Xbox Game Pass, Microsoft's Netflix-like gaming subscription service, has officially launched. While the service's massive library of titles sounds thrilling to any diehard Xbox gamer, storage space could be an issue.
Unlike Sony's PlayStation Now, a similar service, Xbox Game Pass doesn't rely on streaming technology for players to access the library of games. Instead, it uses a traditional direct download method, akin to a user buying an entire game and storing it on a local drive.
Such a method has many advantages, chief of them being guaranteed smoothness and fluidity of gameplay. Since Xbox Game Pass doesn't stream games, players would be less likely to encounter input lag, and they'd never experience slowdowns suppose internet woes come along down the road. Yet, the game still needs to be stored somewhere, and games nowadays are not exactly "small" — some hover above the 50 GB mark, not including patches and DLC content, at that.
Even a few titles could quickly take up huge storage space, and that's a problem.
Seagate Solves Your Xbox Game Pass Storage Woes
Thankfully, Seagate is one step ahead. Alongside the launch of the Xbox Game Pass service, the digital storage company also announced the Seagate Game Drive for Xbox Game Pass Special Edition, which comes in 2 or 4 TB options. The best part? It comes with a one-month or two-month Xbox Game Pass membership.
Seagate's external drive plugs into the Xbox One's USB 3.0, and is even compatible with the Xbox 360, which is a pleasant surprise. It's supposedly a plug-and-play solution, so setting it up shouldn't be much of a problem.
Seagate Xbox Game Pass External Drives: Pricing And Availability
Seagate's Game Drive for Xbox Game Pass Special Edition will launch sometime this month. The 2 TB variant will retail for $89.99, while the 4 TB variant will retail for $129.99. Check out Seagate's website to see other options, as well. Seagate also has a 512 GB SSD storage solution for those who want the benefits of switching to SSD. Eurogamer did some comprehensive testing on this option previously, showing significant speed gains.
Xbox Game Pass
Xbox Game Pass is available now at $9.99 a month. It lets players access more than 100 Xbox One and Xbox 360 titles, including Halo 5: Guardians, Payday 2, NBA 2K16, and much more. Keep in mind that the service is only available for Xbox One. You can check out the Xbox website for a full list of games.
It remains to be seen whether Xbox Game Pass will also launch on the Xbox Scorpio, Microsoft's forthcoming flagship console. It seems like a logical move, though — the service could keep players entertained with backward-compatible games as they wait for Scorpio titles. Expect due coverage when we learn more.
Thoughts about Xbox Game Pass? Are you planning to get one of Seagate's external drives to prep up for the subscription service, or do you have enough storage as it is? Feel free to sound off in the comments section below!
