Microsoft appears to be preparing new Xbox expandable storage options from other manufacturers. a new Western Digital 1TB Expansion Card for Xbox Series S/X consoles was spotted early at Best Buy, priced at $179.99. It’s the first time we’ve seen Xbox expandable storage that isn’t made by Seagate.
Microsoft originally released Xbox Expandable Storage Cards almost three years ago with its Xbox Series S/X consoles. The 1TB cards were priced at $219.99 and made exclusively by Seagate. While we’ve seen 512GB and 2TB options appear from Seagate, prices have remained stubbornly high, even as similar storage for PS5 consoles has dropped significantly.
An additional manufacturer for Xbox expandable storage is badly needed and will hopefully help push prices in the right direction. Western Digital C50 1TB Expansion Card Best Buy lists for $40 less than the Seagate model. At $179.99, it’s still very expensive for 1TB storage, especially when you can find a Samsung 980 Pro 1TB PCIe Gen4 drive. for $79.99 right now.
Microsoft decided to go with proprietary storage for its Xbox Series X/S consoles, making installation much easier for the consumer. But the price has suffered with only one manufacturer. Sony went with a fairly standard M.2 SSD expandable storage slot, allowing PS5 owners to use a variety of drives on the market. You can even use slow PCIe Gen4 drives on the PS5.
It’s unclear when Western Digital’s new 1TB expansion card for Xbox will be available. Best Buy’s listing does not have pre-order dates, so we’ve reached out to Western Digital and Microsoft for comment on the listing.
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