As Prime Day deals approach, and with Black Friday on the horizon, one discount is on the radar for many gamers: an Xbox Series X SSD deal. For those fortunate enough to own both an Xbox Series X and a PS5 in their gaming setup, expanding storage is a top priority. However, the approach to storage expansion differs between these two consoles.
While the PS5 can augment its 825GB onboard storage with an off-the-shelf PCIe 4.0 SSD, the Xbox Series X requires one of two proprietary SSD expansion cards to expand upon its 1TB of storage. Using ordinary USB-connected hard drives is an option, but it doesn’t match the speed and performance of the official options.
These expansion cards come from Western Digital and Seagate, but a 1TB drive from either isn’t budget-friendly. Yet, the need for capacity is evident as games continue to grow in size, with recent releases like Starfield and Baldur’s Gate 3 consuming over 100GB of SSD space.
When the Xbox Series X launched in November 2020, gamers swiftly embraced the Seagate Xbox Storage Expansion Card. However, its high-speed SSD architecture and custom design for the Series consoles came at a steep price, initially at $219 / £219 – nearly the price of the Series X itself.
Thankfully, the 1TB card has seen a price drop, and the arrival of the WD_Black C50 offers an extra terabyte of solid-state storage for around $150 / £150. But the hope lingers for a deal that could bring the prices of Xbox Series X expansion cards down to match those of the PS5.
For those considering striking early deals, there are current discounts to explore. Keep an eye on Amazon, as it’s historically been a prime source for SSD discounts during sales events. The Microsoft Store and UK retailers like Currys and Very are worth monitoring as well.
While the writer is not based in the US, American bargain hunters are advised to check out Best Buy and Newegg, alongside Amazon. B&H Photo and Walmart are also viable options.
The ideal outcome would be finding the newer 2TB Seagate Storage Expansion Card at an appealing price, providing ample space for current and upcoming Xbox Game Pass titles. Failing that, securing a 1TB card at a reasonable price would ease the burden of deciding which title to uninstall before downloading a new game, a tedious task that every gamer can relate to.
