WD Releases 1TB Gaming Drive Accelerated SSD for Xbox One

Photo Source: Western Digital

Microsoft already sells Xbox One models with up to 1TB of storage. For people who need even more storage for their digital games, ComputerBase found Western Digital's aptly named Gaming Drive Accelerated for Xbox One, which is available in 500GB and 1TB capacities.

The WD Gaming Drive Accelerated is compatible with the Xbox One S and Xbox One X alike. The 1TB model is purportedly able to accommodate up to 25 games, based on the average download size of an Xbox title, and both models rely on USB 3.0 connections.

Western Digital claimed that, based on its 400 MB/s read speed and "internal testing," the Gaming Drive Accelerated could offer up to 50% faster load times. 50% faster than what? Well, we don't know, but we assume the company is comparing the drive to its predecessor.

The Gaming Drive Accelerated measures in at 4 inches wide, 1.3 inches deep, and 5 inches tall with a weight of roughly 0.24 pounds. Combine that with a "rubber-bumper framing" and a three-year warranty and it's easy to see the device's appeal as a portable game library.

Both the 500GB and 1TB capacities of the WD Gaming Drive Accelerated for Xbox One are out of stock via the WD online store. ComputerBase said the drives cost $120 and $220, respectively, in the U.S. Western Digital hasn't revealed availability in other markets.

Nathaniel Mott
Freelance News & Features Writer

Nathaniel Mott is a freelance news and features writer for Tom's Hardware US, covering breaking news, security, and the silliest aspects of the tech industry.

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  • WildCard999
    Way too expensive, just use a SSD and save a considerable amount of cash ($60 & $100 based on model). Most testing I've seen with SSD's showed more then a 50% improvement in loading times but it also depends on the game.
    Reply
  • daglesj
    Paying a premium for the matching case basically.
    Reply
  • Stinksatthis
    https://www.amazon.com/Pioneer-3D-NAND-Internal-SSD/dp/B07KWWFGRX/ref=sr_1_9?keywords=1tb+ssd&qid=1563760531&s=gateway&sr=8-9
    https://www.amazon.com/ORICO-External-Enclosure-Support-Tool-Free/dp/B01LY97QE8/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=28TCDO52V6QQZ&keywords=ssd+enclosure+usb+3.0&qid=1563760577&s=gateway&sprefix=ssd+enclo%2Caps%2C216&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1
    comes to less than 100$ for a 1tb drive with enclosure, and I'm sure you could do it even cheaper if things were on sale, why on earth would you pay double, unless you want 2
    Reply
  • gn842a
    Stinksatthis said:
    https://www.amazon.com/Pioneer-3D-NAND-Internal-SSD/dp/B07KWWFGRX/ref=sr_1_9?keywords=1tb+ssd&qid=1563760531&s=gateway&sr=8-9https://www.amazon.com/ORICO-External-Enclosure-Support-Tool-Free/dp/B01LY97QE8/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=28TCDO52V6QQZ&keywords=ssd+enclosure+usb+3.0&qid=1563760577&s=gateway&sprefix=ssd+enclo,aps,216&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1comes to less than 100$ for a 1tb drive with enclosure, and I'm sure you could do it even cheaper if things were on sale, why on earth would you pay double, unless you want 2


    Do you think those external SSD enclosures for ten bucks are well made and reliable? I am skittish about them. I used these external HDDs (this is in the earlier 00s called Metal Gearbox and they were metal and solid and well made. I looked around for something like them these days....best I could do was a $20 plastic external unit which is good for both contempo SSDs and HDDs.

    I really don't trust the build quality but it's in line with what's out there. External drive enclosures just don't seem to get the attention that they used to. There used to be dozens of choices.

    Greg N
    Reply
  • Stinksatthis
    I had a powered enclosure that I used for years that cost me just under 20$ it was for SATA hard drives, I swapped out drives to do data recovery, as long as the interface on the enclosure is fast as you can get, the actual hardware inside doesn't do a whole lot just changes the output plugs
    Reply