Back in my day, branded storage solutions were lucky to have more than a small decal slapped onto the side of it. Even my Outsiders-themed external drive that powered my PlayStation 5's extra storage was little more than a silk-screened logo atop one of Western Digital's WD_Black P10 drive. For many gamers, picking a themed hard drive to match the aesthetic of their setup, or merely support their favorite character or franchise, meant sacrificing performance for style. Seagate has proven this wrong with their numerous Limited Edition HDD and SSDs to date. Their latest release is a special collaboration with mihoYo for Genshin Impact, which Seagate sent me to try out for an unboxing and to take on the road to GDC next week.
Today, we're unboxing the latest in Seagate's line of Limited Edition Gaming SSD's based on one of Genshin Impact's earliest Electro Units: Cyno. This pocket-sized 1TB external drive is smaller than your average deck of playing cards. Coming in at just under 100x50x11mm, this drive was a no-brainer to throw into my everyday carry for when I need to capture some footage or snag a recording off a capture station.
The bright purple styling representing Cyno immediately stands out among the packages of other drives and headsets on my office wall, but no one buys a hard drive just to leave it sealed in box. Inside the package are just enough goodies to take this drive for a spin and immediately start storing your favorite content on-the-go. All around the unit are some runic designs, with a logo on the underside not quite the usual icon you'd see for Cyno in game but recognizable enough by the Anubis motif. Similar to the Starfield line of Seagate's Limited Edition drives, there is a full LED bar across the front shorter edge of the SSD. A small status LED also pokes out through the short edge of the drive opposite the USB Type-C 3.2 port.
With only a 65 gram weight, this Genshin Impact-themed drive can easily fit in a knapsack without even noticing it's there. Thumb drives used to be my transfer method of choice when it comes to snagging screenshots and video footage off my PlayStation 5 for reviews, but now that external SSD's like these have become more readily available and lightweight, I've reformed my ways. Seagate claims that the drive comes with both a three-year warranty and three years of their Rescue Data Recovery Services, so if one of my transfers does wind up going back, at least there's a chance to recover it.
The Seagate Genshin Impact Limited Edition SSD is truly a limited affair, being limited exclusively to their online webstore at $139.99. While the price comes in higher than most of their other themed drives, this one is a unique bit of kit that I could see Genshin Impact fans picking up for more Cyno merch representation in their homes.
