Seagate Game DriveHub REVIEW

Over time, Xbox games have grown. The average Xbox game now consumes between 20GB and 200GB of storage real-estate. So, unless you’re ruthlessly deleting games once they’re completed, the odds are that sooner – rather than later – that you’re going to run out of space.

Seagate is aware of this wee conundrum and has long had a line of storage expansion options for the Xbox. Their latest offering is the nifty Game DriveHub, which comes with a whopping 8TB of storage. Based on the average game title size, it should be able to hold around 200 games. Better still, it also has USB A and C ports on its front. So, even if you download everything you can get your sweaty controller strained paws on via a GamePass subscription (trust me on this, the Xbox GamePass kicks the Llama’s ass!), you’ll still have oodles of room and additional USB connectivity.

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The dual front-facing USB 3.0 A and C ports are handy for charging controllers (provided you’ve coughed up the extra dough and bought rechargeable batteries – why Microsoft didn’t bundle these with the Xbox is a mystery, but I digress…) Best of all, it is pre-formatted for use with the Xbox and is compatible with Xbox One, X and S, so it’s a plug-and-play experience with no setup required. It also connects to your Xbox using the zippy USB 3.2 port, giving you a theoretical throughput of 220Mbps.

Good stuff aside, some gotchas do apply. First and foremost, it requires external power, so you’ll need a mains socket. Its power brick is a chunky monkey, which means you’ll need a spare two or three power sockets if you’re using a power strip. That said, the need for external power isn’t a deal-breaker and is easily outweighed by the additional 8TB of space.

Looks-wise the Game DriveHub is very similar to most Seagate external hard drives used with PCs and Macs. It’s a rectangular widget and has a matte black finish, so it resembles the design of the Xbox Series X. Weighing in at 1.35kgs, it’s also a solid wee beastie. Its weight and rubberised feet mean it’s not going anywhere once you plunk it next to your Xbox. On its front right edge is a glowing green LED strip. It doesn’t do much that is useful, but it does add to the whole Xbox gaming vibe.

Getting it set up proved to be as easy as falling off a log. I connected the Game DriveHub to my Xbox’s USB port and plugged in its power brick. Once the console powered up, I was good to go.

Further sweetening the deal, Seagate bundled three years of Data Recovery Services along with their standard one-year limited warranty. If you’ve ever trashed a hard drive containing your valuable data from involuntary drop tests, power surges and so on, then the bundled Data Rescue Service is bound to give you peace of mind.

If you’re running out of space, getting more storage for your Xbox is a complete no-brainer. Priced at a pocket pleasing $418, you not only get plenty of additional storage but more connectivity too. Add to that the fact that it’s a doddle to set up and what’s not to like?

https://www.seagate.com/au/en/products/gaming-drives/xbox-gaming/game-drive-xbox/#STKW8000400