External Drive swap to/from XBOX S/X and XBOXone

[GrizzLee]

Just recently acquired a Series X a few days ago.

 

I now have 2 XBOX ones and a Series X. (BTW: Going to sell one of the XBOX one machines... anyone want a Halo edition XBOXone? ? ).

 

My constraints (as background info)...

1) I live in an area with slooow internet connection speeds (Slow DSL modem). That's the price I pay for living on large property in the woods.

2) As a result of slow internet, I can't really do online gaming (no biggie to me, save for Halo ?  )

3) I have an Xbox one in my game room and a second Xbox one in my family room.

 

I am going to replace the XBOXone in my game room with the series X and keep the XBOXone in the family room.

I have about 7 TB of games spread over a couple of external drives. Because of (1) I transfer games from one drive to another to play in the family room as needed.

 

I am in the middle of playing Red Dead 2. I took my external drive and plugged into my Series X and it stated the game needed an update. A day later, the update was complete. However, I then took the drive to my XBOXone to play in the family room and again it stated that Red Dead 2 needed an update (probably to downgrade the game to play on the one I suspect). As of this note, it was still updating. So I am now 3 days out and still not able to play Read Dead 2 because I moved the drive back and forth (treating it like a game cartridge ? ). Note, I have not tried any other games due to time constraints. So this may be an isolated case. 

 

However, this got me to thinking that due to the X/S enhancements on many games, that I might be faced with this time and time again.  I have read that one can move the XBOXone drives to the Series X/S seamlessly (possibly needing updates), but regression to the XBOXone appears to be a problem to do what I am trying to do. I realize I'm an outlier here, with 2 Gens of XBOXs and slooooow internet, but it is the eco system I have at the moment.  Can anyone confirm that you can move drives back and forth without constant updating between the new and the old... or is this world I am stuck with? I guess I may need to keep two sets of drives, one for each system. A real PITA and a hit to the pocketbook and my time. I didn't realize this was going to be a problem. Or is it?

 

Thanks for any advice.

Edited January 4, 2022 by GrizzLee
spelling

[Jagosaurus]

I recently saw a video of someone critiquing XB's Smart Delivery for something similar. Basically, would be beneficial if MS let you choose which version of the game to DL. Maybe I don't want the 4K textures taking up HDD space, but it always defaults to best possible on that system. My guess is it's pulling the best optimized version of the game for your console in use. 

[GrizzLee]

9 hours ago, Jagosaurus said:

I recently saw a video of someone critiquing XB's Smart Delivery for something similar. Basically, would be beneficial if MS let you choose which version of the game to DL. Maybe I don't want the 4K textures taking up HDD space, but it always defaults to best possible on that system. My guess is it's pulling the best optimized version of the game for your console in use. 

Thanks for the reply,,

 

Yes, more testing and that's exactly what it's doing. Optimizing for the system.

 

I've come to the realization that if I want to keep my setup that I'm going to  have to buy another external drive and basically keep 2 of them updated ... more or less. As more series X/S exclusive content becomes available, I'll have to keep that on the new box only. 

 

The point of of the new hardware is to advance the game fidelity and experience. I perhaps, should have waited to upgrade at this point. 

 

Btw, smart select of D/L content would be awesome for me, especially if they can let me choose the offline aspects, such as the campaign/story modes of games. Example, for the new halo, I am only going to be able to enjoy the campaign mode because of my slow internet.  Hopefully within a year or so, that'll change as my ISP is claiming to run fiber optic out my way. The slow internet has kept me from getting gamepass as well. Again, another reason why I should have waited. 

[Jagosaurus]

@GrizzLee ... If you play Halo MCC, I imagine those updates have been brutal for you! That file is now 90+ GB ?

 

I've noticed some of the optimized backward compat 360s games pulled both versions! I have 2x Halo 3 copies under my games. One is GB+ bigger. Assuming due to the additional textures and optimized code ?‍♂️

[GrizzLee]

1 hour ago, Jagosaurus said:

@GrizzLee ... If you play Halo MCC, I imagine those updates have been brutal for you! That file is now 90+ GB ?

