You want lots of extra features: The Xbox Wireless Controller does what it says on the tin and nothing more. It's an excellent pad, but one that's also very straightforward. Seagate's Game Drive for Xbox comes in a variety of size capacities: 2TB, 4TB and 5TB depending on whether you opt for one of its decorated game models. The Halo Master Chief Limited Edition version on test here, for example, comes in 2TB and 5TB, whereas the standard model comes in 2TB and 4TB. There are also fancy Cyberpunk 2077, Sea Of Thieves and Marvel Avengers editions, too. The Seagate Storage Expansion Cards are the only external SSDs on market designed to leverage the Xbox Velocity Architecture and deliver the exact same performance as the internal SSD.

We run two sets of tests when we’re looking at external hard drives for the Xbox Series S and Series X. First, we connect them to a PC and run the CrystalDiskMark benchmark to test their raw sequential and random read/write speeds. Sequential speeds are an indication of how fast the drive can read or write large quantities of data in one sustained burst, which makes a big difference when you’re first running a game, loading a saved game, streaming in all the models and textures in a level, or transferring a game from one drive to another. Random read/write speeds cover smaller data transfers, and make an impact when you’re running a game directly from the hard drive. While you can load and store games on a portable hard drive to free up space, there are some limits to what these devices can do. For example, you can only play Xbox Series X-optimised games that are stored on the console itself or a Seagate Storage Expansion Card.Xbox Game Pass: sold separately; game catalogue varies over time. See xbox.com/gamepass and https://www.ea.com/ea-play/terms and https://www.ea.com/ea-play for details. There are some cosmetic reasons to go for the FireCuda Gaming Hard Drive, not least that it comes in a range of different designs featuring classic Xbox heroes and Marvel and Star Wars fan favourites. Like the FireCuda SSD, it also has a cool illuminated bar on the front edge that flashes when the drive is busy. Yet the real reason to pay a little extra is that its performance is very good. On paper, the Toshiba Canvio Flex has faster sequential read/write speeds, while its random read/write speeds aren’t far behind. In practice, though, we found the FireCuda slightly faster to load some games and two or three seconds faster when loading save games, although the Toshiba had the edge on Prey. The difference isn’t that significant, but if you like the styling then this drive won’t let you down when it comes to performance. Other games like Destiny 2 and Assassin's Creed Valhalla need more than 70GB each, and even smaller games like FIFA 21 take up almost 40GB now thanks to the enhanced visuals.

The best external drives for Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S 1. Toshiba Canvio Flex 2TB: Best value HDD for Xbox Series consoles Considering the substantial space Xbox games occupy on Series X or Series S nowadays, opting for an internal storage expansion can be pricey. However, a simpler alternative is grabbing a reliable external game drive and plugging it in. Above all, we endeavor to test the best Xbox Series X and Series S accessories based on how useful they will be to you, the player. We believe that our choices collectively form a greatly enhanced experience on Xbox Series X|S. Whether that be the boosted storage capacity offered by Seagate's excellent expansion card, or the ease of multimedia access provided by PDP's Game Remote Control, each item on our list offers conveniences in several different forms. The expansion card adds an additional terabyte of storage for your new console, and is specifically optimised to run Xbox Series X games at the highest performance. If you've managed to get hold of an Xbox Series X or Series S over the last few months, one of the things we recommend you consider getting is external storage for you shiny new console.Official Xbox accessories, or those carrying the Designed for Xbox seal of approval, are typically of a very high quality and should be considered first. But third-party options from the likes of Nacon, Turtle Beach and others also provide a high-quality experience at lower price points. Ultimately, there's excellent options across all budgets. Do I need a headset for Xbox Series X and Series X? Up to 120 FPS: Requires supported content and display. Use on Xbox Series S as content becomes available.

The Xbox Series X has a USB port, and all the drives below will use either a USB 3.0 or USB 2.0 connection – though there really isn't that much difference between the two. The Storage Expansion Card uses the foundation of the Xbox Velocity Architecture. This is the custom, internal SSD delivering 2.4 GB/s of raw I/O throughput, more than 40x the throughput of Xbox One. The Seagate Storage Expansion Card was designed using the Xbox Velocity Architecture to deliver the exact same consistent, sustained performance of our internal SSD ensuring you have the exact same gameplay experience regardless of where the game resides. Use with digital games only; console does not play physical discs. 120 FPS: Requires supported content and display; use on Xbox Series S as content becomes available. Xbox Game Pass: Game catalogue varies over time (xbox.com/gamepass). Xbox Cloud Gaming (Beta) requires Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription and supported game; may require supported Bluetooth controller (all sold separately). Select regions and devices. Streaming limitations apply, server availability and wait times may vary. Requires internet, ISP fees apply. xbox.com/cloudgaming Yep, that's right. Despite having "for Xbox" in its name, Seagate's Game Drive works just as well with PC when it's plugged in via its bundled USB cable. It supports the USB 3.2 Gen 1 standard, so not super brand-new like the cutting-edge USB 3.2 Gen 2 standard, but still pretty modern. It draws its power from its USB connection, too, so you don't need to plug it into the mains for it to work, and its bundled cable should be long enough to rest it on the top of your PC regardless of whether you plug it in on your motherboard. Headsets aren’t a required accessory for the Xbox Series X or Series S, but they can massively benefit any player looking to create a more immersive experience while they game. The headsets featured in our list offer a heightened gaming experience and encourage more immersive gameplay, featuring things like 3D audio and noise-cancelling to ensure nothing can tear you away from your screen. Again, they aren’t necessary by any stretch, but they are undoubtedly beneficial additions. Can my Xbox One Controller connect to my Xbox Series X?A full install of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II with the Warzone 2.0 Battle Royale mode will take well over 100GB on the internal SSD. Ditto for Forza Horizon 5. Go for this year’s big exclusive, Starfield, and you’re looking at around 125GB. Sign up to Xbox Games Pass and make use of its extensive library, and you could see your available storage space reduced to zero before you know it. Seagate, renowned for its official Xbox accessories, ensures seamless compatibility with Microsoft's consoles. Also, with the current discount, the 2TB Seagate Game Drive proves more cost-effective than its 1TB counterpart, offering exceptional value. Just plug the device into your console using the included USB-A 3.2 cable, and voila, you have additional storage for your gaming needs. It's user-friendly, and the vibrant green lighting adds a playful touch to your gaming setup. An added benefit, of course, is that the Seagate Storage Expansion Card is also extremely fast, and we were able to transfer the entire 104.6GB Red Dead Redemption 2 file in less than three minutes during our tests. If you’ve got the money, and you’re fast approaching the upper limits of your Xbox’s internal storage, then there’s simply no better external storage option at the moment. Say you bought FIFA 21 on your old Xbox One and it hasn't been upgraded with the 4K graphics and 60fps. You can store and play that version of FIFA from either the internal or external drive. But if you have the Series X version, the console can't read that data from the external hard drive, so you'll have to either put it on the console's memory or buy the expansion card.