Xbox promised that it would release several ranges of expansion cards for Xbox Series X|S. However, years have passed and only 2 companies have released their licensed accessories: Seagate and Western Digital. The latter company decided to break the silence and reveal why Xbox has so few options compared to PS5.
It's difficult to make expansion cards for Xbox, reveals WD
In case you don't know, Sony's console supports a wide range of M.2 SSD drives, so gamers can opt for a variety of drives with different price points and capacities. However, Xbox users have limited options and Western Digital knows the reasons why.
Speaking to TechRadar, the company revealed that it is complicated to make Xbox expansion cards for one simple reason: it uses dedicated Xbox Series X|S-only technology that is proprietary.
"“It’s because it’s just not that easy. We’re not talking about a standard interface. It’s a proprietary interface that only fits the Xbox Series X|S. That’s something Microsoft owns," the company explained.
In this regard, companies interested in launching an expansion card must negotiate an agreement that allows them to license the product. Western Digital noted that the process is time-consuming, which is likely why many other companies are reluctant to launch Xbox expansion cards.
From Western Digital's perspective, Sony was right to choose a standard form factor, as PS5 accepts a wide variety of SSDs. However, the company believes that this also carries risks, as users should carefully check the type of heatsinks the products use so that there are no long-term problems.
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