With portable, handheld PC solutions becoming all the rage, it was just a matter of time before more PC peripheral and component makers got in on the trend and started making devices specifically for them. Western Digital is the latest company to get on board, this time releasing the WD Black SN770M NVMe SSD specifically designed for handheld gaming PCs.
Handheld gaming PCs are growing in number, with Valve getting the ball rolling with the Steam Deck. It was then followed by Asus with the ROG Ally, one of the first major devices of its type to officially launch in Australia. It’s since become a free-for-all, with the Lenovo Legion Go late last year, and the recent MSI Claw announcement. all.
Western Digital’s latest storage drive comes in up to 2TB sizes, aiming to expand the storage of these handheld gaming devices to hold more, larger games, given that some titles are over 150GB these days.
WD Black SN770M made for portable gaming
Because of the small footprint of these handheld PCs, they’re not compatible with just any old drive off the shelf, so the WD Black SN770M NVMe SSD has a small M.2 2230 form factor. Among the features listed in the announcement, the drive has PCIe Gen 4.03, Western Digital’s nCache 4.0 technology, and Microsoft’s DirectStorage support. With speeds reaching up to 5,150 MB/s, it’s seen as a way to augment devices like the ROG Ally.
Compatibility with the Ally and similar AMD-based devices was clearly an important factor in creating the WD Black SN770M, with even Renato Fragale, senior director of product management, AMD commenting on the announcement in a statement: “Our Ryzen Z1 Series processors are advancing the future of handheld gaming,” Fragale said. “The latest WD Black SN770M NVMe SSDs will be yet another example of how AMD is working with leading partners to redefine the mobile gaming landscape.”
“Together, we are expanding the handheld gaming ecosystem by creating a new generation of powerful, portable, and affordable systems that deliver an exceptional experience no matter where you game.”
If you’re keen to upgrade your handheld gaming PC storage, the new SSD is now available from JB Hi-Fi. The 1TB model is $239 and the 2TB model is $439.
