Nyko, one of the world’s leading accessory manufacturers, has announced the official release of their new Data Bank hardware. Coming out for both the Xbox One and the Playstation Four, the Data Bank will expand the data storage of your system with any 3.5†hard drive that you may have laying around. Gamers can get up to an additional 2 terabytes of space with this attachable drive, and can even swap out drives for massive storage potential. According to the website, the unit will also help decrease load times, as 3.5†drives have faster read/write speeds than the console’s 2.5†drives.
“If gamers purchase at least one new game a month, they’d have to start deleting old games or upgrade storage within the first couple of years after purchasing the Xbox One, †said Nyko’s Chris Arbogast, head of sales and marketing in a press release. “The Data Bank provides the most cost-effective method to make limited save space a thing of the past, in a way that maintains the clean look of the original console design.â€
While the Bank for both the Playstation and Xbox looks similar to their respective console, they do have the downside of having to sit on the top of the console. This would make a very unbalanced arrangement for those who like to set their systems vertical. While you’ll be losing that advantage, the ability to swap out drives quickly is pretty nice incentive to consider flipping the console 90 degrees.
The Playstation 4 version also requires a little deconstruction, having to take part of the faceplate off, replacing the old hard drive with an adapter, and then replacing the faceplate with the new Bank. While a bit of a hassle, it seems far more secure than the One’s, which relies on “semi-adhesive foam feet†to prevent it from falling off and damaging the drive. On flip side of convenience, the PS4 version is powered through the console’s power plug, while the Xbox One’s needs an additional outlet.
In a video from CES 2015, Chris Arbogast states that the Playstation 4 can take up to a 6GB hard drive, however the video clarifies that this does disrupt the system’s ability to enter rest mode. Nyko recommends you only use up to a 2TB for the time being.
So, is this a worthy accessory to the console, or should you just suck it up and pay a little extra to buy a 2TB 2.5-inch drive? Is the convenience of having a hard drive dock worth the added real estate to your entertainment center? Let us know in the comments, and if you’ve enjoyed this article, make sure you continue reading Mouse N Joypad for all of your gaming news.