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The field of gaming, both as a professional career and as a leisure activity, has experienced substantial growth in the past decade. There has been a remarkable increase in the popularity of content creators in the gaming industry, and new AAA games have emerged, transforming previously fantastical concepts into tangible experiences. As these games continue to advance technologically and expand in scope, the demand for more powerful hardware has steadily increased, especially more so with the rise of competitive gaming.
When building a personal computer, gamers often get overwhelmed with components such as graphics cards and chipsets while overlooking other crucial components like physical storage. To clarify the significance of storage devices in gaming, Khalid Wani, Senior Director of Sales, India, for Western Digital, in an exclusive interview with News18, addressed various questions pertaining to the expanding market for storage devices.
We ask him about the key points one should keep in mind while purchasing storage devices, how the company’s WD_BLACK portfolio is shaping up, and if the company is working to build platforms for the gamer community.
News18: How important storage devices are for online gaming? Please break it down.
Khalid: The gaming industry is undergoing a significant change, underpinned by visually stunning games with ever-expanding file sizes. AAA titles, renowned for their high fidelity, can reach sizes exceeding hundreds of gigabytes. Furthermore, ongoing updates and additions, such as enriched plots and updated maps, contribute to the burgeoning size of games. Our study, “Insights into Next-Gen Indian PC Gamer,” revealed that 51% of gamers attribute bad gameplay to slow loading times, while 39% and 36% cite frame loss and visual stuttering, respectively. Slow storage, cited by 57% of respondents, has the most pronounced impact on gameplay.
Recognizing gamers’ demands for tailored solutions, our WD_BLACK portfolio offers premium, purpose-built storage solutions designed to meet evolving industry needs. Among these, the WD_BLACK SN850X NVMe SSD stands out, leveraging NVMeTM technology to deliver read speeds of up to 7,300 MB/s, ensuring elite gaming experiences with minimal load times.
With storage capacities of up to 4TB, this drive empowers gamers while providing essential features like the WD_BLACK Dashboard for drive health monitoring. Additionally, it incorporates forward-thinking Game Mode 2.0 capabilities (Windows only) such as predictive loading, overhead balancing, and adaptive thermal management. Within our WD_BLACK portfolio, a range of SSDs and HDDs cater specifically to the gaming community regardless of the platform, further solidifying our commitment to enhancing gaming performance and satisfaction.
News18: What should gamers keep in mind while selecting storage devices?
Khalid: When choosing storage devices, gamers should prioritize three key aspects: speed, capacity, and intelligence. Speed ensures smooth gaming by swiftly delivering data to the CPU and GPU. As games grow larger, with some exceeding 200 GB, ample storage capacity becomes crucial, including efficient access to external libraries. Intelligent storage solutions are akin to a racing car’s fuel tank, predicting and adapting to gaming demands.
A smart SSD optimizes performance and reliability, mirroring the flexibility and precision of a high-performance racing machine. Our WD_BLACK portfolio embodies these principles, offering speed, capacity, and intelligence finely tuned to meet the needs of today’s gamers, ensuring seamless experiences and maximum enjoyment.
Our flagship product, the WD_BLACK SN850X NVMe SSD is equipped with Game Mode 2.0 capabilities (Windows only) such as predictive loading, overhead balancing, and adaptive thermal management.
News18: What’s new with the WD_BLACK portfolio and which types of gamers is it designed for?
Khalid: Our WD_BLACK portfolio is specially designed to meet the needs of the rapidly growing gaming industry. We have a wide range of gaming storage solutions for the most popular gaming platforms, designed for professional and casual gamers and their unique needs and devices, and continue to add innovative products to our award-winning WD_BLACK gaming portfolio so that gamers have more options to enhance their gaming experience.
From gaming enthusiasts to professional gamers, we have storage solutions that cater to every gamer’s needs. For example, our WD_BLACK SN850X NVMe SSD is designed for a gamer who wants to invest in a premium gaming rig. While the WD_BLACK SN770 NVMe SSD featuring a PCIe Gen4 interface and delivering read speeds of up to 5,150MB/s (1TB and 2TB models) is for a gamer who wants a powerful mid-range gaming rig. Our WD_BLACK SN850P NVMe SSD is officially licensed for the PlayStation 5 console; with up to 4TB of storage capacity it allows gamers to store more titles with worry-free installation.
News18: What are some of Western Digital’s initiatives for developing platforms to support the gamer community?
Khalid: At Western Digital, we work with various stakeholders in the ecosystem to create platforms that help promote professional gaming and esports in India. Over the past few years, WD_BLACK has created multiple programs for gamers to participate in and showcase their skills and knowledge. One of these is the WD_BLACK Cup esports tournament to support the esports community. This flagship event offers gamers a platform to showcase their expertise, compete, and learn new techniques alongside renowned gaming influencers and esports players.
The WD_BLACK Cup has become one of India’s largest esports tournaments, experiencing increased participation each year. In its fourth edition, the tournament featured top Indian gamers and offered substantial rewards, including a total prize pool of approximately Rs 13 lakhs. Given that there has been an increase in women participating in such events, we have also introduced specific tournaments for women called LUNA.
News18: What are Western Digital’s future plans for gaming devices and how are they adapting to consumer needs?
Khalid: In today’s market, consumers seek swift, compact storage devices with expansive capacities. Our WD_BLACK portfolio is specially designed to meet the needs of the rapidly growing gaming ecosystem whether it’s PC, console, or handheld gaming. Our WD_BLACK portfolio includes products like WD_BLACK SN770 NVMe SSD, WD_BLACK SN850X NVMe SSD, WD_BLACK SN850P NVMe SSD for PS5 consoles, WD_BLACK P40 Game Drive SSD, and WD_BLACK P10 Game Drive, to name a few products. Our extensive range of gaming storage solutions are designed for every gamer, across diverse devices.
