External hard drive support coming to Xbox One next month

Xbox One owners will be able to increase their console’s storage with external hard drives from next month.

Microsoft has confirmed rumours that the functionality will be included as part of Xbox One’s June update. USB 3.0 HDDs of 256GB or more will be supported. The drives can be used to store full games and DLC.

Furthermore, the content will not be tied to the system from which it was initially transferred although users will have to validate their ownership by signing in to Xbox Live or placing the original game disc into the console’s disc drive.

Also on the way is the previously delayed ability to display Xbox Live friends’ real names and to add friends using names as opposed to Gamertags. SmartGlass is getting some added functionality too.

Since our launch of Xbox One last year, we’ve been hard at work to continue making Xbox One the best destination for all your gaming and entertainment experiences,” Larry Hryb said.

Because of the way we’ve designed the Xbox One platform, we’ve been able to continually improve the product for you with a more regular cadence of system and app updates. Your feedback for what you want most has been our guiding light for these updates, and will continue to be as we work to bring the fan-favourite features you want most.”