PS5 Storage Can’t Be Expanded With SSDs Until The Software Update

If you want to expand the memory of the new PlayStation 5 with the help of an internal SSD, look into the tube at the market launch on November 19th. Sony confirms that the additional M.2 slot of the PS5 console will be deactivated until a later software update.

While Microsoft allows owners of the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S to upgrade the SSD storage via proprietary expansion cards right from the launch, PS5 gamers should actually enjoy the advantage of accommodating standardized NVMe SSDs in the console’s M.2 slot. As the colleagues from The Verge from Sony were able to find out, this option will only be possible at a later, not precisely timed time. Until then, buyers of the PlayStation 5 , for whom the internal memory of only 667 GB is insufficient, will have to switch to slower external USB hard drives or SSDs.

Only a small number of SSDs meet the PS5 requirements

The reason for the temporary deactivation of the M.2 slot of the PS5 could be compatibility problems. Matching NVMe SSDs not only have to be suitable for the PCIe 4.0 interface, but they also have to achieve transfer rates of at least 5.5 GB / s in order to keep up with the console’s built-in solid-state drive. The size, or rather the height, of the SSD, also plays a role. Due to space problems in the case of the comparatively large PlayStation 5, it should not be possible to use PCIe 4.0 SSDs with larger cooling modules (heatsinks). 

The flash drives must also be compatible with Sony’s I / O controller. Internal tests by the Japanese manufacturer do not seem to have progressed sufficiently to present customers with a list of compatible M.2 SSDs at market launch, which is why the slot was temporarily blocked to prevent problems. A look at the price comparison shows that so far only 14 available PCIe 4.0 SSDs have the necessary speed. Already in March announced hardware boss Mark Cerny that this process could be delayed. So it remains unclear whether owners of the PS5 console can expect activation for an SSD upgrade this year or next year.