Sony is adding built-in storage to a new PlayStation Portal model for Japan and South Korea, though it hasn't said how much storage it has or what it will be used for. The PlayStation Portal Player Midnight Black goes on sale December 10 for ¥39,980 in Japan and ₩378,000 in South Korea, the same price the current model sells for after this year's price hikes. Preorders open November 13, and each unit ships with one month of PlayStation Plus Premium. Like the Japan-only Midnight Black PS5, both versions are locked to the local language and only work with PlayStation accounts registered in that country. Sony's Japanese post only says the storage is there for future features, with details to follow once those are decided.

Interestingly, the Korean post calls it expanded internal storage instead of new storage, which makes sense since the Portal needs some flash just to run its OS. The "Remote" part of the name is also gone, so the device is now simply the PlayStation Portal Player, as it can stream games from the cloud without a PS5 these days. Everything else carries over, including the 8-inch 1080p 60 FPS LCD, haptic feedback, adaptive triggers, and 3D Audio. That also means no OLED panel, which leaker KeplerL2 claimed back in January would come with a refreshed Portal sometime in 2026. Offline play or local downloads would be the obvious guess for the storage, though Sony hasn't confirmed anything along those lines. There's also no word on a wider release, so buyers elsewhere shouldn't hold out for this model just yet.

QNAP Systems, Inc., a leading innovator in storage, networking, and data protection solutions, today launched the ES2486AFdc, a high-availability (HA) NVMe all-flash storage array engineered for mission-critical applications. The ES2486AFdc is QNAP's first enterprise-class storage combining Active-Active dual controllers with a U.2/U.3 NVMe all-flash architecture. Addressing the market challenges of high costs and limited availability caused by a shrinking number of SAS SSD suppliers, it breaks the performance bottlenecks of traditional HA systems limited by SAS interfaces. Utilizing a PCIe Gen 4 architecture, it delivers exceptional low latency and high throughput. Powered by the ZFS-based QES operating system, it ensures zero data loss and serves as the perfect foundation for enterprise virtualization environments, VDI desktop deployments, and core databases, providing outstanding reliability to minimize downtime and prevent business interruptions.

With the high cost of enterprise-grade SAS SSDs today, the ES2486AFdc's active-active shared storage architecture enables dual controllers to share a single all-flash storage pool. This eliminates the heavy expense of building two separate storage systems, greatly maximizes hardware resource utilization, and significantly reduces the total cost of ownership (TCO) for enterprises.

Rockstar has moved GTA 6's pre-load up by two days. According to an updated Newswire post and support page, digital pre-orders can now start downloading on November 10, instead of the November 12 date announced back in June. The exact timing depends on the console. On PlayStation 5, the pre-load unlocks at midnight local time in the user's respective time zone. Xbox Series X|S gets a single global unlock at 12 a.m. GMT, which works out to 7 PM ET or 4 PM PT on November 9 for players in North America, while the full launch is still set for November 19.

Rockstar also put a number on the file size for the first time, saying the pre-load will need "up to 212 GB of available space depending on your device." That's a touch above the 210 GB figure a dataminer pulled from the PlayStation Store backend last week, but it's safe to say it was an accurate leak. The "depending on your device" bit suggests the PS5 and Xbox builds won't be exactly the same size, though Rockstar didn't share a per-console breakdown. That does mean that on a launch PS5 with roughly 667 GB of usable storage, GTA 6 alone would eat close to a third of the drive.

FUJIFILM Corporation will invest approximately 10 billion yen at its Kanagawa Factory, Odawara Site, to increase its production capacity for data storage magnetic tape by approximately five times. The investment will strengthen Fujifilm's stable supply system for magnetic tape in response to growing data archiving demand accompanying the spread of generative AI. This investment, to be made from fiscal 2026 through fiscal 2028, will be used to expand manufacturing facilities and increase personnel to strengthen the production structure.

The rapid spread of generative AI and cloud services is driving exponential growth in the volume of data generated worldwide. As a result, establishing environments in which the enormous amounts of data accumulated through AI training and inference as well as the digitalization of business activities can be stored and utilized securely and efficiently is becoming increasingly important in supporting the digital society. Magnetic tape can store large volumes of data over long periods at low cost and can also be physically isolated from networks.

QNAP Systems, Inc., a leading innovator in computing, networking, and storage solutions, today introduced industry-leading high-capacity JBOD expansion units featuring USB4 connectivity: the 8-bay desktop TL-D810TC4 and 12-bay rackmount TL-R1210TC4-RP, delivering up to 40 Gbps theoretical bandwidth. Their USB4 Type-C ports are also compatible with Thunderbolt 5/4/3, giving creators and businesses a convenient, cost-efficient, and flexible way to expand storage.

