Western Digital announced three new WD_BLACK Solid-State Drives (SSDs) for video game consoles, laptops and and desktop systems.
For more information visit: www.westerndigital.com
Unedited press release follows:
Western Digital Amps up Its WD_BLACK Gaming Portfolio With Three New SSD Solutions
New SSD storage drives deliver the speed and capacity gamers need for quick access to their favorite games
Highlights
• New external WD_BLACK™ D30 Game Drive SSD designed to work with next-gen consoles like PlayStation™ 51
• WD_BLACK D30 Game Drive SSD for Xbox designed, tested, and approved for Xbox consoles2 includes 1-month membership to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate3
• New internal WD_BLACK SN750 SE NVMe™ SSD provides a mainstream PCIe® Gen4 upgrade solution for PC and laptop gamers4
SAN JOSE, Calif. — Today at its Flash Perspective event, Western Digital Corp. (NASDAQ: WDC) unveiled three new SSDs for its WD_BLACK™ portfolio of products, providing gamers around the world with fast, high-performance storage solutions to upgrade their PC and next-gen console gaming experience.
“Our WD_BLACK brand delivers a clear and simple promise to gamers – fast and reliable storage that enhances their gameplay,” said Rob Soderbery, executive vice president and GM, Flash Business, Western Digital. “With today’s new products, the WD_BLACK portfolio has diverse flash-powered solutions so that every gamer – whether they’re just starting out or more advanced – can explore the rich worlds of today’s most inventive games.”
“Over the past few years, the graphics and fidelity of immersive game worlds have become more intense, and flash technology has become critical to enhancing the gaming experience. Gamers not only need more storage, they need speed for quick access so they can instantly step into these rich game worlds and experience games the way they’re meant to be played,” said Geoff Keighley, industry veteran and host of The Game Awards who spoke at today’s event.
Living at the intersection of technology and entertainment, the WD_BLACK brand delivers innovative storage solutions customized for the gamer. The newly announced WD_BLACK gaming portfolio products include:
WD_BLACK SN750 SE NVMe SSD – The WD_BLACK SN750 SE NVMe SSD lets enthusiast gamers level up their PC or laptop gaming experience with PCIe Gen4 technology4 and space for more games. This DRAM-less internal storage solution leverages PCIe Gen4 technology (backward compatible with PCIe Gen3) to deliver read speeds of up to 3,600MB/s.5 With up to 30% less power consumption than its predecessor,6 laptop gamers can expect longer playtimes between charges. The included WD_BLACK Dashboard monitors the drive’s health while optimizing peak performance in gaming mode even during streaming.
• Pricing/Availability: The WD_BLACK SN750 SE NVMe SSD comes in 250GB, 500GB, and 1TB capacities7 starting at $54.99 (MSRP USD) in the United States. It is available for pre-order from the Western Digital Store and will be available at select Western Digital retailers, e-tailers, resellers and system integrators in Summer 2021.
WD_BLACK D30 Game Drive SSD – For console gamers looking to minimize game load times and get into the game fast, this sleek and compact high-performance SSD comes with read speeds up to 900 MB/s.5 Gamers can spend more time playing games and less time deleting them with expanded storage for up to 50 games8 with capacities up to 2TB.7 Designed to perfectly complement next-gen consoles, the drive has a detachable stand for placement next to a system.
• Pricing/Availability: The WD_BLACK D30 Game Drive SSD comes in 500GB, 1TB, and 2TB capacities7 starting at $89.99 (MSRP USD) in the United States. It is now available for purchase at select Western Digital retailers, e-tailers, resellers, system integrators and the Western Digital Store.
WD_BLACK D30 Game Drive SSD for Xbox – Built to complement the Xbox console gaming experience, this officially-licensed version of the WD_BLACK D30 Game Drive SSD offers accelerated speeds and capacity packaged in a compact Xbox-inspired design. Gamers can plug in their drive and quickly begin building their game library or making room on their console for new titles, while also being able to play legacy Xbox One favorites directly from the drive.2 Included with purchase is a 1-month membership of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate with access to 100+ games on consoles and PC, plus online console multiplayer.3
• Pricing/Availability: The WD_BLACK D30 Game Drive SSD for Xbox comes in 500GB, 1TB, and 2TB7 capacities starting at $99.99 (MSRP USD) in the United States. It is now available for pre-order from the Western Digital Store and will be available at select Western Digital retailers, e-tailers, resellers, system integrators in June 2021.
For more information on these products, or to learn more about our full WD_BLACK portfolio of gaming solutions, please visit www.WDBLACK.com or follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Twitch, where you can tune in to an exciting livestream launch celebration with the WD_BLACK team beginning at 1 p.m. PT.
1 Compatible with PlayStation™ 5 to play and store PS4™ games; archive PS5™ games. PS5 games archived to drive must be transferred to console before playing.
2 Play and store Xbox One™ games; archive Xbox Series X|S games. Xbox Series X|S games archived to drive must be transferred to console before playing. If game was purchased and loaded from disc, original discs may be required to verify ownership. Internet connection and a Xbox live account required.
3 1-Month trial offer of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for new Xbox Game Pass members only. Limit: 1 per person/account. Available for a limited time. See product packaging for full details.
4 PCIe Gen4 storage technology requires a compatible motherboard. WD_BLACK SN750 SE is backwards compatible with PCIe Gen3.
5 As used for transfer rate, 1 MB/s = 1 million bytes per second. Based on internal testing; performance may vary depending upon host device, usage conditions, drive capacity, and other factors.
6 As compared to WD_BLACK SN750 NVMe SSD using MobileMark 2018 Average Active Power test.
7 As used for storage capacity, 1GB = 1 billion bytes and 1TB = one trillion bytes. Actual user capacity may be less depending on operating environment.
8 Number of games based on a 36GB average per game. The number of games will vary based on file size, formatting, other programs, and factors.
About Western Digital
Western Digital creates environments for data to thrive. As a leader in data infrastructure, the company is driving the innovation needed to help customers capture, preserve, access and transform an ever-increasing diversity of data. Everywhere data lives, from advanced data centers to mobile sensors to personal devices, our industry-leading solutions deliver the possibilities of data. Our data-centric solutions are comprised of the Western Digital®, G-Technology™, SanDisk®, and WD® brands.