We try to give our PS5 Pro a serious boost with the WD_BLACK SN850P, check out Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition and more.
Like it or not, the reality is that the gaming is moving further and further towards a digital landscape. For its many benefits, the main problem with this approach is that due to the sheer size some triple-A titles take up, your console hard drive can fill up in mere moments. Assassin’s Creed Shadows for example, will sink over a whopping 100GB, meaning space is both precious and limited.
Enter Western Digital with its WD_BLACK line-up that hopes to alleviate some of that stress – in this case the WD_BLACK SN850P NVMe SSD for PS5.
Available in up to 8TB and officially licenced for the Sony system, the WD_BLACK SN850P is fully optimised for the unit thanks to its heatsink built specifically for the PS5 M.2 slot. That means the biggest thing you need to worry about is the actual installation of the thing, and thankfully even that’s a mostly simple process.
Thanks to the considerate design of the PS5, getting up and running is surprisingly easy. In fact, it’s a much less stressful affair thanks to the PS5 Pro’s revised face plate design. Pulling off the pieces in the base PS5 model often felt like you were one step away from snapping them in half, but for the Pro the smaller footprint simply comes away with a small amount of force. It is worth noting though that the SN850P isn’t PS5 Pro-specific. If you have a base PS5 it’ll do the trick there as well.
No matter which model you have you’ll then be faced with a metal cover safeguarding the console’s expansion slot. An easy removal of the screw will grant you access and from there it’s as simple as removing another screw holding a spacer in place, moving both to the correct slot, sliding in the SSD and screwing everything safely into place. But while that should take 5 minutes in theory, I will admit my experience was slightly less seamless – the drive not registering for a while until I inserted it at exactly the right angle. I managed to get there eventually, but it was a frustrating experience and certainly a concern for more casual gamers who aren’t ready to dive into reddit threads for solutions.
That complaint aside, aesthetically I do quite enjoy the rugged black look of the WD_BLACK SN850P, although it does feel as though it’s a bit wasted considering the SSD is locked away within your system. That means the only time you’ll actually be able to take in the aesthetics is when you pull it out of the box and install the thing.
WD claims the WD_BLACK SN850P packs read speeds of 7,300MB/s2 and write speeds of up to 6,600MB/s2. That probably doesn’t mean much to you but for my real world testing I was able to move Assassin’s Creed Shadows file in the time it took me to make a cup of coffee, so you can rest assured juggling your library won’t be a hassle.
Starting at $279 for the 1TB option, the WD_BLACK SN850P is not a cheap investment, and may prove to be a bit fiddly to install. But if you’re constantly fighting a bulging digital library, it may be the saviour you’ve been looking for.
Also out now…
Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition (Switch)
Yes, the original Switch is nearing the end of its lifecycle, but golly if Xeonblade Chronicles X is anything to go by it’s going out with an absolute bang. A spruced-up version of the 2015 Wii U original, this Definitive Edition is one of the console’s best looking games bar none.
Indeed Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition feels like Nintendo taking one final bow, with wonderful performance in both handheld in docked modes, but the fun doesn’t stop there. You’ve got new characters, some quality of life improvements and even a new ending.
What hasn’t changed though is the game’s core story futuristic story, as humanity’s last hope boards a ship in 2054 to escape an alien war, only to crash land on foreign planet Mira. That leaves you to help survive this deadly new environment and put things back together again, but it’s not all bad news bears. You’ve still got access to your Skells, Xenoblade’s huge mechs) and although it it does take a little while to actually pilot one, once you do the combat is a hell of a lot of fun.
That’s not a slight on the standard combat though, with the game’s auto-attack system a strategic minefield as you try to choose the ideal time to action the more powerful Arts (special attacks that deal greater amounts of damage). Add to that a new cooldown mechanic that allows you to quickly re-trigger Arts during critical moments.
You may get the occasional performance hiccup, but Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition otherwise feels like an absolute homerun for Nintendo, a great opportunity for newcomers to engage with the series and a legitimately definitive version for long-time fans.
Atomfall (PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, XBO, PC)
If you’re looking for a new open-world-styled adventure with a twist, allow me to direct your attention to Atomfall – that has seemingly flown under the radar but has managed to
Using the famous Windscale nuclear disaster during the late 1950s in Northern England, Atomfall’s world is a naturally strange one, filled with various factions and twisted locals. It’s also been locked up for years, meaning the chaos has well and truly taken over.
In a setup that sounds eerily familiar you wake up in a quarantine zone bunker, with no real memories and the primary goal to get the hell out. What’s most interesting about Atomfall is though, it doesn’t play out like you’d expect. Instead of furious action or an abundance of objective markers, Atomfall treats things more like a detective story – your direction guided by bits and pieces you discover around the world.
It forces you to engage with Atomfall’s world and its inhabitants, but that’s never a problem because they’re consistently interesting, well-written characters.
Atomfall might not have the polish or shine of some big budget competitors, especially when it focuses on some somewhat clunky combat, but it’s still got plenty of charm that’ll see you coming back for more.
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