Report: Xbox Series X Mystery Port Meant for Expandable Storage

According to a new report, the mysterious port on the back of the leaked Xbox Series X image may have been identified, and it could be for expandable storage. In a new report from Microsoft insider blog Thurrott, the long, narrow port between the HDMI and digital audio port may be meant for an expandable storage solution, though not one that we’ve seen on console hardware before. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=igns-top-25-xbox-one-games&captions=true"] Thurrott initially believed this port was for diagnostics, but sources say otherwise. “That port is for storage expansion, according to people familiar with [Microsoft’s] plans, and offers the series X a work-around as games continue to expand in size.” The port isn’t a traditional expandable storage unit port, however. It’s seemingly too big for an SD Card and too small for an SSD. Instead, a reader of the blog offered a different explanation: a Type B CFExpress card. The report agrees that the port could fit a CFExpress card, which can be used to add storage to a console. But CFExpress cards are currently quite expensive and models offering 512GB of storage cost as much as $600. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/12/13/xbox-series-x-console-announcement-trailer"] So either Microsoft is confident the price of CFExpress cards will drop considerably in the coming years or expanding the storage on an Xbox Series X could cost as much as the console itself. The latter appears unlikely. The report states that the port could still be used for non-CFExpress card options, or that the final product version of the Series X might drop the port altogether. But as of now, and at least on the pre-release model, there appears to be an option to expand the on-console storage. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/01/next-gen-console-watch-ps5-and-xbox-series-x-news-leaks-analysis"] This would be a plus regardless. Even with cloud saves, the size of games has been inching higher and higher, with games like Red Dead Redemption 2 taking up over 100GB of storage on consoles. A fifth of the available storage space on older, 500GB models. So any opportunity to increase storage is welcome, even if it’s another accessory you need for your new console. For more on next-gen hardware check out IGN’s PS5 Xbox Series X comparison, or check out our new series Console Watch 2020. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Kim is a reporter for IGN. Reach out on Twitter or newstips@ign.com if you're familiar with the mysterious Xbox port.

source https://www.ign.com/articles/report-xbox-series-x-mystery-port-meant-for-expandable-storage