Xbox Series X/S Storage Expansion Card hits lowest price yet in UK

Seagate Expansion Card Xbox Series X, Series S
Seagate Expansion Card Xbox Series X, Series S (Image credit: Seagate)

Microsoft takes a fresh approach to storage with its Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, with speedy solid-state drives (SSDs) among the key upgrades between generations. That sees new games designed for Xbox Series X|S consoles mandate fast read and write speeds, causing complications in storage expansion. While USB external hard drives work with backward-compatible games, all titles designed with Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S considerations need that SSD storage to function.

That saw Microsoft partner with Seagate in delivering the Seagate Storage Expansion Card for Xbox, a custom 1TB SSD cartridge, matching Microsoft's own internal SSD tech. Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S owners in the UK can now secure this storage card at its lowest price yet, down to £179.99 at Currys.

The Seagate Storage Expansion Card is currently the only official storage expansion for Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, designed to work seamlessly with the consoles. The NVMe drive delivers the same 2.4 GB/s speeds, with a PCIe 4.0 connectivity providing a direct line to the CPU. It hooks up through a simple "Storage Expansion" port on the consoles, doubling the Xbox Series X's 825GB of usable space and over tripling the 364GB for Xbox Series S. The upshot is a seamless expansion of the internal SSD, without compromising function or load times.

The main issue comes down to pricing, due to the notoriously costly PCIe 4.0 connectivity used by Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S. It's mostly in line with off-the-shelf SSDs in the PC space, reflecting the cutting-edge technology used by these consoles. "If you can get past the price you'll at least be happy it's a worthwhile investment," said Windows Central editor, Richard Devine, in our Seagate Xbox Storage Expansion Card review. That makes any saving worth your consideration, making this accessory just a little more accessible.

The best hard drives for Xbox Series X and Series S come with hefty limitations, meaning only non-optimized Xbox One, Xbox 360, and original Xbox titles play on these drives. While third-party storage can store Xbox Series X|S Optimized titles, those with larger game collections will find themselves regularly juggling titles between storage locations. And in a world where titles like Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War surpass 200GB on Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, the Seagate Storage Expansion Card could be a worthwhile long-term investment. Our guide on how to expand Xbox Series X|S storage provides a full breakdown of how that works.

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Matt Brown

Matt Brown was formerly a Windows Central's Senior Editor, Xbox & PC, at Future. Following over seven years of professional consumer technology and gaming coverage, he’s focused on the world of Microsoft's gaming efforts. You can follow him on Twitter @mattjbrown.