Xbox Series X Expandable Storage - everything you need to know

By Sean Carey,

When Xbox dropped its huge info dump on the Xbox Series X including its full specs, it was met with a mixture of delight and confusion. That confusion came from the decision to use a proprietary storage expansion card that can be used to store games on.

Many believed that their USB storage devices would now be redundant and they'd have to fork out for an expensive new memory card to store and play their older Xbox games. That is not the case.

Existing Xbox One games, including backwards-compatible games from the 360 and original Xbox era, will be playable on Xbox Series X from any external hard drive currently compatible with the Xbox One.
Xbox Series X games will need to be stored on the internal drive or on the new Seagate drive to make use of the new Xbox Velocity Architecture.
You only need to get the new Seagate drive if you want to keep more Xbox Series X games installed, but you have filled up the internal drive.

The new custom NVMe SSD along with several other systems, make up the new Xbox Velocity Architecture found in the Xbox Series X. The SSD makes use of something called DirectStorage. This new system is designed to make maximum use of the SSD and is designed for gaming in mind. Games today make use of a technique called asset streaming that loads the world around you as you play. This puts a lot of stress on the CPU; however, DirectStorage relieves some of the pressure on the CPU and allows the game to use the freed-up power for things like physics or more NPCs in an area. Sampler Feedback Streaming – another component – allows for the hardware to load in specific parts of textures that the GPU requires for a scene. This makes both memory and the SSD operate more effectively. It's these systems, combined with the hardware in the Series X, that makes the SSD so unique. New Series X games running off of the SSD will vastly benefit from the Xbox Velocity Architecture.

The new Xbox Series X Expansion Card from Seagate makes use of that architecture for Series X games, hence why they need to be stored either on the card or the internal SSD. All previous generations of Xbox games can still be stored and played from an existing external hard drive that connects via USB. Simply plug it into the Series X, and you'll have instant access to your Xbox One library. You'll only need to buy an expansion card if you want Series X games to take full advantage of the architecture. We, unfortunately, don't know anything on price or what sizes these proprietary cards will come in.

You can check out all of the latest details on the Xbox Series X console including its specs here. We also have the info on the controller and a comparison between the Series X and the PS5.

Xbox Series X|S Hardware

Written by Sean Carey

Avid Xbox and achievement fan, Sean has committed to playing the best RPGs, racing games, and first-person shooters Xbox Game Pass and his precious free time will allow. Prior to joining TrueAchievements, Sean gained a degree in journalism from Solent University.