Xbox Series X|S so we sat down with Jason Ronald, Director of Program Management, to dive deeper into the technology and options:

Xbox Wire: Let’s start with the size of games and how that relates to Xbox Series X|S?

Jason Ronald: A significant portion of the overall size of a game is comprised of texture data. As Xbox Series S was designed with a performance target of 1440p at 60 FPS with support for up to 120 FPS, many games will not require their highest level of 4K textures resulting in smaller game sizes overall, often up to 30% smaller on average.

Xbox Wire: Is my existing USB-based HDD/SSD with my library of games compatible with Series X|S?

Jason Ronald: Yes! It is easy as unplugging your existing external USB 3.1 HDD or SSD from your Xbox One and connecting it to your Xbox Series X | S and all your games are instantly available. You can continue to play your favorite Xbox One games, including backward-compatible Xbox 360 and original Xbox games, directly from the external hard drive.

Xbox Wire: How will the Storage Expansion Card work with Xbox Series X|S?

Jason Ronald: It’s pretty simple: just plug the Storage Expansion Card into the Storage Expansion port on the back of your Xbox Series X|S and you can use it just as you would with any external storage solution. You can choose to install games to the expansion card by default, play games directly from it, move or copy games between local and external storage, or do anything you already do today with an external hard drive. The only difference is that the expansion card is designed to match the exact performance of the internal storage of the Xbox Series X|S .

Xbox Wire: How does the Storage Expansion Card enable the use of Xbox Velocity Architecture?

Jason Ronald: The foundation of the Xbox Velocity Architecture is our custom, internal SSD delivering 2.4 GB/s of raw I/O throughput, more than 40x the throughput of Xbox One. The Seagate Expandable Storage Card was designed using the Xbox Velocity Architecture API to deliver the exact same consistent, sustained performance of our internal SSD ensuring you have the exact same gameplay experience regardless of where the game resides.

Xbox Wire: Will you be able to play games right from the Storage Expansion Card or do they need to be copied to the internal storage?

Jason Ronald: You can play directly from the Storage Expansion Card and you will have the exact same experience and performance as if the game was running from the internal SSD. Not only does this apply to games optimized for Xbox Series X|S, but also your favorite backwards compatible Xbox One, Xbox 360 and original Xbox games. When backwards compatible games are played directly from either the internal SSD or the Storage Expansion Card you will see significant improvements in load times due to the next generation performance of Xbox Series X|S.

	USB 3.1 HDD​	Seagate Expansion Card​
Stores any Xbox game	Yes	Yes
Plays Xbox One, Xbox 360, and Original Xbox games	Yes	Yes
Plays games optimized for Xbox Series X|S	No	Yes
Replicates speed and performance of internal SSD	No	Yes

Xbox Wire: Why did you decide to create a custom solution rather than enabling users to install off-the-shelf SSDs?

Jason Ronald: The Xbox Velocity Architecture delivers over 40x the performance of a standard hard drive, unlocking a new level of speed and performance that will virtually eliminate load times and enable new levels of innovation. To make this simple for both gamers and developers, we partnered closely with our friends at Seagate to deliver the very first 1 TB expandable storage solution that matches the exact performance of our internal SSD. This means that you can be confident you will receive the exact same next generation experience regardless of whether or not you are playing your games from the internal SSD or the Seagate Storage Expansion Card. Working with Seagate also enabled us to have a custom storage solution that is super compact, plug & play, and available at the launch of Xbox Series X|S .

Xbox Wire: Will all Storage Expansion Cards come from Seagate or could we see them from other companies as well?

Jason Ronald: Seagate, with a storied history as a critical innovator in the storage industry, was our first choice to collaborate with to provide expandable storage solutions for the Xbox Velocity Architecture. Xbox is continuing to invest in the Expandable Storage category on Xbox Series X|S with goal of offering choice for Xbox fans, including additional capacities and implementations in the future.

