Update February 26th, 1:30PM ET: The 1TB model of Seagate’s Storage Expansion Card has sold out, but you can still save $110 on the 2TB version.
We’ve griped long enough about the ballooning install sizes of the latest AAA games, but complaining won’t slow the trend. Without some miraculous development in data compression technology, the only remedy today is to buy extra storage. Xbox Series X and S gamers have had it the roughest with the exorbitant markups on its proprietary storage cards, but regular discounts are starting to make them a little more affordable. For example, Seagate’s 1TB Storage Expansion Card is down to $125.99 at Amazon ($94 off), which is the lowest price we’ve seen so far. The 2TB card is also on sale for $249.99 ($110 off) at Amazon, which is only $20 more than its all-time low.
Seagate’s storage expansion cards are officially licensed by Microsoft, and until recently, they were the only ones you could buy. Unlike traditional external SSDs, the expansion cards support Xbox’s speedy NVME-based Velocity Architecture to enable quicker data streaming and features like Quick Resume, so it’s the only type of storage you can use to play games designed for the Series X / S. Yeah, sure, you could supplement the console’s 1TB or 512GB of internal storage with a standard external SSD to store extra games and move them back and forth whenever you need, but that’s eventually going to wear on heavier gamers. Even with 2TB of the fast stuff, I’m constantly reshuffling my library to make room for new 100GB-plus titles and massive updates that can stonewall my immediate gaming plans. Today’s deal marks a great opportunity to find some relief.
Gearing up for poolside weather or beachfront fun this summer? The Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 3 could be the ideal Bluetooth speaker to bring with you. It’s IP67 water resistant and floatable, and with a max 87-decibel output, it gets pretty loud for its size. The black model with white trim is going for $69.99 ($30 off) at Amazon and Best Buy — its second-best price to date — while the pink, gray, and blue variants can be had for around $76 ($24 off) via the same retailers.
The Wonderboom 3 is an attractive speaker, but we wish it had USB-C instead of a Micro USB port for charging when the 14-hour battery dries up. Still, with two 40mm main drivers and two passive radiators, it produces bassy 360-degree sound with enough power to overcome crashing waves and screaming children. Its intuitive controls feature one big button up top to play, pause, and skip tracks, plus two side-mounted volume buttons. In addition to rejecting water, it’s also dust-tight and built sturdy enough to survive typical drops. There aren’t any smart assistant features to have fun with, but if you double up on your purchase, you can enable stereo playback with the touch of a button.
