Western Digital 2TB Gaming Drive Review

External Hard Drive Review

Here in the hallowed halls of the DLH.net office, storage is a problem. We are constantly receiving fresh games to test, new DLC to play, demos that need our attention and more, and we generally don't delete much, either (and by that, I mean we never delete anything, ever) since new add-ons and expansions are always coming down the pipe, requiring us to hang onto the base games just in case. Even if that wasn't the situation, we wouldn't delete games anyways, as having a robust videogame library is a nice perk that comes with the job. In short, digital space is always at a premium and we're always on the hunt for new ways to store our digital goods.

Our latest find in the ever-present digital storage hunt is the WD Gaming Drive, specifically designed for the PS4. Out of the box, you get the drive, a USB cable and a short manual. The drive is solidly built for shock tolerance (i.e. dropping it on the floor) and durability, plus it comes with a 3 year limited warranty if you get careless with the drive. This 2 TB drive’s glossy black face contrasts with the matte black of our PS4 Slim beautifully and everyone in the office enjoyed the blue highlights as well. The faux-ridged top adds some visual flair to the whole affair and the little feet on the bottom keep the drive right where you want it.

The drive itself is a little bigger than a playing card, so it’s pretty much the perfect size to slip into a back pocket. At 4.59 ounces, it's nice and solid in the hand, heavy enough to feel like a quality product but light enough to tote around. In addition to being easily portable, it also doesn’t get much more straightforward to operate, either.

First time setup (and all subsequent use) is simple. You just plug the drive into your PS4 via the provided USB cable, format it as a storage device with a few button presses and away you go. You don’t have to plug it into a computer first or take any extra steps; if you have the drive, the included USB cable and a Playstation, you’re ready to rock.

The drive is USB powered and it works exactly like we expected it to after we plugged it in and formatted the drive. We put some games on the drive and some on the internal HD, and it seamlessly grabbed data from both the WD drive and the internal drive with no issues. The drive is fast and snappy and our office PS4 actually seemed to grab data from the WD gaming drive a little faster than our internal drive.

Physical Specs

  • Width: 3.2 in
  • Depth: 4.3 in
  • Height: 0.5 in
  • Weight: 4.59 oz
Cable Details
  • USB cable (included)
Service & Support
  • Type: 3 Year Limited

Summary

The WD Gaming Drive is a solid and stylish addition to your gaming center and a welcome boost of storage, regardless of what you're saving. It’s easy to operate, holds 2TB of data (there’s a 4TB version as well), looks cool, comes with a 3 year warranty and is easy to pack around if you wanna go to a buddy’s house. There's not much more you can ask for from a portable drive.


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2019-08-30 00:57:20... - Un Juif

Je suis d'accord avec toi Adolphe


2019-08-30 00:48:34... - jacouille la fripouille

c'est OKAY


2019-08-30 00:47:40... - Un Juif

Je suis d'accord avec toi Adolphe


2019-08-30 00:46:48... - adolphe hitler

sa chauffe bien c'est parfait


2019-08-30 00:43:12... - Macouille

Ok Ok


2019-08-30 00:41:54... - Mabite

ok


2019-04-15 05:19:59... - Paula

When it comes to hard drives you can't beat WD, and that's from someone not paid to promote their stuff. I've used many makes, that mostly failed & some within a day, these keep on ticking. Seagate sucked, almost every drive (5 of 6) failed, ranging from 1 day to 1 week & then a few weeks, less than 6 months, after which the last remaining one was very quickly replaced due to so many failures. Toshiba had 1/1 failure after a year, hitatchi had 1/2 failures after 18 months, others I can't remember offhand, but none were mistreated or suffered any accidental damage & were only used for storage & then disconnected after a few hours per connection. The WD ones were handled the same with 2 constantly powered up for 24 months straight, in a console that was barely ever switched off, & no problems. And that's why I recommend them!!


2019-04-03 09:48:54... - spyrox

Sorry, but this is not a review, but more like a paid advert. There are no actual loading time comparisions between games stored on the internal and the external drive. Also a comparision of these numbers with another external drive that was not meant to be used for the ps4 to see what the benefits are for the "gaming drive" other than being blue colored.


2019-03-16 12:09:27... - noturbusiness

maybe you should burn stuff on blurays lol