Friday, July 30th 2021
Sony Enables M.2 SSD Slot For Storage Upgrades on PlayStation 5
Sony has recently enabled the M.2 slot found in the PlayStation 5 with a beta update which allows users to upgrade the storage of their device with a compatible PCIe 4.0 M.2 SSD. The PlayStation 5 can only install games to the internal storage as external storage is not fast enough so the introduction of this capability will help expand the 825 GB (667.2 GB usable) of internal storage. Sony recommends that users select a PCIe 4.0 M.2 SSD with sequential read speeds of 5500 Mbps or higher but have yet to certify any specific models as compatible. Seagate has confirmed that their FireCuda 530 SDD which is offered with capacities from 500 GB to 4 TB will be compatible while various models from Corsair, Sabrent, and Western Digital also appear to meet the speed requirements. Sony should release this feature to non-beta users in the near future and also notes that some games may have reduced performance when running with an M.2 SSD.
Source:
Sony
21 Comments on Sony Enables M.2 SSD Slot For Storage Upgrades on PlayStation 5
Better off buying a small 4-5TB HDD for unlimited storage space at a fraction of the cost, store everything on it and transfer data as and when. It'll still be quicker to transfer game data over having to re-download a game, patches, DLC, install times etc
Until SSD's reach an acceptable level per terabyte, this is pointless, and this isn't going to happen anytime soon. SSD manufacturers are obsessed with making drives faster rather than trying to actually eliminate spinning rust in the capacity/price section, something that is far more important to most people.
But yes. Buying even a 1TB PCIe 4.0 drive that meets these requirements costs 150-200. 2TB is 350+ and for 4TB you can buy two PS5's
The only limitation so far is the write/read speed and the physical size of the drive with the heatsink installed.It is an option. You store your games externally and copy them over to your internal NVMe whenever you want to play it. That way you don't have to redownload entire game each time. CoD takes like what? 100gb+ and you have something around 670GB for the actual games on the internal NVMe.
This is the kinda sh*t that makes me neva, eva wanna buy a friggin console...
Time for Sony to either have a validation list at least, or preferably, a Sony branded or endorsed drive ala the Seagate Xbox expansion.
Seems Sony learnt something for all the Memory Stick and Vita Cards fiasco, at long last.
Sony should have had this better planned out from the beginning. Being almost a year later with minimal options still out is kinda sad
I kind a like Microsofts option better as you just plug in and go and it's cheaper. You can normally find them under $200
But since they specifically say "you can add a heatsink to your SSD" I'm assuming they only really put that requirement in there so they can sell the "Official Sony PS5 M.2 SSD Heatsink" which will just be an aluminum sticker that you can put on your SSD with PS5 printed on it. It can be yours for the low low price of $99.99.
Also Sony said heatsinks are required not optional
"Cooling structure: Using an M.2 SSD with your PS5 console requires effective heat dissipation with a cooling structure, such as a heatsink. You can attach one to your M.2 SSD yourself, either in a single-sided format, or double-sided format. There are also M.2 SSDs that have cooling structures (such as heatsinks) built in."
SSD pricing is just dumb.