A Solid State Hybrid Drive a Gamer Can Cuddle Up To

One of my favorite questions to ask myself when being presented with something new is “Why Should I Care?” I don’t ask it to be rude or insulting, but I do want to know the value or importance of something and how it could impact my life. It’s a natural inclination, right? We all want to know how something will benefit us before we make that commitment whether it be a new idea, a new device, a change in the status quo, or in this case – the Momentus XT.

This week we announced the release the Momentus XT hard drive and after watching some YouTube videos showcasing the power and speed of the drive, the first thing I thought was “Why Should I Care?” Yes, it’s faster, but is that enough of a big deal? I wanted to chronicle this thought process because for all intents, I’m seeing this through the same rookie eyes as many of you may be.

I’ve mentioned before that I’m a gamer at heart and while I’m no longer in that industry, I remain a keen observer. (R.I.P. GamePro.) One of the things that struck me as interesting in learning more about the Momentus XT was how this could impact PC gaming. I spoke with a friend over at Icrontic to get his take on the release of this drive and the comparison videos and what I learned was revealing.

He agreed that the speed increase for the drive is important and isn’t something that should be glossed over, but what is a crucial bullet point that makes this the true competition killer is the 750GB space availability combined with such speed. Our conversation evolved to discuss how gamers keep their games long after completion.

You see, gaming isn’t just a hobby for some, but a lifestyle. It’s lived, breathed and consumed. If you’ve been gaming for any number of years, it isn’t something you can easily walk away from. That said, it makes sense that gamers would want to keep their games. They spend time, money and many a can of Mtn Dew to create characters, personalities, and in some cases, worlds. That kind of history and emotional connection is not something you can easily discard simply by selecting uninstall. To further prove Brian Ambrozy’s point (aka @primesuspect), he conducted an informal poll on his site to emphasize how passionate and dedicated the gaming community is around the importance of having adequate storage for games. I can’t say I was surprised when I saw how much space is used and how many games accumulated by respondents. It’s enough to warrant the cost of having a drive with that much space.

If you haven’t heard, there’s a little tradeshow that takes place every January in Las Vegas called the Consumer Electronics Show (CES). An idea we’ve been bouncing around internally for the show, is setting up a small “gaming lounge” where we can have a couple computers on hand to showcase the speed and power of the Momentus XT. While I try my best to act professional during these meetings, inside my head I’m screaming at the top of my lungs about how cool this is. Making a connection between gaming and storage is an easy one given how much space games require today. Besides, anything I can do to bridge the gap from my old life to my new one is a bonus.

It’s all coming together for me. What makes the Momentus XT a big deal is more than just the processing speed, the power and the glory of being the only solid-state hybrid drive with a whopping 750GB of storage space. (Stop me if I start to sound like an infomercial.) It’s about accessibility. It’s about stability. It’s about getting one step closer to that euphoric state of “instant-on” with a drive that boots so quickly, you won’t have time to grab a cup of coffee. It’s about having enough space for music, games, movies, photographs, software applications, Xzibit MEME’s, confidential documents from your favorite secret society, inspirational pictures of Star Trek’s Captain Kirk and everything else under the sun.