Expanding your Xbox Series X/S storage could become a lot more affordable in the near future if reports about a cheaper, 500GB expansion card are to be believed.
As spotted by VGC, a French website called Xbox Squad reports that a 500GB version of Seagate’s Storage Expansion Card is being sold to suppliers for €125.71 before tax (around $150 / £110). Based on this figure, Xbox Squad believes that the retail price would be between €149-169 – that’s roughly $175-$200 or £125-£145.
That’s noticeably cheaper than the 1TB version of the Seagate Storage Expansion Card, which costs $220 / £220. It’s currently the only way users can increase the console’s super-fast SSD storage and has been available to buy since the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S launched.
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Even though some users would like to see a wider range of storage options, specifically with higher capacities available, having a 500GB option could appeal to casual users who don’t want to break the bank to add a little more room to store their Xbox Series X/S games.
With games growing larger in size, however, we also expect Microsoft to release a 2TB / 4TB option in the coming years, though higher capacity storage tends to carry a far more expensive price tag.
Analysis: affordable storage options are a must
It’s not cheap to expand your Xbox Series X|S storage currently, as the official 1TB Seagate Expansion Card retails at $220 / £220 – though we have seen it available for significantly less.
While Microsoft's storage solution is far more user-friendly than on the PS5, which involves a step-by-step guide and screwdriver as opposed to Xbox's plug-in-and-play system, the fact PS5 can use off-the-shelf M.2 SSDs means prices can be cheaper. You can also choose from 500GB, 1TB, 2TB and 4TB SSDs.
The Xbox Series X does come with more usable storage than the PS5, though: 802GB versus 664GB respectively. The Xbox Series S, meanwhile, only has 364GB of usable storage but game file sizes can be up to 30% smaller as they often don't contain 4K assets.
With both PS5 and Xbox Series X/S using super-fast solid-state drives that allow new gameplay opportunities and a vastly improved experience when it comes to load times, the consequence is that expanding your console's storage is pricier than it's ever been. Costs will slowly come down, of course, but they'll remain at a premium for the foreseeable.
