Support NeoGAF

[thicc_girls_are_teh_best]

Just curious as to why the SSD expansion type would play a factor in deciding which system to pick?

Well, for myself, if I want to ensure room for internal storage expansion at some point with a system, the one with more affordable options in terms of the value that comes with them is going to be somewhat important to me. It's like buying a new laptop in 2021 without Thunderbolt 4 support; you're just limiting your future options for expandability.

Plus, the less money spent on storage expansion, the more that money can be put towards services, game purchases etc. But on the topic of storage and consoles, another thing of some importance to me is data size. If I'm going to rely more on digital content I'd like it to be as small in file size as possible because I'm probably gonna be stuck with crappy internet for a bit of a while. On that note I hope file sizes for Series games get smaller in the future; several games are looking pretty big in file size compared to their PS5 equivalents (multiplatform games, obviously).

 

[HeisenbergFX4]

Well, for myself, if I want to ensure room for internal storage expansion at some point with a system, the one with more affordable options in terms of the value that comes with them is going to be somewhat important to me. It's like buying a new laptop in 2021 without Thunderbolt 4 support; you're just limiting your future options for expandability.

Plus, the less money spent on storage expansion, the more that money can be put towards services, game purchases etc. But on the topic of storage and consoles, another thing of some importance to me is data size. If I'm going to rely more on digital content I'd like it to be as small in file size as possible because I'm probably gonna be stuck with crappy internet for a bit of a while. On that note I hope file sizes for Series games get smaller in the future; several games are looking pretty big in file size compared to their PS5 equivalents (multiplatform games, obviously).

I get that.

For me the deciding factor would be 100% on the games each provide and which I would rather play

 

[thicc_girls_are_teh_best]

I get that.

For me the deciding factor would be 100% on the games each provide and which I would rather play

Trust me, that's always the bigger factor for me when it comes to what system to get and when. I might just have storage options higher up in priority that others is all. Games are always going to matter more no matter what.

 

[Punished Miku]

If I was MS, I'd get these SSDs as reasonably cheap as possible.

The point of SSD is speed. And the faster the speed, the more games people buy and play at Series S/X boosts. There's going to be many gamers who will slow down buying games if they have to keep hot swapping with their HDD or redownload a game to play it on SSD. And that means less game sales and less mtx.

Yep. I'm wanting to get one of these, and regularly running into issues with space now after downloading Forza H 5. The price is holding me back big time. Just feels like a ripoff.

 

[SportsFan581]

The prices are high no doubt (this cheap ass bastard is definitely waiting on a sale). But, it isn't just the proprietary nature but also the form factor that figures into pricing. MS decided to go tiny and portable and that costs extra. People are quick to throw out those m.2 2080 comparisons, but where a the comparisons that have real-world validity (2030 or CFE drives). In the proper context the $400 isn't nearly as bad as it looks at first glance.

 

[Punished Miku]

The prices are high no doubt (this cheap ass bastard is definitely waiting on a sale). But, it isn't just the proprietary nature but also the form factor that figures into pricing. MS decided to go tiny and portable and that costs extra. People are quick to throw out those m.2 2080 comparisons, but where a the comparisons that have real-world validity (2030 or CFE drives). In the proper context the $400 isn't nearly as bad as it looks at first glance.

The form factor is definitely attractive for me. The Xbox looks pretty slim, and I've disliked external SSDs in the past on Wii U. But yeah, that's as much as jumping into VR, which I haven't done yet. It's a lot.

 

[Dural]

The prices are high no doubt (this cheap ass bastard is definitely waiting on a sale). But, it isn't just the proprietary nature but also the form factor that figures into pricing. MS decided to go tiny and portable and that costs extra. People are quick to throw out those m.2 2080 comparisons, but where a the comparisons that have real-world validity (2030 or CFE drives). In the proper context the $400 isn't nearly as bad as it looks at first glance.

I don't think 2TB 2230 drives are even available at retail, at least I couldn't find any. It sucks that they went with that form factor, they use it on their surface laptops too so probably got a discount buying in bulk for XSX and Surface. Even the 2242, which is only slightly bigger, has better availability and larger sizes (though the 2TB aren't cheap).