The new USB4 JBOD series supports SATA 6 Gb/s HDDs and SSDs, allowing users to flexibly expand their NAS or computer storage based on their environment and workflow needs. This enables rapid capacity expansion and enhanced data protection. Its optimized ventilation and active cooling ensure stable performance and long-term reliability during extended operation. Whether for short-term projects, media creators requiring high-speed expansion, or businesses focused on long-term archiving and scheduled backups, the QNAP USB4 JBOD series delivers a dependable and flexible storage expansion solution.

The memory crunch looks like it is hitting the PlayStation 6 harder than expected. Hardware leaker KeplerL2 claims on NeoGAF that the RAM and NAND flash storage in Sony's next console alone cost over $680. He posted it as a reply to a forum member who floated $680 as a possible subsidized retail price, which pretty much puts that idea to rest. Keep in mind that figure covers only memory and storage, before the APU, cooling, power supply, and the rest of the hardware are counted. This is not the first time Kepler has updated his estimate. Back in March, he put the console's bill of materials at around $760, and by July, that had climbed to roughly $960.

Current leaks suggest the PS6 uses GDDR7 memory on a 160-bit bus with support for up to 40 GB, with 30 GB considered the more likely configuration. There have also been reports that Sony looked into cutting memory capacity to keep costs down, and the culprit is the same as everywhere else: AI data centers are soaking up DRAM and NAND supply, which pushes prices up for everyone. Sony has said nothing official about PS6 pricing, so it's reasonable to treat all of this with some caution. That said, if memory prices stay where they are, a PS6 that costs significantly more than the PS5 Pro seems likely, and a $1,000 price tag now looks quite possible.

SP Industrial introduces six new Enterprise SSD solutions designed for AI, data center storage, and boot drive applications. Built with 3D eTLC Flash, advanced controllers, DRAM, and Power Failure Protection (PFP), and spanning E1.S, U.2, M.2 2280, and 2.5" SATA form factors, the new lineup delivers high performance, data protection, and reliable operation for demanding workloads.

E1.S: Optimized for High-Density Data Center Storage
The EE1S3F0 E1.S SSD is designed for AI and data center storage environments where performance, density, and thermal deployment are important considerations. Featuring a PCIe Gen 5 interface, 3D eTLC Flash, DRAM, PFP, and namespace support, the drive offers capacities of up to 7.6 TB, with both 1 DWPD and 3 DWPD endurance options available. The E1.S form factor is well suited to 1U data center architectures, supporting efficient airflow and flexible thermal deployment.

Data center semiconductor company FADU (CEO: Ehyun Nam) announced on the 15th that it revealed the world's first 'File-Semantic SSD' (FS-SSD) at '2026 OCP Global Summit' currently being held in San Jose Convention Center, California, U.S. and showcased storage solutions optimized for AI data centers along with the company's vision.

'OCP Global Summit' is an official annual conference of Open Compute Project (OCP), world's largest open data center technology community founded in 2011. As an event where major global big tech companies, semiconductor companies along with server and infrastructure manufacturers gather, this year's event featured 'Scaling Innovation for the AI Era' as the theme.

Sandisk today announced the SANDISK Guardian Series, a new portfolio of high-endurance storage solutions engineered for the always-on cameras and systems consumers rely on to record and monitor important moments. Designed for use with compatible home security cameras, dash cams and built-in monitoring systems, SANDISK Guardian Series enables continuous recording with the durability to withstand harsh environmental conditions, and the continuous overwriting cameras require.

As cameras become increasingly central to monitoring homes, families, vehicles and personal property, consumers need storage that can withstand the demands of 24/7 recording to help support recorded footage availability when they need it. The SANDISK Guardian Series was developed to support those needs with high-endurance storage solutions designed for continuous operation, broad compatibility and dependable local recording.

TerraMaster, a professional brand specializing in innovative storage products, today announced the launch of four new enterprise rackmount storage servers: the U8-725, U12-725, U12-725 Plus and U16-725 Plus. Designed for medium and large businesses, creative studios, virtualization environments, surveillance deployments and AI-driven workloads, the new lineup combines high-performance processing, flexible storage expansion, high-speed networking and integrated data protection to provide a scalable platform for demanding business environments.

