Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S 1TB expansion card to cost $220, suggests leak
Microsoft's proprietary storage expansion for Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S could be costly, even if not a huge surprise given the SSD technology inside.
Microsoft has finally shown its hand for the next console generation, unveiling a secondary Xbox Series S console, accompanying the Xbox Series X with its November 10 launch. The two-pronged approach has seen the platform holder cater to all crowds, split between its bleeding-edge $499 flagship and its more affordable, all-digital $299 counterpart. The aggressive retail price leaves Microsoft well-positioned against market rival, Sony, also set to launch its PlayStation 5 console later this year.
The Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S pack a variety of latest generation hardware, including an upgrade to solid-state drive (SSD) storage. The console maker has devised a custom, in-house NVMe solution, promising up to 2.4 GB/s raw speeds (or 4.8 GB/s compressed), delivering up to 40 times increases over the Xbox One family. The SSD plays a crucial role in what the console maker calls "Xbox Velocity Architecture," with a direct line to the CPU via PCIe 4.0.
Microsoft packs the same storage into both next-generation Xbox consoles, the only noteworthy difference being 1TB on Xbox Series X, cut to 512GB on Xbox Series S. That leaves the high-performance SSD fundamental to performance, eliminating USB hard drives for expansion like Xbox One in the process. Microsoft's solution is the Xbox Storage Expansion Card, a proprietary 1TB NVMe drive, exactly matching the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S internal storage.
Related: Xbox proprietary expansion cards — the way forward or future curse?
Leading 4K
The full next-generation experience.
Xbox Series X is Microsoft's new flagship, as its most powerful console with over 12TF GPU performance and a custom SSD. It boasts up to 4K resolution and 120 FPS, full backward compatibility across four generations, and ray-tracing support.
Next-gen in HD
Experience next-gen gaming for less.
Microsoft serves the next-generation for less with its budget-friendly Xbox Series S. The console packs the same high-performance CPU and SSD technology as Xbox Series X, while scaling back the GPU and removing the disc drive.
The move means next-generation storage can't be expanded through traditional SSDs, requiring this Seagate-branded cartridge to add to your onboard storage, instead. However, NVMe PCIe 4.0 technology doesn't come cheap, with an alleged GameStop leak (via Reddit) now suggests a $219.99 RRP on the 1TB Xbox Storage Expansion Card.
The premium price tag wouldn't be a huge surprise — we previously predicted around $200 back in April 2020. The high cost comes with the demanded performance, and as a proprietary solution, Microsoft and Seagate are free to charge as desired for that opportunity. But it's a word of warning, especially for Xbox Series S and its 512GB storage, likely to cost near to a secondary console to upgrade the out-of-box capacity.
While the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S demand Microsoft's SSD storage to playing games, it's worth noting that USB 3.0 drives will function for backward compatibility, including Xbox One, Xbox 360, and original Xbox titles. Xbox Series X and S titles can also offload to these slower drives for safekeeping, but you'll need to transfer your installations to the official SSD manually before playing.
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The RRP highlights the main downside of proprietary, high-performance expansions demanded by Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S. But it's part of the next-generation secret sauce, and a price you'll need to pay to experience the best moving forward.
Xbox Series X/S
Main
- Xbox Series X: Everything we know
- Best games coming to Xbox Series X/S
- List of Xbox Series X specs
- What is the Xbox Series X release date?
- How much does Xbox Series X cost?
- Why you can't preorder Xbox Series X yet
- Best Xbox Series X Headsets
Matt Brown was formerly a Windows Central's Senior Editor, Xbox & PC, at Future. Following over seven years of professional consumer technology and gaming coverage, he’s focused on the world of Microsoft's gaming efforts. You can follow him on Twitter @mattjbrown.