 

[poodaddy]

Well at least I know what to spend all my Microsoft points on now.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

Yep. I'm wanting to get one of these, and regularly running into issues with space now after downloading Forza H 5. The price is holding me back big time. Just feels like a ripoff.

Prices way too high.

No way I'm paying $300 cdn or $500 cdn for a 1tb or 2tb SSD card. And going by the looks of it, I don't see anything cheaper coming soon. It's not like they are going to dump the price or another third party company comes out of nowhere offering similar cards for cheap. MS and Seagate have some kind of cozy deal that's going on longer than thought.

If a 1 tb SSD was half priced at $150 cdn I'd maybe bite. But right now forget it.

 

[Bogroll]

Ebay is your best bet. £147 I paid and they come with 3 year warranty so there's at least 2 years left. That was easier to swallow as I wouldn't pay £220.

 

[DarkMage619]

The prices are high no doubt (this cheap ass bastard is definitely waiting on a sale). But, it isn't just the proprietary nature but also the form factor that figures into pricing. MS decided to go tiny and portable and that costs extra. People are quick to throw out those m.2 2080 comparisons, but where a the comparisons that have real-world validity (2030 or CFE drives). In the proper context the $400 isn't nearly as bad as it looks at first glance.

Completely agree. Price clearly is the biggest problem. I absolutely appreciate the ability to take my games to my friends place or easily transfer games between systems. No other internal storage solution presents these options at all. At least there is a tangible benefit to the higher cost.

 

[Bernd Lauert]

The prices are high no doubt (this cheap ass bastard is definitely waiting on a sale). But, it isn't just the proprietary nature but also the form factor that figures into pricing. MS decided to go tiny and portable and that costs extra. People are quick to throw out those m.2 2080 comparisons, but where a the comparisons that have real-world validity (2030 or CFE drives). In the proper context the $400 isn't nearly as bad as it looks at first glance.

And the market is rarely wrong. These things are selling like crazy, so apparently the price isn't too high.

 

[reksveks]

Deleted cause I put it in the wrong thread

 

[SportsFan581]

I don't think 2TB 2230 drives are even available at retail, at least I couldn't find any. It sucks that they went with that form factor, they use it on their surface laptops too so probably got a discount buying in bulk for XSX and Surface. Even the 2242, which is only slightly bigger, has better availability and larger sizes (though the 2TB aren't cheap).

That's right it is 2230 and 2280, I don't know how I got over on 2080 and 2030. My bad.

 

[Three]

I don't think 2TB 2230 drives are even available at retail, at least I couldn't find any. It sucks that they went with that form factor, they use it on their surface laptops too so probably got a discount buying in bulk for XSX and Surface. Even the 2242, which is only slightly bigger, has better availability and larger sizes (though the 2TB aren't cheap).

This xbox 2TB isn't available at retail either. It says availability will start in December which is likely the time where 2TB 2230s release.

It's just funny going back and seeing the dumb predictions people were making about these proprietary drives as if they were going to be cheaper than faster standard drives:

Xbox Series X expansion card revealed

Well, there is a new Samsung 980 Pro with 6.5/5gbs r/w. Does PS5 also need >5.5gbs write? But 980 Pro are going to hell more expensive than other brands https://www.anandtech.com/show/15352/ces-2020-samsung-980-pro-pcie-40-ssd-makes-an-appearance

www.neogaf.com

 

[Torrent of Pork]

Skipping over the pissing match over vidyagame boxes, these prices are not good.

Perhaps they're just skimming the early adopters, but I'm not biting. I'm perfectly happy with my 8tb hard drive I keep games on cold storage.

 

[FrankWza]

And the market is rarely wrong. These things are selling like crazy, so apparently the price isn't too high.

You’re making it sound like demand is high. These drives are proprietary for a reason. If you had an equivalent choice they would be unnecessary. They offer a benefit over non proprietary drives. If anyone wants those benefits, whatever they may be, they have to purchase these drives and pay a premium. They did the same thing with their USB ports for audio. If you don’t purchase a headset that has their license your only choice is to plug into the controller and have your audio quality decrease or use an adapter that makes hdmi 2.1 useless.

