I am focusing my article around the Xbox One X since that is what I upgraded, but these instructions cover the entire XB1 line.ĭISCLOSURE: My instructions are provided merely as informational in nature, and are not endorsed or warranted by Microsoft or myself. NOTE: All of my instructions apply to all current editions of the Xbox One, including the Original, Xbox One S, and Xbox One X. But just because it's slightly more complicated doesn't mean it can't, or shouldn't, be done. I'll be the first to admit that Microsoft should have followed Sony in allowing for easier internal HDD upgrade paths, as this is the one area that PS4 got right. I know full well the Xbox One X has more than enough CPU power, but a part of me likes technical purity that only the SATA3 port on the XB1X offers.Īnd third, the idea of digging into the Xbox One X to do something that Microsoft doesn't outright provide instructions for is intriguing in its own right. Second, while more of a petty geek matter, it's traditionally been known that USB always carries some kind of processing overhead that eats into the CPU compared to a native SATA drive.

A decade and a half later, all game consoles are now sporting internal drives as standard fare.

Very few games took advantage of it, but being one of the first to use an HDD for a game console was enough to sell me on the expensive add-on. The PS2 was the first true console to toy with using an internal hard drive. Quantum Break is one egregious offender, with 4K assets coming in the form of an additional 94GB it has been reported - putting its total install size at almost 178GB. Xbox One game install and patch storage needs were already growing, and now with the Xbox One X, 4K game asset patches are getting crazy large. Yet the one area that Microsoft continues to boggle my mind is with its choice of drive type for internal storage. I've loved the Xbox One ecosystem so far, and previously outlined all the major reasons why I feel the Xbox One is the clear choice (IMHO) over the PS4. This holiday I took the chance to treat myself with an Xbox One X to replace my original edition Xbox One. But it was the original Xbox which finally shipped with an HDD built in, making this concept a mainstay from then onward.

The PlayStation 2 toyed with the idea of an expansion bay that could take an HDD, even though it was near useless for 99+ percent of games. Ever since game consoles first started seeing internal hard drives, I've been fascinated with hardware previously reserved for PCs rearing their head inside living room systems.

Osu1 xbox one x