Seagate Reveals Details on How Expansion Cards work for Xbox Series X

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Ease of use and stellar performance seem to be the key points of Seagate's Xbox Storage Expansion Cards

After yesterday’s reveal that the upcoming Xbox Series X / S expandable storage solution would cost a whopping $219.99 at release, there were even more questions about exactly how this high-end memory card would work. Seagate, the card’s manufacturer, is now taking the opportunity to clear the air on exactly what players can expect when they plug their Storage Expansion Card into an Xbox Series X / S.

Starting off, this expandable storage solution will have the same performance as the SSD you’ll find in next-gen Xbox consoles. According to Seagate’s FAQ on the drive, it will even match the quick load times of the upcoming consoles’ internal drives, and allow players to use Quick Resume with any games stored on them.

Using the storage expansion card will also be a breeze. It’s apparently as simple as plugging the card into your Xbox Series X / S, and waiting a few seconds for a notification that your expansion card is ready for use. Cards can even be hot-swapped, a fancy term that just means switching out components while a machine is powered on. You’ll also be able to bring your games wherever you go this way – they don’t link to a specific console. That being said, to play any games on your card you’ll need to sign in with your Xbox Live account or bring the game’s disc with you.

Seagate also took this opportunity to clear up what other storage options Xbox Series X / S owners will have. On next-gen Xbox consoles, you will be able to use external HDDs or SSDs, although not to play most Xbox Series X / S games. These external drives, the ones you may be using right now with your Xbox One, for example, can be used to play Original Xbox, Xbox 360 and Xbox One titles. Past that, they can be used to store – but not play – next-gen Xbox games. Games optimized for the Xbox Series X / S will only be able to run off of drives optimized for the Xbox Velocity Architecture, either the console’s internal SSD or the Storage Expansion Card.