Coming soon to Steam Deck and Asus ROG Ally is a new SSD from WD Black.

It would appear that Western Digital is getting ready to get on the bandwagon, that is, the Steam Deck SSD, as a new WD Black M.2 2230 drive is on its way. The storage giant appears to be utilizing the Asus ROG Ally as a marketing tool for the new format. Naturally, it will also fit perfectly within gaming handhelds such as the Ayaneo S2 and the Asus ROG Ally. However, because it is more expensive than its competitors, the question of whether you will use it to improve your preferred portable powerhouse is an altogether separate issue.

The new 2230, which has been named WD Black SN770M, is the same size as the drive included in the Steam Deck and the Asus ROG Ally. Even though Western Digital is well-versed in producing the most effective SSD for gaming, this particular product is the first of its kind that the firm has made available. Despite this, seeing yet another competitor enter the fray is encouraging, and the newly presented option packs quite a punch.

The manufacturer states that the drive can have rates of up to 5,150MB/s, which indicates that you may be able to reduce the time it takes for your Steam Deck and ROG Ally to load. Although a more affordable 512GB option is available for $74.98, the 1TB and 2TB capacities will set you back an additional $109.99 and $219.99, respectively. The price of the cheaper choice is because there is a more affordable option available.

Although the WD Black SN770M price isn’t absurdly high, a 1 terabyte Sabrent Rocket drive can typically be purchased for less than one hundred dollars. Having said that, Western Digital’s approach appears capable of reaching greater read/write rates than its competitors, which may appeal to prosumers trying to beef up the performance of their handheld gaming PC. Because many other laptops and other devices on the market use 2230 drives, portable media players are not the only category of consumers who could benefit from this new drive.

Should you buy the WD Black SN770M?

If you want to be able to take a larger portion of your PC library with you everywhere you go, purchasing the WD Black SN770M could help you permanently increase the capacity of your portable storage device. Having said that, before you go out and spend a lot of money on additional internal storage, you should ask yourself if you need it. If not, microSD cards could help you accomplish the same at a lower cost. Before purchasing any replacement SSD, including the WD Black SN770M, users of Steam Decks should consider whether or not they are interested in the upgrade itself.

While expanding the amount of storage space available on an Asus ROG Ally is a reasonably simple process, using a portable powerhouse created by Valve is slightly more complicated. In other words, if you are not confident in your ability to disassemble your cherished handheld device, your best bet is to find an expert to install the drive for you or purchase a new microSD card. It is possible that selecting the first alternative will cause the overall cost of the upgrade to increase, which may require selecting an alternative storage solution that is less expensive than the WD Black SN770M.