PS5 Slim: New Drive Requires Online Activation

Sony will soon be launching its new PlayStation 5 Slim, which, thanks to its modular design, can be retrofitted with an optical drive. To do this, however, an internet connection is required, which has already brought Sony some criticism.

Due to Copyright laws online activation is required

If you buy the PlayStation 5 Slim, you can retrofit an optical drive if you wish and give your new game console more functionality. As has now become known due to the publication of some of the first photos of a PS5 Slim bundle, the retrofitted drive cannot be used without establishing an internet connection.

According to the images of the Modern Warfare III PS5 Slim Bundle published by some X/Twitter users, the modular optical drive for the shrunken Sony console can only be used after a query has been made via the Internet for the pairing process. The reason for this compulsory activation via the Internet is believed to be that Sony is checking the authenticity of the drive in order to prevent copyright infringement.

Previous tests have already shown that every optical drive on current game consoles is “paired” with the respective host device. So if you replace the optical drive on a normal PS5 or Xbox Series X, you can no longer use it. Since the pairing is no longer done at the factory by installing the drive, but only at the customer’s, in the case of the PS5 Slim an authenticity check will probably be carried out, which will then be followed by the “pairing” between the drive and the console.

In the long term, activating the retrofit drive via the Internet could become a problem, as Sony will probably not continue to operate the servers required for this forever. At least with the PS5 Slim, there are still two packages. All devices are basically identical, but one of the bundles already includes an optical drive ex-works, which is of course already linked to the respective host console.

To what extent the PS5 Slim’s optical drive, which is sold separately for 119.99 euros, can be replaced with another drive if necessary or if it is defective, while the host console remains the same, is currently still open.