Xbox Series X storage options explained: Which hard drives will work with the next-gen console?


Storage remains one of the biggest issues facing gaming. Well, it's a tiny issue, but it affects us all and it's annoying, so it counts.

A lot of people are concerned about the next-gen storage capacity as games become increasingly hench and take up more and more space.

Well, Microsoft has decided to try and help us all by explaining the storage options available to those who are going for an Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S.

Here's what you need to know.

What kind of HDD and SDD can you use?

In a piece published on the main Xbox site, Xbox Wire asked Jason Ronald, the director of program management, all about storage.

In the interview, Ronald explained that you can still use your existing external USB 3.1 HDD or SDD on the new consoles. Which is nice.

However, there will also be a Storage Expansion Card that is specially made for the consoles that will give you a big boost. It acts as a memory card from ye olde console gaming, and it'll make things far easier.

Ronald also explains that "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." Which makes us think that's probably the way most people will want to go.

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How big will games be?

As they also discussed the size of games, it's worth discussing that answer.

"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."

That means you can potentially keep your file sizes down a bit if you don't mind losing the 4K textures.

A lot of people don't even own 4K TVs, so it's a very nice option.

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