We’ve safely exited another summer gaming lull and it looks like we’re entering a bull run of great games heading into 2025. As a result, the 512GB of internal storage supplied by the Xbox Series S is feeling increasingly paltry. You’ll even start to feel the squeeze on the 1TB Series X when you load up on new titles like Call of Duty: Black Ops VI (which demands about 85GB for multiplayer alone, and much more if you’re into the campaign). Don’t even get us started on the spate of games due in the next year and beyond. The 1TB WD_Black C50 expansion card can offer relief, and it’s down to an all-time low of $99.99 ($56 off) at Amazon and Best Buy. You can also get the 512GB card for $67.99 ($12 off), which is $2 more than its lowest price.
The expansion card is tiny and looks much like Western Digital’s other Black-branded storage products, but offers NVMe storage for your Xbox Series X/S that’s nearly as fast as the internal SSD. That means it’s fully capable of storing and running games optimized for the current generation console, complete with quality-of-life features like Quick Resume. With ordinary external hard drives and SSDs, you’d only be able to store the games and would need to transfer them in order to play. It still stings to see proprietary storage formats like these in 2024, but one advantage is that it’s an easy plug-and-play expansion that requires no tools.
A few more week-starting deals
- Speaking of games, you can get a digital download of Diablo IV bundled with its first expansion, Vessel of Hatred, starting around $44.99 (about $25 off) on Series X/S from Xbox or on PC via Battle.net. You can also buy the expansion alone for $29.99 ($10 off) at Xbox and Battle.net. The action RPG takes place 50 years after the previous title and sees the player chasing down the powerful demon Lilith in an effort to save the realm of Sanctuary from hellish torment. The expansion continues the story in a new region called Nahantu and introduces the Spiritborn class, a new dungeon, and a fresh batch of legendary items. Read our review.
- The newest Microsoft Surface Pro with a Snapdragon X Plus chipset and 16GB of RAM is the first CoPilot Plus PC in the lineup, and the 512GB SSD model is down to $899.99 ($300 off) at Best Buy. That’s $100 cheaper than the base 256GB model. There are better dedicated laptops and tablets, but the hybridized AI-ready Windows tablet is one of Microsoft’s most compelling, offering the best balance between power, portability, and battery life we’ve seen so far in a Surface Pro. It has a bright 13-inch 120Hz display and is compatible with an excellent detachable keyboard ($179.99) and the Surface Slim Pen ($129.99). Read our review.
- Through November 30th, Woot is taking up to 50 percent off various Keychron mechanical keyboards. The sale includes the Keychron K8 with blue Gateron optical switches, which is normally $79.99 but drops to $49.99 — and today only, you can take an extra $5 off with code KEYCHRONFIVE. The tenkeyless wireless mechanical keyboard comes with RGB backlighting and can also connect to Bluetooth, Mac, and Windows devices. Keychron’s products regularly feature in our guide to the best mechanical keyboards. The K8 doesn’t quite make the grade like its more substantial offerings, mainly due to its lacking VIA remapping and macro customization, but it has hot-swappable keys and should otherwise fit most needs just fine.