Xbox Series X/S Expansion Cards Are Barely Bigger Than An SD Card

Microsoft's Xbox Series X and Series consoles come equipped with custom NVMe SSDs, with the Series X version having 1TB of storage capacity and the Series S having a smaller 512GB offering. Both SSDs promise incredibly quick loading times in games, but it's likely that the storage space will be filled up quickly.

Between titles such as Call of Duty: Warzone, Destiny 2, and Red Dead Redemption 2, the demands that modern games have on console storage capability means that players may need to eventually invest in some form of expansion for their library.

The Xbox Series X and Series S do have a solution to this in the form of an optional 1TB expansion card that is currently listed for $220 at Best Buy. The Verge has provided details and photos on this card, which is barely bigger than a regular SD card. Using it is also easy, as all you have to do is plug the card into the dedicated slot that can be found at the rear of the Xbox Series X or Series S console.

Seagate 1TB SSD for Series X/S

$220

See at Best Buy

While it does protrude slightly, it is otherwise an easy plug-and-play solution in case you find yourself needing to quickly expand your hardware options for your growing game library. The Xbox Series S on the other hand can save some SSD space as game install sizes will be up to 30% smaller on that console.

The card also has the same performance as the internal Xbox Series X and Series S SSD, so you will be able to play games directly off of it and benefit from the improvements that Xbox Velocity storage architecture provides. You can also use a USB 3.1 hard drive to store your Series X and Series S games on if you can't afford the expansion card, but you'll only be able to play Xbox One and backward compatible games off of that storage system. Xbox Series X games can only be stored on such devices and will need to be moved back to the SSD if you want to play them.

We've also just received an Xbox Series X. For now, you can check out our Xbox Series X hands-on impressions along with load time comparisons and some thoughts on the impressive Quick Resume feature.

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