Microsoft recently announced that the Seagate Storage Expansion Card for Xbox Series X will now be cheaper than it was nearly three years ago.
As great as Seagate Xbox Storage Expansion Cards are, they have remained an incredibly expensive way to give your Xbox Series X the space it needs. Thankfully, just a few days ago, there was a major price cut on proprietary hardware. You can now get 1TB and 2TB capacity options for $150 and $280 each, which takes quite a sting but is still far from ideal.
The original MSRP of $219.99 / £254.99 / AU$349 for the 1TB model at launch was very high, especially considering how you could spend half that amount on some of the best PS5 SSDs on the market competing console. Things weren’t helped by the 512GB and 2TB variants that launched in 2021 for $109.00/£179.99 and $359.99/£534.99/AU$749.95 respectively.
Think of all the new games you’ll be able to download and play now 👀 The @Seagate Storage Expansion Card is now available at a discounted price: pic.twitter.com/RovCaXADmdMay 5, 2023
This news is not entirely surprising. Seagate Storage Expansion Cards have a history of selling at discounted prices, but now that official prices have dropped significantly, the door is wide open for further upgrades. However, it’s worth remembering that Seagate is no longer the only game in town when it comes to Xbox Series X memory expansion, which makes this move a step in the right direction.
That’s because the WD Black C50 was announced back in April with prices that significantly undercut Seagate’s official lineup. While availability has yet to roll out, a recent Best Buy listing shows the 1TB WD Black C50 will retail for $149.99, which is still a full $30 off the discounted price Microsoft is celebrating.
In this reveal, I argued that despite the lower price, it’s still too expensive for what it is. This is because Gen 4 NVMe SSDs are no longer the fastest with the arrival of Gen 5 models that leave them behind. Both the Xbox Series X and PS5 use this type of storage and have been available since 2019. In four years, from ridiculously overpriced to just a fraction of the original list price. This was seen with devices such as the WD Black SN850, Samsung 980 Pro and Kingston Fury Renegade, just to name a few.
In contrast, the decision to use a specific case on the Xbox meant gamers were overpaying significantly at a time when Gen 4 models should have been cheaper. The fact that rates have come down gives the impression that Western Digital will follow suit and hopefully we’ll be looking at 1TB Xbox storage upgrade options in the $100 / £100 / AU$186 price range in a few months. It will be something to celebrate. Until then, that’s good enough for now, but Xbox gamers deserve better.