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Video Games Chronicle reports that The Coalition used the Xbox Series S’s internal SSD as backing storage for selected Gears of War: E-Day data, then moved that data into the console’s actual RAM when needed. The SSD did not become RAM, and this developer-side technique is not something players can reproduce by buying extra storage.
What “SSD as makeshift RAM” means
RAM is fast working memory for data a game needs readily available; an SSD stores data more slowly but has much greater capacity. The Coalition’s reported approach used the Series S internal SSD to hold selected game data and transferred it into system RAM when needed. It was a software and game-engine memory-management technique, not a hardware change to the console.
In its October 5, 2026 report of a Digital Foundry interview, Video Games Chronicle says The Coalition used the method for detailed city data, selecting data that could be moved into RAM without an unacceptable slowdown during play. The Digital Foundry interview page was not accessible for independent review, so the implementation details and figures here are attributed to VGC’s account.
How much memory did the method reportedly free up?
VGC reports that the Xbox Series S has 10 GB of RAM, compared with 16 GB in the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5. According to the same report, using a couple of gigabytes of SSD storage for the technique added around one gigabyte of usable system memory for E-Day.
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That is a reported result for this game’s implementation—not a general rule that a certain amount of SSD storage converts into RAM. It also does not mean the console’s installed memory increased: the game still had to move data into real system RAM to use it.
What was the tradeoff for Series S?
VGC reports that The Coalition removed Lumen-based reflections on Series S while targeting 60 frames per second. The report does not establish that the SSD technique by itself delivered that frame rate; the memory strategy and the graphics compromise were parts of the broader effort to make the game run on the console.
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VGC paraphrases technical director Kate Rayner as saying the approach helped the studio avoid substantially lowering game quality. That should be understood as the reported benefit of the technique, not as a claim that Series S has the same rendering features or visual settings as other versions.
Does an SSD upgrade add RAM to your Xbox?
No. The technique described by VGC was an implementation by The Coalition, using the console’s internal SSD and the game’s data-management logic. An external SSD or storage expansion card may add room for games, but the available reporting does not say either can increase system RAM or recreate this method for players.
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How this relates to the PC version
In a July 14, 2026 article, Xbox Wire says E-Day is built with Unreal Engine 5 and DirectX 12 and describes PC features including hardware ray tracing, NVIDIA DLSS 4.5, NVIDIA Reflex, AMD FSR, Unreal Engine TSR, Intel XeSS, and Advanced Shader Delivery on compatible hardware. Those PC technologies are separate from the reported Series S SSD-backed memory technique; the Xbox Wire article does not independently confirm that technique.
Quick Recap
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- EFFORTLESS XBOX INTEGRATION. Officially licensed for Xbox Series X|S consoles.
- ROOM FOR MORE GAMES. Up to 2TB(1) of storage gives you space to grow your library by up to 50(4) more games.
- NVME SPEED YOU CAN FEEL. Low-latency performance matches Xbox Velocity Architecture, so games play directly from the card.
- QUICK RESUME READY. Instantly switch between multiple suspended games without losing progress or waiting.
- XBOX GAME PASS ULTIMATE. Enjoy a 1-month trial with access to hundreds of games across console, PC, and cloud(2).
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