Xbox Wire: Can I connect the Storage Expansion Card to any Series X|S?

Jason Ronald: Yes! Both Xbox Series X and S provide the same Storage Expansion Ports for the expansion card and the exact same card will work in both consoles. Simply plug it in and you’re ready to play! No setup required. The Storage Expansion Card is also a great way to bring your game library with you, to a friend’s house or wherever you choose to play on your next generation Xbox console.

Xbox Wire: How will the Storage Expansion Card work if I have games on discs versus digital format?

Jason Ronald: It works the same as it does on Xbox One today. When you insert a game disc, the game data is installed to the internal SSD or expandable storage. When you play the game, the game runs directly from local storage, but you must still have the disc inserted as the disc provides the license for the game.

Xbox Wire: Does Quick Resume work with the Storage Expansion Card?

Jason Ronald: Quick Resume is powered by the Xbox Velocity Architecture and game state data is persisted on the internal SSD so Quick Resume will work regardless of whether you are playing a game from the internal SSD, the Seagate Storage Expansion Card or an external USB 3.1 HDD or SSD drive.

Xbox Wire: Where can I get/pre-order the Storage Expansion Card?

Jason Ronald: The Seagate Storage Expansion Card will launch for $219.99 USD alongside Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S on November 10 and will be available in all Xbox markets, worldwide. You can also pre-order now at Microsoft Store or select retailers in select markets worldwide. Check your local retailer for product and pre-order availability.

Xbox Wire: Why does the 1TB Storage Expansion Card cost $219.99?

Jason Ronald: The Xbox Velocity Architecture is a key innovation of our next generation consoles, delivering unprecedented speed and performance enabling transformative gaming experiences never before possible on console. This level of consistent, sustained performance requires advanced components which comes at a higher cost than traditional hard drives or SSDs often found in PCs. By partnering with an industry leader in Seagate, we worked together to deliver an expandable storage solution which delivers identical performance at the lowest cost possible and available this holiday.

 

[DarkMage619]

Really appreciate all the Xbox info you share here Bernkastel .

 

[Kuranghi]

Really appreciate all the Xbox info you share here Bernkastel .

+1, your healthy obsession with Xbox means we don't have to pay any attention at all. Just spoon it into ours mouths please, thanks.

 

[CthulhuPL]

Will wait for price drop, maybe black friday next year?

 

[Bernkastel]

 

[THE DUCK]

Good post, clarifies things nicely. Just wondering, could there be a middle ground for the older games only in the form of an external ssd taking advantage of usb 3.1?
The xbox one only had usb 3.0, which is half the speed

 

[TheDreadLord]

So, what is the point of the external expansion card if you can use a cheap usb hdd and transfer the games you are playing to internal storage?

 

[sinnergy]

So, what is the point of the external expansion card if you can use a cheap usb hdd and transfer the games you are playing to internal storage?

Speed? I can imagine it will take a while to transfer ...

 

[TheDreadLord]

Speed? I can imagine it will take a while to transfer ...

Sure, but it is not like you will be transferring many games every day.

 

[Frogman_676]

that's nice that i can just unplug my external HDD from Xbox One console and plug it into Xbox Series S....

 

[Mmnow]

If there's only one thing we'll look back on and shake our heads at this generation, it'll be the pitiful amount of memory these consoles are launching with.

I don't think it'll be an issue at launch, but in three years it absolutely will be. Even the Series X - the best of a bad bunch - will be filled within days if you bounce around games a lot.

Memory management and a sensible stream of games will be key I think. And that's never been a sexy proposition for a new console.

 

[DrScissorsMD]

So, what is the point of the external expansion card if you can use a cheap usb hdd and transfer the games you are playing to internal storage?

You can play Series X/S games straight from the expansion card. You can store those games on a regular HDD but you’d have to transfer it onto the console SSD to play them. Note that for back compat games, they can be played from either.

 

[ZywyPL]

So, what is the point of the external expansion card if you can use a cheap usb hdd and transfer the games you are playing to internal storage?

