Tested product: Needle SE900G
Award: SEK 2,030 at Cdon
Playstation 5 and Xbox Series consoles offer cooler graphics and more complex games. This in itself also means increasing file sizes, which results in us increasingly having to delete titles from storage memory to install new games. Since they all use modern storage technology, so-called nvme memories, you can not just insert any external hard drive you have lying around at home.
Rating 3 out of 5
Opinion
SE900G is a nice external memory that looks really good next to your game consoles. It gives you plenty of space for your library of Xbox One and Playstation 4 games. This will make room for the newer games on the consoles’ internal storage. However, the label on the front of the box should be made clearer, as you cannot play Playstation 5 games or a larger proportion of Xbox Series games directly from it.
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Positively
- Roaring lighting on the cabinet itself
- Super fast under the right conditions
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Negative
- Slightly expensive if you only intend to use the memory with game consoles
- The label should be clarified regarding which games are actually supported
— – Or can you? We came across Adatas SE900G, which in addition to a really cool LED cabinet also boasts compatibility for just Playstation 5 and Xbox Series consoles. Friend of order, of course, wonders how it can be true, especially considering the above paragraph.
Works with your older games
Fortunately, the memory is compatible with the new consoles, though not in the way some expect. Since we are still between generations, there is a good chance that some of your games are Playstation 4 or Xbox One versions. And it is precisely these games that are fully compatible with Adatas ssd.
We tested installing various Playstation 4 games on the ssd and got a place with as many as 40 titles. Admittedly of different file sizes, the largest being 102.5 gigabytes (Final Fantasy XV: Royal Edition) and the smallest 190.1 megabytes (Super Meat Boy!). In other words, you can use the ssd for your older titles and let Playstation 5’s faster nvme memory remain exclusive to PS5 titles.
Other uses
Adata’s external ssd is equipped with usb 3.2 Gen 2×2 technology, which under the right conditions can send 20 Gbps. However, it is not supported by the new game consoles, but we still get decent charging times compared to playing the older games directly from the console’s built-in memory.
Launching the Playstation 4 version of Batman: Arkham Knight, installed on Adatas ssd, took 43 seconds. In comparison, the same process via the internal memory is 39 seconds. Then we count from the time we start the title until when we reach the game’s main menu. If you want to move said games between the ssd and Playstation 5’s internal nvme, it takes about 6 minutes and 10 seconds.
As we mentioned earlier, you cannot play Playstation 5 games from external memory. However, you can use it as storage, for example, if you want an alternative to downloading the entire game again. For example, the PS5 version of Spider-Man: Miles Morales takes five minutes to transfer from the ssd.
But again, Playstation 5 games are not playable directly from Adatas ssd. Even if the label on the box gives the appearance of it.
Handles some Xbox Series games
The same principle applies to Xbox Series X and Series S. But there are exceptions. For example, some games that are basically Xbox One games, but have been optimized for the new consoles. Even though they are not really “going” to play from anything other than the internal nvme memory or Microsoft’s official memory card.
Some of the titles we have come across so far are: Sea of Thieves, Ori and the Will of the Wisps, Halo: The Master Chief Collection, Conan Exiles, Descenders, Knockout City, State of Decay 2 and Stellaris. These work really well from Adatas ssd, but also other external hard drives.
However, finding other compatible titles can be confusing. Ori and the Will of the Wisps lack the “arrows” that indicate the requirement to play from the internal nvme memory. However, some of the other compatible titles have these arrows visible in the Xbox menu, but still work from Adata’s ssd. The solution here is simply “trial and error”, but should be blamed more on Microsoft than on manufacturers of external ssd.
A good complement
Nevertheless, we believe that the ssd can be a good complement to your Playstation 5 or Xbox Series console. Especially if you are such a person who would like to have as much as possible installed and ready. It also saves you space for newer games that require installation on the internal memory.
However, a supplementary label should be added to all cartons. The label that is there now can send incorrect signals that the ssd can handle the new generation of games, depending on how familiar the receiver is.
Specifications
product: SE900G
Manufacturer: Needle
Type: Extern ssd (usb 3.2 Generation 2×2)
Format: Playstation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Windows, Mac OS, Android
Size: 1 terabyte (also available in 2 terabyte and 512 gigabyte variants)
Reading speed: Up to 2000 MB / second
Writing speed: Up to 2000 MB / second
Connections: USB-c to usb-c and usb-c to usb-a (one of each included)
Award: SEK 2,030 at Cdon
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