Next Gen Tech (NGT): STORAGE

[EricHiggin]

Pemalite said:

EricHiggin said:

A 500GB 3.5" would have been cheaper though, and they didn't go that route. The size of the console shell and size of the HDD itself, clearly was more important than saving money on the HDD itself. Another factor that could lead to a better or worse storage option next gen.

For consumers, sure. However Microsoft and Sony are buying in bulk and might have negotiated a price that consumers wouldn't typically see.

In Microsoft's case though, they opted for a 2.5" drive because they are less noisy (Xbox One had a big focus on noise remember), they do use less power, they do take up less space and... They generate less heat. (Xbox One had a big focus on cooling remember.)

So it made sense to opt for a 2.5" drive. And they might do so again next gen.

EricHiggin said:

Shortages are a possibility, but I remember reading about GDDR5 being unlikely in the PS4 due to availability and price, yet it ended up happening, and 8GB worth at that. When someone like PS comes along and you know your basically guaranteed around a steady 100M units worth of sales, that's worth the hassle of making it happen most of the time.

Well. Microsoft wasn't willing to take the gamble... But if they did. There would have likely been GDDR5 shortages... Which would have resulted in a higher price.

Buying in bulk, is buying in bulk. Saying they couldn't get a better deal on 3.5", but could on 2.5", doesn't make sense from the manufacturers side. It's not like 3.5" is being phased out or anything like that. A 3.5" HDD could not fit inside the OG PS4 as it was designed, so it meant either a redesign, or a 2.5" HDD.

If PS and XB are so worried about noise, space, consumption, and heat, then an SSD would be way better than any HDD next gen, if the right price can be met.

XB may have just went with DDR3, because XB1 wasn't directly focused on gaming, plus that was the norm for APU's at that time. I remember reading that the PS decision was not quite as last minute as some may think, so GDDR5 supply may have been locked up so XB couldn't even use it even it they wanted to. That or XB would have possibly had to pay more and wait longer to launch, while building up GDDR5 supply, which they probably didn't want to do. I remember reading about all of the XB1 updates and add on software after launch, that made many wonder if the XB1 was rushed to some degree.

Just way too much to take into account at the moment. Storage for PS5 could possibly be what RAM was for PS4. A big surprise.