How to upgrade your Xbox storage by 2TB or more: Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One storage tips

(Pocket-lint) - A caller procreation of gaming has arrived, but acknowledgment to Microsoft's determination to marque the Xbox Series X and S portion of the aforesaid ecosystem arsenic Xbox One, they are each compatible with the aforesaid accessories.

That includes outer hard drives to store ample crippled collections.

There are immoderate caveats, particularly with the next-gen machines, but if you privation to store 10s (even hundreds) of Xbox One and/or backward compatible games connected your caller oregon aged console without having to redownload them each time, you tin bash truthful connected a USB 3.0 thrust (or above).

• Xbox Series X vs Xbox Series S: What's the difference?

Plus, exclusive to Xbox Series X/S, you tin besides usage an authoritative Seagate Storage Expansion Card to grow the interior retention capacity.

Here's however to bash both.

Before we start, it's worthy noting that an Xbox One volition usage an outer thrust successful precisely the aforesaid mode arsenic its interior drive, truthful it's an perfect solution and could greatly improved the magnitude of games you tin store astatine once.

The Xbox Series X and S tin lone play next-gen games from their interior drives (or Storage Expansion Card), but tin play Xbox One, Xbox 360 and archetypal Xbox games from a USB alternate (even with speedy resume enabled), truthful it could beryllium that you enactment each your backward compatible games connected an outer drive, reserving your interior SDD for autochthonal X/S games.

Choosing a drive

If you person an Xbox Series X oregon Xbox Series S, you tin opt for a Seagate Storage Expansion Card that slots into the rear of either next-gen machine.

At present, it is lone disposable successful 1TB (although smaller sizes are retired imminently) and is reasonably expensive, but since it works precisely the interior storage, it's the lone enlargement that volition alteration each the next-gen features and loading times boasted by some machines.

squirrel_widget_3659696

Alternatively, you tin usage an outer thrust arsenic agelong arsenic it is USB 3.0-enabled oregon supra (in fact, you tin usage up to 3 of them, 1 for each USB larboard connected the Xbox One S, Xbox One X, Xbox Series S, oregon Xbox Series X). Remember though, arsenic we've stated above, games with optimisations for Xbox Series X and S volition not play from a USB drive, truthful this is simply a solution for Xbox One and different backwards-compatible games only.

If you're blessed with that, determination are plentifulness of outer drives to take from. We opted for a 2TB Seagate Game Drive designed particularly for Xbox. It is USB 3.0, doesn't necessitate an outer powerfulness root truthful doesn't instrumentality up an further socket nether our AV cabinet, and its Xbox-adorned facia makes it a bully fit. At little than £60 for 2TB, it's besides bully value.

squirrel_widget_3519867

Alternatively, you tin besides get an Xbox variation oregon modular mentation of the WD_Black P10 Game Drive. It is specially designed for gaming, with a sturdy physique and retention of up to 5TB for astir £100. It conscionable depends connected your budget.

You tin adjacent wage a spot much and opt for a 7200 RPM thrust alternatively (the Seagate Game Drive is 5400 RPM) oregon adjacent an outer USB-driven SSD, but we've gone for convenience, nary sound and price.

Note though, an outer third-party SSD mightiness connection faster loading times, but won't behave successful the aforesaid mode arsenic the authoritative Storage Expansion Card.

The set-up

We person included pictures of however to acceptable up an outer thrust with the Xbox One, but it is identical connected Xbox Series X/S.

Once you person your thrust to hand, set-up is simple. Plug it into 1 of the 3 USB ports erstwhile your Xbox is on. A connection volition popular up connected surface to amusement it recognises that the thrust has been connected.

You tin either spell to the settings done enactment with the pop-up oregon caput determination manually and participate the "System" settings.

In determination you volition spot the "storage" icon. Select it and the adjacent leafage volition amusement your existing outer hard thrust alongside the caller one.

In each likelihood, the thrust volition request to beryllium formatted earlier it tin beryllium utilized for thing different than storing video, representation and euphony files, particularly if it's travel consecutive retired of the packaging. The Xbox needs to bash that itself. So take the caller thrust and scroll down to the enactment "Format". Select "Format retention device" and a caller surface volition popular up with a keyboard to prime the drive's name.

We kept the default sanction "External" and chose to instal caller games and apps to the caller thrust erstwhile asked.

Formatting the thrust takes nary much than 5 oregon six seconds and you're bully to go.

On your My Games & Apps screen, you volition present spot that the full retention available, some internally and externally, is accumulated into 1 statistic.

We besides urge you wholly unopen down your Xbox One and reboot. We did and the thrust worked precise good consecutive after.

Moving games and performance

Naturally, the show betwixt an outer thrust and the SSD wrong the Xbox Series X/S is significant.

However, erstwhile it comes to Xbox One models, our tests we recovered nary discernible quality successful loading speeds generally.

Moving games betwixt drives connected the consoles depends connected the antithetic technologies - it's evidently overmuch quicker connected next-gen. But, moving astir 60GB connected Xbox One X to an outer thrust took conscionable implicit 40 minutes successful total.

One payment of moving games from the interior to the outer thrust is that you volition beryllium capable to play your downloaded titles connected a friend's Xbox One oregon Series X/S by conscionable connecting the hard thrust to his oregon her console and signing into your profile. You don't past request to redownload immoderate games you privation to play.

The aforesaid is existent if you privation to determination your ain games from Xbox One to Series X/S.

Writing by Rik Henderson. Editing by Max Freeman-Mills. Originally published connected 17 December 2014.