 

[Bogroll]

It is a bit of a wow moment though to see games around 50gig transfer over from internal to external card in less than a minute. For just less than £150 I paid on EBay its well worth it to me as I transfer games between 2 console's or just for some games I share the card between the console's as it frees up space on internal SSD. And I've installed it before the console has even hit the main home screen which is a big plus as well

 

[Mr Reasonable]

Ebay is your best bet. £147 I paid and they come with 3 year warranty so there's at least 2 years left. That was easier to swallow as I wouldn't pay £220.

I got mine for about the same from amazon Spain. No idea why it's cheaper to send it all the way to the UK, than to just buy from amazon UK, but it was.

 

[Banjo64]

Still no UK pricing?

 

[cormack12]

It is a bit of a wow moment though to see games around 50gig transfer over from internal to external card in less than a minute. For just less than £150 I paid on EBay its well worth it to me as I transfer games between 2 console's or just for some games I share the card between the console's as it frees up space on internal SSD. And I've installed it before the console has even hit the main home screen which is a big plus as well

Yeah that's exactly why I got it, convenience though it comes at a cost. That 2TB is mighty tempting but mighty expensive. Gonna do what I did with PS5 I think. One expansion and then use cold storage.

 

[Allandor]

That 2 terabyte card can’t cost more then a switch oled. Should have been 300 at most. Buying a 500 dollar console to buy a 400 dollar storage?

Yes. But a big problem is the form factor. Only one big chip in the card makes it really expensive (for now). Also just Seagate (for now) doesn't make it much better.

MS wanted to use the upcoming standard for cameras. But it seems that this standard isn't adapted as fast as hoped which would also reduce the cost because of mass production.

 

[Panajev2001a]

It is a bit of a wow moment though to see games around 50gig transfer over from internal to external card in less than a minute. For just less than £150 I paid on EBay its well worth it to me as I transfer games between 2 console's or just for some games I share the card between the console's as it frees up space on internal SSD. And I've installed it before the console has even hit the main home screen which is a big plus as well

Not saying that if people do that it is cool. Also the idea of buying multiple cards and have a collection of collections of games so to speak, but price wise it will be a losing battle with M2 SSD’s now and in the future even more so.

The multiple consoles owning person that carries their games around in an expensive Xbox memory card expansion is also more the exception than the rule IMHO.

 

[Riky]

It is a bit of a wow moment though to see games around 50gig transfer over from internal to external card in less than a minute. For just less than £150 I paid on EBay its well worth it to me as I transfer games between 2 console's or just for some games I share the card between the console's as it frees up space on internal SSD. And I've installed it before the console has even hit the main home screen which is a big plus as well

That's a big plus to me, there are four Series consoles in the house so the ease of use is a must, the Xbox file structure helps this as well.

 

[BadBurger]

As a PS5 owner, I'd actually prefer this more expensive option if it meant I could just pop it into some slot on my console without having to crack it open.

 

[THE DUCK]

I only run out occasionally, but it's not a big difference to have to download again for me. That said, an extra gig would be nice, but I'll probably wait a year or 2 until they are cheaper. (hopefully)
Not a deal breaker either way.

 

[Panajev2001a]

As a PS5 owner, I'd actually prefer this more expensive option if it meant I could just pop it into some slot on my console without having to crack it open.

I get that, but owning both and having got the expansion for both… I like being able to just hot plug it in, but adding the interna SSD is not hard and you will easily get 4 TB soon enough at a relatively affordable price (especially considering the cost of these proprietary cards).

 

[SportsFan581]

This xbox 2TB isn't available at retail either. It says availability will start in December which is likely the time where 2TB 2230s release.

It's just funny going back and seeing the dumb predictions people were making about these proprietary drives as if they were going to be cheaper than faster standard drives:

Xbox Series X expansion card revealed

Well, there is a new Samsung 980 Pro with 6.5/5gbs r/w. Does PS5 also need >5.5gbs write? But 980 Pro are going to hell more expensive than other brands https://www.anandtech.com/show/15352/ces-2020-samsung-980-pro-pcie-40-ssd-makes-an-appearance

www.neogaf.com

Yeah, I definitely thought the 4 channel gen4 drives would be out by now. I figured that would get the controller into mass production and maybe help prices on the Xbox drives a bit. Seems like the drive makers are in no hurry to refresh their budget lines this time around.

