The company is now updating for Xbox fans, where its games consoles will soon support external USB drives larger than 16 terabytes in capacity and fans are waiting it. This capability is now in testing with members of the Xbox Insider program’s Alpha Skip-Ahead Ring, according to a set of release notes published recently.
Games are ready to play
The notes state: “We are enabling support for external USB drives larger than 16 TB, so you can be sure your favorite games are always ready to play! Newly formatted drives that are larger than 16 TB will be formatted with multiple partitions to utilize all available space for games and apps. These will appear as multiple devices in the storage devices list.”
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Whereas previously, Xbox consoles supported only up to 16 TB of external storage, Xbox-licensed devices topping out at 12 TB, like Western Digital’s WD_BLACK D10 model new update will now allow users to plug in bigger drives and very possibly expand their game libraries greatly. However, while much larger drives can be used, they will be partitioned into multiple segments, each up to 16 TB, and appear as separate devices in the storage list.
For users with drives larger than 16 TB that have already been formatted, a reformat is necessary to take full advantage of this new support. The release notes caution: “Drives greater than 16 TB that have already been formatted will be unaffected by this change and would need to be reformatted to take advantage of the updated support for larger drives. Please be aware that we have identified an issue with formatting drives larger than 16 TB, and we’re working on a fix.”
This development is particularly relevant as game file sizes continue to grow, often exceeding 100 gigabytes (GB) for a single title. The ability to use larger external storage devices provides gamers with the flexibility to store more games and media without constantly managing storage space.
It’s worth noting that while external drives offer expanded storage, they may not match the performance of the internal SSDs in the Xbox Series X and S consoles. As a result, some games optimized for these consoles may require transfer to the internal storage or official expansion cards to run effectively. Microsoft’s official expansion cards, developed in partnership with Seagate, currently offer up to 2 TB of additional storage but come at a premium price.
The gaming community has expressed mixed reactions to this update. Some users question the necessity of such large storage capacities, while others welcome the flexibility it offers. One user commented, “Who has an Xbox game library that necessitates such a large drive??” This sentiment reflects a broader discussion about the balance between digital game collections and storage solutions.
As this feature is currently in beta testing, it’s expected that Microsoft will address any issues before a wider rollout. Gamers interested in utilizing larger external drives should stay tuned for official announcements regarding the public release of this update.
Microsoft’s move to support external USB drives larger than 16 TB on Xbox consoles marks a significant step in accommodating the growing storage needs of modern gamers. While there are some technical considerations and potential issues to be resolved, this update offers promising flexibility for those looking to expand their game libraries without compromising on accessibility.
