Microsoft have revealed the cost of the Storage Expansion Card, which can be used in the upcoming Xbox Series X and Series S units. A hefty $220 / £220 price tag was revealed in a blog post from the console manufacturer.
The card will allow users to add 1TB of space to their consoles, allowing more games and data to be available for use. These custom made cards deliver over 40x performance of a standard hard drive. Cards plug into the back of the console unit, and you will be able to transfer data or play games directly from the card. You can even use the expansion cards in other units, such as your friends Xbox Series X|S.
Jason Ronald, Director of Program Management also broke down the card, stating:
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.
Alongside the expansion card, Ronald also discuss the other types of storage, that will be compatible with the new consoles. If you currently use a 3.1 USB hard drive in your Xbox One system, this can be plugged in and used in the Series X|S. It will be ideal storage for any of your Xbox One, including backward-compatible Xbox 360 and original Xbox games, directly from the external hard drive. However, it is not recommended to run your Xbox Series X|S. games from a 3.1 USB hard drive, as it will not be optimised to run at a speed or the performance needed for the newer games.
| 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 optimised for Xbox Series X|S | No | Yes |
| Replicates speed and performance of internal SSD | No | Yes |
The Xbox Series X|S will release on November 10th globally. Xbox Series X will cost €499 / $499 / £449, while the Xbox Series S will cost €299 / $299 / £249. The Seagate Storage Expansion Cards will also be available upon launch.
