- Sony has confirmed some details about the PlayStation 5 storage options.
- At startup, the PS5 does not support adding or replacing internal storage.
- However, on launch day, USB-C external storage drives, and eventually expandable internal storage, are supported.
With the PlayStation 5 launching in just a week, buyers get clarity on many unanswered questions. Today Sony confirmed The edge that there will be certain restrictions on storage options for the PS5.
Unfortunately, PlayStation 5 internal storage cannot be replaced or expanded on launch day. However, there will be a software update in the future that will change this. For now, however, you should avoid purchasing storage options until you’ve read the following information.
Sony PlayStation 5 storage options explained
The PlayStation 5 supports two types of storage: internal storage and external storage. Sony’s internal storage system is incredibly fast, which results in almost no load times. Because of these high speeds, only the official M.2 SSD sticks from Sony will definitely work. Because of this limitation, Sony will initially use software to lock down internal storage upgrades. Ultimately, Sony will lift this restriction as soon as it can provide specific information to third-party hardware OEMs with which M.2 sticks are compatible.
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Nevertheless, the PlayStation 5 storage can be expanded on the launch day via external drives connected via USB. That way, you can plug most of the USB drives into the console and get extra space for games. However, This only works for previous generation gamesie no PS5 games. For example, a supported PS4 game can be played from the external drive, but a next-generation title cannot.
In other words, your PS5 games Got to live in internal memory. Since there is only about 667 GB of storage space there, you need to be economical with the number of games you get on launch day.
What about the drive console?
Of course, you’d assume that the single-drive PS5 variant would bypass this internal storage limitation. However, this is not the case. Although the game itself is on a Blu-Ray disc, the data from that disc is moved directly to the console’s internal memory. In a way, the CD is just a way for you to download the game without using the internet (and acting as a license key for the title).
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This means that even if you have physical copies of the game, you will need to put the game on the M.2 drive in the PlayStation. Keep in mind that PS5 games are going to be pretty big in terms of data size. If you buy Demon’s Souls and Call of Duty: Black Ops on launch day, they will take up around 200 GB of space on your drive. That’s a little less than a third of the available internal storage capacity. Ouch.
Remember, this limitation will eventually go away. You will be able to purchase internal storage upgrades from both Sony and third-party manufacturers in the future. Unfortunately Sony is not open when that could be. Whenever it is, it won’t be November, so wait before buying internal drives.