You can play games directly from the extention drive vs needing to copy to internal drive.

And this is where I find the extention drive to be in a very tricky price point - it's a bit more expensive than ordinary external 1TB SSD, so on one hand it's worth that bit of extra due to time savings it gives, but on the other, it's also a bit cheaper than external 2TB SSD, so while still needing to copy the hames back and forth, you can have double the space (3TB total including the internal drive).

But without the games sizes it's impossible to get the whole picture and make a final judgement yet.

 

[aygomyownroad]

It's good to get confirmation you can store XSX games on a normal storage device and just transfer it over when you want to play.

 

[Ulysses 31]

For the Dutch, gamemania's taking pre-orders for the Seagate 1TB card for Series X|S.

 

[Bernkastel]

 

[MrFunSocks]

I don't see anywhere in those quotes where it actually says that we'll see options from companies other than Seagate though.

 

[Bernkastel]

I don't see anywhere in those quotes where it actually says that we'll see options from companies other than Seagate though.

Aside from the fact that Aaaron Greenberg himself confirmed it, we also have this

Microsoft’s Surface chief hints at a modular Surface PC and USB-C webcam

Surface Studio will “probably” go modular.

www.theverge.com

Seagate will be the exclusive launch partner for these expansion cards, too. “At launch, the Seagate Storage Expansion Card for Xbox Series X will be the only Expansion Card available,” reveals a Microsoft spokesperson to The Verge. “We look forward to sharing more details in the future.” It’s not clear whether Microsoft will have its own branded expansion cards or just how many other third-party drive makers will be able to create expansion cards. More providers will increase competition and drive prices down for consumers, so it would be surprising if Seagate is the only manufacturer after launch.

 

[MrFunSocks]

Aside from the fact that Aaaron Greenberg himself confirmed it, we also have this

Microsoft’s Surface chief hints at a modular Surface PC and USB-C webcam

Surface Studio will “probably” go modular.

www.theverge.com

Where in that does he confirm that other companies will make them? It even specifically says that it's not clear.....

It’s not clear whether Microsoft will have its own branded expansion cards or just how many other third-party drive makers will be able to create expansion cards.

 

[Bernkastel]

Where in that does he confirm that other companies will make them? It even specifically says that it's not clear.....

Why else would Aaron Greenberg retweet that?

 

[MrFunSocks]

Why else would Aaron Greenberg retweet that?

Well the tweet that he retweeted had a big picture of the actual quote from MS and the MS guys picture, which didn't confirm what the tweet said in any way. Feel free to actually show me anywhere where MS confirm that there will be other manufacturers for the expansion drive though, because as of yet they haven't.

 

[Bernkastel]

Well the tweet that he retweeted had a big picture of the actual quote from MS and the MS guys picture, which didn't confirm what the tweet said in any way. Feel free to actually show me anywhere where MS confirm that there will be other manufacturers for the expansion drive though, because as of yet they haven't.

Why does everything need to be spoon fed to you?
"At launch, the Seagate Storage Expansion Card for Xbox Series X will be the only Expansion Card available" --> After launch there will be other providers(The Verge says its not clear whether we will see Microsoft branded expansion card or other third party providers).
"More options(in addition to more form factors and sizes)" --> More providers(plus Aaron Greenberg retweeted that conclusion).

 

[MrFunSocks]

Why does everything need to be spoon fed to you?
"At launch, the Seagate Storage Expansion Card for Xbox Series X will be the only Expansion Card available" --> After launch there will be other providers(The Verge says its not clear whether we will see Microsoft branded expansion card or other third party providers).
"More options(in addition to more form factors and sizes)" --> More providers(plus Aaron Greenberg retweeted that conclusion).

You're making massive assumptions there.

At launch there is 1 expansion card, and it is 1TB. That's it. Anything other than that is guessing. They might make a 2TB one, a 1.5TB one, a 500GB one, all from Seagate.