Powered by TerraMaster's TOS 7 AI-native operating system, the new servers are designed to support multiple business-critical workloads from a single platform, including enterprise file services, media collaboration, virtualization, centralized surveillance storage, AI dataset access, backup and disaster recovery. The Ux-725 series is built around Intel Xeon D processors and features ECC memory, NVMe SSD cache acceleration and high-bandwidth networking to provide responsive performance for business applications, virtual machines and large file transfers.

QNAP Systems, Inc., a leading computing, networking and storage solution innovator, today launched the new short-depth rackmount NAS TS-432XeU. Featuring high-speed 10GbE/2.5GbE connectivity, a quad-core ARM processor, flexible expansion and backup options, and support for Docker container applications, the TS-432XeU enables small and medium-sized businesses to quickly build a reliable, high-performance, and easy-to-manage storage and collaboration environment—while minimizing deployment costs.

Sean Teng, Product Manager at QNAP"Designed with both performance and space efficiency in mind, the TS-432XeU combines 10GbE/2.5GbE networking and four USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports to support external backup, fast data ingestion, and flexible capacity expansion. Whether handling daily backups or supporting multi-user collaboration, the TS-432XeU delivers efficient performance while giving SMBs greater operational flexibility and lower long-term storage costs."

Final Fantasy 7 Revelation may need around 200 GB of storage, according to game director Naoki Hamaguchi. Speaking to VGC at Tokyo Game Show 2026, he was asked whether the download would be larger than the two Blu-ray discs used for the previous games. Here's what he said:

"In a word, yes. Things are still getting worked out, but it's probably going to be around 200 GB of game. I understand there are a lot of opinions about this topic, but at the end of the day, the fact is we need to overcome the hardware to a certain extent.

One thing I want to say is, even though the game will not be on the full disc, in the position we're in, because discs may be dying out, or maybe staying, with Final Fantasy 7 Revelation, we definitely wanted to deliver some kind of physical product. That was really important to us. Trust me!"

Goodram is introducing Master, a consumer NVMe PCIe 5.0 SSD designed for next-generation platforms. The new model is aimed at gamers, content creators, professionals and PC enthusiasts who demand top performance when working with large files, the latest games and AI-powered applications.

Thanks to the PCIe 5.0 x4 interface, Goodram Master delivers sequential read speeds of up to 14,000 MB/s, write speeds of up to 13,000 MB/s and performance of up to 2,000,000 IOPS. These specifications translate into shorter application and game loading times, faster transfers of large files and high system responsiveness even during intensive multitasking.

QNAP Systems, Inc., a leading computing, networking, and storage solution innovator, today announced the new TVS-hx77AX enterprise hybrid ZFS NAS series. Comprising the 16-bay TVS-h1677AX, 12-bay TVS-h1277AX, and 8-bay TVS-h877AX, this lineup is powered by AMD Ryzen 7000 series processors and DDR5 memory. Featuring native NFS over RDMA support, the series is engineered for high-load AI model training, virtualization, and 4K video collaboration, setting a new performance benchmark for desktop NAS form factors.

Compute Core: Zen 4 Architecture and DDR5 Synergy
Powered by AMD Ryzen 7000 series processors based on the cutting-edge Zen 4 architecture, the TVS-hx77AX series delivers a significant boost in Instructions Per Clock (IPC) performance. Paired with up to 192 GB of DDR5 memory (ECC optional), the NAS effortlessly handles concurrent virtual machines (VMs), containerized application development, and high-throughput data decompression workloads.

We are on the ground at IFA 2026 in Berlin, and Lexar used the floor to show off the Muse, a portable SSD the company is calling the world's thinnest. It measures just 3.8mm at its thickest point, tapering to about 1mm at the edges. That's closer to a credit card than the SSD bricks most people are used to carrying. However, getting there meant losing the USB-C port entirely. The Muse instead uses SnapLink, a proprietary pogo-pin connector held in place by N52-grade neodymium magnets, paired with a separate magnetic cable that terminates in USB-C. That also means that if you lose the SnapLink cable, the Muse is pretty much dead weight, since there's no standard port to fall back on.

The speeds are unremarkable for this class of drive, with up to 1,050 MB/s reads and 1,000 MB/s writes, and support for 4K ProRes recording at up to 120 FPS on compatible iPhones. Lexar also throws in a magnetic sleeve so the drive can sit on the back of a MagSafe-compatible iPhone. It launches in 512GB and 1TB capacities in Q4 2026, but there's no word on pricing yet. Lexar also hasn't shared sustained write or thermal numbers, so it's not clear yet how that thin aluminium shell handles heat during a long video dump. Lexar showed the Muse alongside its AI Storage Core lineup at the show, marking the company's 30th year in the memory business.

