Seagate to provide LD25 hard drives for Xbox 360

Microsoft's Xbox 360 is set to use hard drive technology from storage specialist Seagate, with the company announcing that its new LD25 2.5" discs are to be used as the removable drives for the console.

Seagate announced the LD25 range of drives in a statement last night, describing the new drives as specifically designed for use in game systems, home entertainment devices and small form factor PCs.

The drives will be available in 20GB, 30GB and 40GB variants, with the Xbox 360 set to ship with the 20GB version of the hardware - which will be used for applications ranging from downloading game content to storing video messages and custom soundtracks.

"The hard drive extends the gaming experience on Xbox 360," explained Microsoft's corporate VP of Xbox hardware, Todd Holmdahl. "From downloading trailers, new game levels, maps, weapons, vehicles, and more to supporting custom playlists in every game and storing video messages from friends, Seagate's LD25 Series 2.5-inch hard drive brings gaming and digital media together for the ultimate entertainment experience."

According to Seagate, the new drives use a technology called DynaPlay, which optimises their performance to reduce power consumption and improve media streaming and security, while motors using a technology called SoftSonic mean that the drive runs more quietly than its competitors.

Seagate joins an impressive line-up of technology partners who are working with Microsoft on the new console, including CPU provider IBM, graphics chipset designer ATI and wireless solution provider RTX Telecom.