 

[Warnen]

My SSD is filling up with all the big games this holiday on Xbox, might have to bite at a 1tb. Hope they go on sale for Black Friday.

 

[Punished Miku]

My SSD is filling up with all the big games this holiday on Xbox, might have to bite at a 1tb. Hope they go on sale for Black Friday.

There's a $20 off thing at Newegg for the next few days. Haven't heard about black friday sales yet but that would be nice.

 

[Jaysen]

As a PS5 owner, I'd actually prefer this more expensive option if it meant I could just pop it into some slot on my console without having to crack it open.

Yep.

 

[HeisenbergFX4]

I get that, but owning both and having got the expansion for both… I like being able to just hot plug it in, but adding the interna SSD is not hard and you will easily get 4 TB soon enough at a relatively affordable price (especially considering the cost of these proprietary cards).

I also own both and granted while adding the SSD to the PS5 is not hard just another small obstacle is I think it was the 980 Pro I use had a firmware update (already had mine updated) but that then requires a PC to do so iirc

 

[Punished Miku]

I'm weak and part of the problem. Broke down and ordered the 1 TB one, and a 1 TB SD card for Switch also. Ripped the band-aid off.

Think I'm pretty much set on storage now. That should be plenty.

Was getting to the point that I couldn't even really enjoy Gamepass' flexibility because of storage limits.

 

[Panajev2001a]

I also own both and granted while adding the SSD to the PS5 is not hard just another small obstacle is I think it was the 980 Pro I use had a firmware update (already had mine updated) but that then requires a PC to do so iirc

I am not sure the update is required. Sure, it is an inconvenience not worth the price asked for it IMHO.

 

[STARSBarry]

Honestly in terms of game storage in what you are currently playing in the last 6 months, an extra 1TB will have you set. I got a 1TB m.2 for my PS5 and it at least now feels like iv got enough storage to play everything I currently have active.

Considering 1TB was the standard for last gen I really feel they should have included 2TB for base console storage, but since they haven't those 1TB cards look great.

 

[DenchDeckard]

i got mine for 150 quid for 1tb and i love that it just slots in the back. In a world where we would have maybe gone to friends houses it would be awesome, but we will see if that every happens again..

..sadge.

 

[buenoblue]

Now I have 600mb down internet storage is a non issue for me. 50Gb game takes like 10 minutes.

 

[FranXico]

I also own both and granted while adding the SSD to the PS5 is not hard just another small obstacle is I think it was the 980 Pro I use had a firmware update (already had mine updated) but that then requires a PC to do so iirc

I am not sure the update is required. Sure, it is an inconvenience not worth the price asked for it IMHO.

A firmware update on the SSD is obviously not required, nor does it seem to improve performance for an SSD installed in a PS5. It's more for use with Windows PC where there is a higher level driver layer in between the OS and the controller.

 

[DragonNCM]

400$ for storage expansion ONLY !!!
WTF....all FUCKING SERIES S is 300$.
Thay can put that 2TB expansion in their asses.
Soon we will see 2TB expansion from chinese makers for 200$ or less.

 

[Mr Reasonable]

you will easily get 4 TB soon enough at a relatively affordable price

I'll be interested to see how soon that is.

I bought a 1tb SSD almost ten years ago and it was £300 same thing is like £100 now. I don't think these hard drives will be reaching "affordable" pricing any time soon unless something crazy happens, but coupled with the global shortage of electronics components, I think you'd be pretty brave to predict a significant change in the pricing of these HD's before PS6 is out!

I realise "relatively" is the key word here, but if I was a betting man, I'd bet it'll take more than 5 years for a 4tb NVME drive up to PS5 Spec to be cheaper than the console is right now.

 

[Magic Carpet]

Now I have 600mb down internet storage is a non issue for me. 50Gb game takes like 10 minutes.

We have 400mb down which is 50Megabygte/sec but I've never seen anything from either xbox or sony go that fast. It's usually half in the 12 to 20 Megabyte/sec range. So a 50GB game is 50000/20=41 min. A lifetime. A virtual lifetime.