Minisforum, a Global Edge Computing Solution Brand & System Integrator, today unveiled two new local AI computing solutions powered by the AMD Ryzen AI MAX+ PRO 495 processor: the AI Mini Workstation MS-S1 MAX-P495 and the AI Agent NAS N5 MAX-P495. The new solutions mark Minisforum's continued commitment to democratizing AI computing by bringing powerful local AI capabilities to a broader range of users and real-world applications. With up to 131 TOPS of AI compute performance, 192 GB of memory at 8533 MT/s, and up to 160 GB of graphics memory, the two solutions support larger models, more complex AI workloads, and next-generation edge AI applications.

Lineup Highlights:
1. AI Agent NAS N5 MAX-P495
AI data infrastructure, storage + compute, and persistent AI. Engineered for local data management and AI processing, the N5 MAX-P495 offers massive bandwidth and high-density compute:

Ugreen, a leading global consumer technology company, is due to showcase the Ugreen NASync DXP6800 Ultra and DXP8800 Ultra at IFA 2026. Designed as powerful local data centers for small studios and growing businesses, the new systems extend Ugreen's NAS portfolio beyond storage and backup to support high-speed collaboration, centralized data management, and local business applications.

To meet the growing storage, computing, and collaboration needs of creative studios and expanding businesses, Ugreen developed the DXP Ultra Series as the highest-performance tier in its NASync portfolio. Bringing high-capacity storage, high-speed connectivity, centralized data management, and expandable computing power into one local platform, the series helps teams manage large media workflows, protect critical business data, and run lightweight business applications on infrastructure they control.

Toshiba Electronics Europe GmbH (Toshiba) has announced the availability of its S300 AI Surveillance Hard Drive in retail packaging, making its AI-optimized surveillance storage easier for professional users to source through retail and e-commerce channels. First introduced in bulk packaging in November 2025, the S300 AI is now available in retail packaging to support a broader range of purchasing models while delivering the same enterprise-grade performance and reliability.

The S300 AI retail range is aimed at professional surveillance deployments, including system integrators, IT resellers and security installers deploying advanced video analytics. By extending availability beyond traditional surveillance distribution channels, Toshiba makes it easier for customers to purchase replacement drives or smaller deployment quantities through established retail and online distribution channels while continuing to use storage designed specifically for AI-enabled surveillance workloads.

Samsung Electronics a global leader in advanced memory technology, today unveiled the P9 and P7, its next-generation portable solid-state drives (SSDs) featuring USB4 connectivity. The company introduced the new P Series at Gamescom 2026, the world's largest gaming event, held in Cologne, Germany from Aug. 26-30.

Designed to meet rapidly growing storage demands driven by ultra-high-resolution video, AI content, and large-scale games, the P Series includes the flagship P9, which delivers high-end performance for professional users, and the P7, designed for fast and convenient storage across everyday use cases.

Sandisk today announced two new storage solutions officially licensed by The Pokémon Company International: the Sandisk Pokémon USB-C Flash Drive, Mew Edition and the Sandisk Pokémon Portable SSD, Mewtwo Edition that bring together trusted Sandisk performance with designs that pay homage to two iconic Pokémon. Celebrating 30 years of Pokémon fandom, the new products offer a comprehensive storage system for today's multi-device lifestyles, making it easy for fans to help protect, carry and manage their digital content. Featuring Sandisk's proven performance and Pokémon-inspired designs, the new lineup pays tribute to a franchise that delights fans around the world.

Crafted for creators, collectors, and Pokémon Trainers alike, the drives feature tactile 2D surfaces of Mew and Mewtwo while delivering the portability, compatibility, and reliability users expect from Sandisk. Whether it's backing up photos from conventions, organizing game captures, transferring creative projects, or expanding storage across compatible devices, the new collection transforms everyday storage into a functional collectible that lets fans carry a piece of Pokémon wherever their next adventure takes them.

Lexar introduced the Thor Ultra series of PCIe 5.0 NVMe SSDs with 512 GB, 1 TB, 2 TB and 4 TB capacities. The M.2 2280 drives use a PCIe 5.0 x4 interface and according to Lexar, they can achieve speeds of up to 11 GB/s sequential read and 10 GB/s sequential write on the 1 TB, 2 TB, and 4 TB models. The 512 GB version is "a bit slower," being rated at up to 9,9/5 GB/s. Random performance goes up to 2.2 million IOPS for reads and 1.9 million IOPS for writes, again, depending on capacity. Endurance is rated at 350 TBW for the 512 GB model, 750 TBW for 1 TB, 1,500 TBW for 2 TB, and 3,000 TBW for 4 TB.