 

I've noticed some of the optimized backward compat 360s games pulled both versions! I have 2x Halo 3 copies under my games. One is GB+ bigger. Assuming due to the additional textures and optimized code ?‍♂️

Oh boy... I hope there will be a FAQ published somewhere at some point explaining the details.

 

I gotta say the XBOXone experience has been very painful for me since getting it while simultaneously I moved out of the burbs and into the country. But that's the price for serenity. Pushing 60 and ready to retire, I may be done with modern gaming. I still have a huge back log of underplayed games going back to my Atari 2600. Just recently got my Analogue systems and EverDrives. So there is lots to explore and play to keep me fulfilled.  Chopping wood and touring the planet on my bike will keep me happy.

 

 

My man cave (not my video)

 

Cheers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 6, 2022 by GrizzLee

[Jagosaurus]

The EverDrives opened up a ton of options for me! Currently I am really enjoying the XB backwards compatible library. I still keep my modded OGX and 360E around for those not on the list. 

 

Nice! I'm still in the 'burbs, battling up the corporate ladder  ... Really only ~12-13 years into my post college career, but get the family to the outdoors as much as possible. I plan on buying some land a couple hours away within the next 10 years and slowly developing over time. That said... I understand, congrats, and think the slow internet trade off is worth it. Besides... Elon will have Star Link all figured out by the time I get there ?

[GrizzLee]

On 1/9/2022 at 9:33 PM, Jagosaurus said:

The EverDrives opened up a ton of options for me! Currently I am really enjoying the XB backwards compatible library. I still keep my modded OGX and 360E around for those not on the list. 

 

Nice! I'm still in the 'burbs, battling up the corporate ladder  ... Really only ~12-13 years into my post college career, but get the family to the outdoors as much as possible. I plan on buying some land a couple hours away within the next 10 years and slowly developing over time. That said... I understand, congrats, and think the slow internet trade off is worth it. Besides... Elon will have Star Link all figured out by the time I get there ?

I gave up the corporate ladder chase many years ago. I was ask and even coerced to go into management. I found managing budgets, head count and deadlines not to be my cuppa tea. You have to become a pretty good manipulator at twisting facts for reports and everyone above and below you always have issues. Instead, I stuck to my real interest.. mechanical/aero engineering. Along the way I worked with the feds, NTSB/FAA/NASA/Army/Air Force/Navy and even got to work with the international space station... a dream I had in college. I have had a fun and rewarding ride. No complaints.

 

I wish you luck with your endeavors. Not sure how folks can manage these days with rising inflation, college debt, expensive autos, housing skyrocketing beyond comprehension (In Western Washington, it is insane).

 

FYI..

My word of advice to all folks. Take a leave of absence (6 mos to a year off) and go do a grand adventure. Doesn't have to be a grandiose expedition, but world travel is an eye opener. Unplug for at least a month (take a break from politics, world/work problems, facebook, friends, etc..). It'll change your life and give you perspective. I did this a few times, the first and most memorable (A true eye opening experience) was when my son was 11 years old. Lived all summer (4 months) in the Yukon, NWT and Alaska... mostly in a tent. Trekked across the tundra above the arctic circle, went as far north as one possibly can by roads on the N American continent, a dream paddle expedition in Prince William Sound, 500 mile paddle expedition on the Yukon River, backpacked the Chilkoot trail, flew out to a native village on the Beaufort sea, stayed in numerous native villages, camped on glaciers, ate wild caribou, salmon, grayling, moose and bear meat.. courtesy of the the indigenous people. Met an 80 year old medicine man in a remote village (a man of true wisdom). All done by the seat of my pants (not booked with a travel agency) and done on a very modest budget (no campground fees, no reservations, no commercial flights or paid guided tours). Came back a transformed human being both mentally and physically. All experiences my family treasure more than anything else. Experiences we will never forget. It does sound like a cliche, but really, life is too short and time goes by fast. We only get 30000 days or so in this life. Don't sit it out in an office, planning those 2 weeks of vacation a year while paying for those 2 cars and a house.

 

Edited January 12, 2022 by GrizzLee

[Jagosaurus]

@GrizzLee living the dream! Appreciate the advice. Add me on Xbox, tag: xJAGOx