Taiwanese memory maker Apacer launches an SSD with a striking appearance-- the PT920 Commando PCIe NVMe SSD has a look more akin to a science fiction prop than regular storage device.

The company says the design is "inspired by an assault rifle... with details like sight aperture and ejection port." As one might expect, the SSD is aimed at the gamer market, seeing how it follows other PC components with a military-themed look, such as the Gigabyte G1-Killer Assassin motherboard.

Intel announces a lower-cost SSD option-- the SSD 545s, based on 64-layer TLCD 3D NAND flash memory technology allowing Chipzilla to squeeze even more storage on less chips.

The 545s is a followup on Intel's previous 540s models. It is a similar 2.5-inch drive, with performance reaching 550MB/s sequential read and 500MB/s sequential write. What makes it truly interesting is its being the first consumer drive using Intel's second generation 64-layer 3D NAND, as paired with an SM2258 controller.

The Drobo Direct Attached Storage (DAS) portfolio gets an addition-- the 5-bay Drobo 5D3, a storage solution featuring Thunderbolt 3 connectivity for a 2X performance boost over the previous Drobo 5D.

According to the company, Thunderbolt 3 connectivity also allows users to connect a pair a 4K monitors (or one 5K display) to the 5D3, or daisy-chain up to 6 Thunderbolt 3 devices, all with enough power to (slow) charge a laptop. It has two Thunderbolt 3 ports, together with a USB-C port.

Designed for prosumers and small businesses, the 5D3 fits up to five 3.5-inch SATA II/III drives. It also offers an mSATA accelerator bay for what Drobo claims is a performance boost of up to 30% on frequently accessed data. Further increasing speed and throughput is an upgraded processor, while BeyondRAID technology allows for simple storage and easy expansion.

Seagate announces what it describes as "colossal storage for Xbox gamers"-- the Game Drive Hub for Xbox, an 8TB external HDD and multi-purpose USB hub for Microsoft console users.

Designed and tested in collaboration with Microsoft, the drive offers enough room for over 200 Xbox games. It has two front-facing USB 3.0 ports for controller and mobile device charging, as well as the connection of Xbox accessories such as steering wheels and even other Game Drives.

Western Digital (WD) follows the launch of the G-Drive USB-C with upgrades on the G-Technology product lines-- the G-Drive with Thunderbolt 3, G-Raid with Thunderbolt 3 and G-Speed Shuttle XL.

Aimed at creative professionals such as videographers and digital photographers, the upgraded storage products promise "complete, high-capacity workflow solutions" customers can easily integrate into the larger Thunderbolt 3 ecosystem.

The G-Drive with Thunderbolt 3 is a high-performance storage solution offering x2 Thunderbolt 3 ports and a USB-C port. Users can daisy chain up to 5 additional devices, while capacities reach up to 12TB through an included HGST-brand Ultrastar 7200RPM enterprise class HDD, with transfer rates reaching up to 245MB/s.

LaCie announces an evolution of the 2big 2-bay RAID storage solution-- the addition of Thunderbolt 3 makes it a "sleek yet powerful" docking station for modern laptops such as the latest MacBook Pro.

Featuring a chassis designed by Neil Poulton, the 2big features a single cable to connect with laptops, SD cards, compact flash cards and other devices. It handles up to 20TB of storage (a 25% increase over the previous version), while Thunderbolt 3 allows transfer speeds of up to 440MB/s.

It has front-facing SD and CF card slots, a DisplayPort port for connection to displays and dual Thunderbolt 3 ports able to simultaneously power a laptop while daisy-chaining up to 5 additional Thunderbolt or x1 USB-C drive. Also included is a USB 3.1 port for compatibility with legacy devices (via adapter cable).

The Western Digital (WD) G-Drive USB-C is a storage device ideal for use with laptops featuring USB-C ports, such as the next-generation MacBook, also able to charge compatible devices.

Available in 4, 8 and 10TB capacities, the G-Drive USB-C has a maximum transfer rate of 195MB/s, allowing it to handle 1080p and compressed 4K video. It is compatible with Thunderbolt 3, USB 3.1, USB 3.1 and USB 2.0 devices, includes both USB-C to USB-C and USB-C to USB-A cables, and can be reformatted to work with either Macs or Windows machines.

Western Digital adds a first SSD option to the My Passport portable storage portfolio- the My Passport SSD promises transfer speeds of up to 515MB/s, making it the fastest in the line.

Designed for use with USB-C devices, the My Passport SSD features a USB-C port and ships a USB-C to USB-C cable and a USB-A adapter. The drive is palm-size and pretty tough, since WD says it withstands falls of up to 2m and 1500G of force.

"The WD brand is focused on delivering fresh, new personal storage devices that offer amazing performance in a beautiful, yet durable design," the company adds. "Our fastest portable drive yet, the My Passport SSD is a powerful solution for people who need to move content quickly and easily wherever life takes them."