The drives feature Dynamic SLC Cache and HMB, along with a 6 nm DRAM-less controller and power management system designed to reduce heat generation and thermal throttling. Lexar Thor Ultra NVMe SSDs are backed by a 1.5 million hours MTBF or a five-year limited warranty, whichever comes first. With the drives, Lexar adds its DiskMaster Manage, a dedicated software to be used for firmware upgrades, checking health status, optimizing performance, and data protection. Pricing and availability have not yet been announced.

Chinese YMTC has been on a significant upswing, as confirmed by the global NAND Flash shipment market share tracker for the second quarter of this year. According to Counterpoint Research data, YMTC became the third-largest player in Q2, surpassing some of the biggest names in the industry. Leading the global NAND Flash shipment market share is Samsung, holding 25% of the market. In second place is SK hynix, along with its subsidiary Solidigm, commanding 22% of the market share. However, YMTC has claimed the third spot, with its bit shipments growing 22% year-over-year and 5% quarter-over-quarter, edging ahead of Micron, Kioxia, and Sandisk.

YMTC's rise to the third-largest player in the NAND Flash industry in Q2 is attributed to the substantial volume of shipments both domestically and internationally. YMTC's Xtacking 4.0 storage architecture is now in mass production with 267-layer 3D NAND, and the path to 300+ layer technology is anticipated for next year. This, combined with a high production volume, has allowed YMTC to surpass established names with ease. However, market share does not equate to revenue share. Despite ranking third in market share, YMTC only ranked fifth in revenue share among vendors. This is because YMTC is currently focusing on consumer electronics, while Micron, Kioxia, and other vendors concentrate on the more profitable enterprise server and AI sectors.

DapuStor, a leading manufacturer of enterprise SSD products showcased at FMS2026: Future of Memory and Storage, announcing its highest-capacity 512 TB E2 SSD, liquid-cooled EDSFF designs and more. The company demonstrated how flash storage is evolving to support greater data density, performance and efficiency at scale.

New Innovations for AI Infrastructure
512 TB E2 R6060 SSD: Doubling the previous 245 TB capacity and enabling 1 PB with just two drives, the SSD is designed for scale-out storage and AI training clusters, with performance demonstrated through a test video.

On August 4, FMS 2026 (The Future of Memory and Storage), a premier global event in the memory and storage technology industry, officially opened in Santa Clara, California. Beijing Memblaze Technology Co., Ltd. (Memblaze), a world-renowned provider of enterprise PCIe SSDs, showcased its PBlaze7 series products. Highlighting core advantages in high performance, ultra-low latency, high reliability, and high density, Memblaze is building a robust storage foundation focused on the evolution of AI infrastructure, while exploring new enterprise storage opportunities with global customers and partners.

FMS 2026 brought together leading global memory and storage vendors, key ecosystem players, and industry clients to showcase cutting-edge technical achievements and product innovations. Driven by new demands from evolving AI technologies, intense discussions took place around groundbreaking high-bandwidth, low-latency storage and interconnect technologies—such as HBM4/HBM4e, higher-layer 3D NAND stacking, PCIe 6.0, and optical interconnects. Other key topics included data management for AI workloads, KV Cache optimization, performance tuning for ultra-large capacity SSDs, and storage software stack optimizations, jointly painting a new blueprint for AI-era storage architecture.

Silicon Motion Technology Corporation (NasdaqGS: SIMO), a global leader in designing and marketing NAND flash controllers for solid-state storage devices, today unveiled its new MonTitan SSD Reference Design Kit (RDK), featuring the company's next-generation patented PerformaShape technology. Designed for Agentic AI infrastructure, the platform enables enterprise SSDs to serve as a persistent memory layer supporting KV cache offload and autonomous AI agents, while delivering predictable QoS, sustained performance, and optimized endurance for dynamic, always-on Agentic AI workloads.

Agentic AI Redefines Enterprise Storage Requirements
Unlike conventional AI applications, AI agents continuously reason, act, retain context, and interact with external tools, generating diverse data types and rapidly changing access patterns. As AI data centers support continuous, multistep inference and increasingly large KV caches, enterprise SSDs must deliver high throughput, consistent latency, predictable QoS, and the endurance required for sustained, write-intensive operations.