Nothing needs to be spoon fed to me, it just needs to be actually confirmed. You're just posting guesses, speculation, and questions.

 

[Orky]

PRO-CUSTOMER!

 

[sinnergy]

I am fine with this it’s the cheap launch ever thanks to Game Pass, normally I would spend that money on launch games now I spend it on the storage card!!

 

[pasterpl]

Looking at the form factor of the xbsex|s expansion card I have got suspicions that it is m2.2230 ssd and we might get some adapters being released later allowing to use any m2 drives via the expansion slot

 

[Bernkastel]

You're making massive assumptions there.

The same assumption as The Verge and Xbox News, one did an interview, other got retweeted.

At launch there is 1 expansion card, and it is 1TB. That's it. Anything other than that is guessing. They might make a 2TB one, a 1.5TB one, a 500GB one, all from Seagate.

"Different form factors, sizes and 'other options'(in addition to that)"

Nothing needs to be spoon fed to me, it just needs to be actually confirmed. You're just posting guesses, speculation, and questions.

Nothing gets official spoon fed confirmation until its revealed, just like Starfield and TES VI. Its pretty obvious with how they said it.

 

[MrFunSocks]

The same assumption as The Verge and Xbox News, one did an interview, other got retweeted.

"Different form factors, sizes and 'other options'(in addition to that)"

Nothing gets official spoon fed confirmation until its revealed, just like Starfield and TES VI. Its pretty obvious with how they said it.

No shit nothing gets confirmed until it’s revealed/confirmed. That’s why I’m saying that there has been no confirmation whatsoever that there will be other manufacturers making them other than Seagate lol.

This is one of the absolute dumbest things I’ve read on here today, on a day where people are saying Microsoft don’t know that they have to try and cool their consoles and that random internet idiot knows better lol.

MS have not confirmed that other manufacturers can or will make expansion storage for series S/X. End of story.

 

[Orta]

Xbox Wire: Is my existing USB-based HDD/SSD with my library of games compatible with Series X|S?

Jason Ronald:

Yes! It is easy as unplugging your existing external USB 3.1 HDD or SSD from your Xbox One and connecting it to your Xbox Series X | S and all your games are instantly available. You can continue to play your favorite Xbox One games, including backward-compatible Xbox 360 and original Xbox games, directly from the external hard drive.

2 part question:

Is it possible to rip my OG and 360 discs via my pc to an external drive?

Should it be possible then to play them on a series S/X?

 

[MrFunSocks]

2 part question:

Is it possible to rip my OG and 360 discs via my pc to an external drive?

Should it be possible then to play them on a series S/X?

You can rip them to PC, yes.

No, you cannot use those rips on the Xbox . All backwards compatible games need to be downloaded from Xbox live, they don’t get ripped from the disc. They have to do this because the emulator is included in the game file.

You could use them on PC emulators, but the Xbox and 360 emulators are basically still in their infancy and unlikely to ever get significantly better.

 

[Bernkastel]

No shit nothing gets confirmed until it’s revealed/confirmed. That’s why I’m saying that there has been no confirmation whatsoever that there will be other manufacturers making them other than Seagate lol.

This is one of the absolute dumbest things I’ve read on here today, on a day where people are saying Microsoft don’t know that they have to try and cool their consoles and that random internet idiot knows better lol.

MS have not confirmed that other manufacturers can or will make expansion storage for series S/X. End of story.

I am done.

 

[Bernkastel]

 

[Bernkastel]

 

[Bernkastel]

Xbox Series X Seagate Expansion Card teardown

The Xbox Series X Seagate Expansion Card adds 1TB of storage for $220. But what's inside it to justify that price, come find out.

venturebeat.com

PHISON Electronics Corp. - PS5019-E19T

www.phison.com

 

[Bernkastel]

Xbox Series X Seagate Expansion Card Drops To Lowest UK Price Yet

For all your next-gen storage needs

www.purexbox.com