 

[NickFire]

I'll be interested to see how soon that is.

I bought a 1tb SSD almost ten years ago and it was £300 same thing is like £100 now. I don't think these hard drives will be reaching "affordable" pricing any time soon unless something crazy happens, but coupled with the global shortage of electronics components, I think you'd be pretty brave to predict a significant change in the pricing of these HD's before PS6 is out!

I realise "relatively" is the key word here, but if I was a betting man, I'd bet it'll take more than 5 years for a 4tb NVME drive up to PS5 Spec to be cheaper than the console is right now.

TBD but the future seems promising based on the price of the WDSN850. The 1Tb is down to 165 at BB right now, and I thought it was a deal at 199 this summer. The version with a heatsink is still msrp I think (almost an extra 100 I believe), but anyone can install a heatsink for about $12-15. So its already dropped from 230, to 200, and now sits at 165. That's a fast drop IMO.

 

[HeisenbergFX4]

A firmware update on the SSD is obviously not required, nor does it seem to improve performance for an SSD installed in a PS5. It's more for use with Windows PC where there is a higher level driver layer in between the OS and the controller.

Thought I remember the firmware update for the early 980 Pros was to address the slower read speeds specifically on the PS5 though still plenty fast enough they wasnt reading at their full potential.

Not that the firmware was required but useful especially for use in the PS5

 

[FranXico]

Thought I remember the firmware update for the early 980 Pros was to address the slower read speeds specifically on the PS5 though still plenty fast enough they wasnt reading at their full potential.

Not that the firmware was required but useful especially for use in the PS5

I haven't heard of a 980 Pro firmware update that specifically benefitted PS5 use. I do read plenty of comments online of people mentioning barely any read speed improvement on the PS5, if at all, after updating the SSD firmware.

Yeah I tried it on my pc in order to update the firmware you have to optimize the drive on pc when I installed it into the ps5 it still asked me reformat drive then fed me the same speed .Don’t get me wrong I think the drive still works great and you’ll be hard pressed to actually notice the difference in speed between drives .

 

[Leyasu]

We have 400mb down which is 50Megabygte/sec but I've never seen anything from either xbox or sony go that fast. It's usually half in the 12 to 20 Megabyte/sec range. So a 50GB game is 50000/20=41 min. A lifetime. A virtual lifetime.

I have gb fibre and normally download 100gb games faster or around the same time that you mention on the XsX. Especially in the evening.

 

[Panajev2001a]

I'll be interested to see how soon that is.

I bought a 1tb SSD almost ten years ago and it was £300 same thing is like £100 now. I don't think these hard drives will be reaching "affordable" pricing any time soon unless something crazy happens, but coupled with the global shortage of electronics components, I think you'd be pretty brave to predict a significant change in the pricing of these HD's before PS6 is out!

I realise "relatively" is the key word here, but if I was a betting man, I'd bet it'll take more than 5 years for a 4tb NVME drive up to PS5 Spec to be cheaper than the console is right now.

I think you cannot compare the specs of that drive (durability, speed, physical size, and latency) vs the 1 TB you can get for now 1/3rd of that price (~7 GB/s with DRAM cache and likely considerably higher durability though.

 

[buenoblue]

We have 400mb down which is 50Megabygte/sec but I've never seen anything from either xbox or sony go that fast. It's usually half in the 12 to 20 Megabyte/sec range. So a 50GB game is 50000/20=41 min. A lifetime. A virtual lifetime.

That sucks. I get the full speed on ps5 and pc. Are you wired?. It takes longer for games to install from disk than it does to download for me I swear.

 

[Magic Carpet]

Are you wired?.

On coffee yes. and also yes to network.
The only time I see a full 400mb down is when I use the PC. Steam and Epic. Torrents. Full speed.
My provider has a 1Gig upgrade for about 20 bucks more a month. But really less than an hour to download a full game is not bad.

 

[Banjo64]

Why is the UK price still not available for these? I’ve got 81000 MS reward points and if the 512gb is £100 I’ll just save for that.

 

[Esppiral]

The price to store 3 games is 140€, thanks, but no thanks.