PS5 launch surprise: Xbox Series X takes the win as CRUCIAL feature disabled

Don't rush out to buy another SSD for your PS5 just yet

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The PS5, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S are almost here, with some lucky gamers receiving their consoles well before their release dates!

One of the most exciting features of the PS5 is its new SSD, which enables faster load times and allows developers to create games in ways that were previously impossible on the PS4’s hard drive. However, Sony has reconfirmed some unfortunate news for those looking to expand their PS5 SSD storage at launch.

Speaking to The Verge, Sony has confirmed that the expandable storage slot designed for M.2 SSDs, as shown in Sony’s official PS5 teardown video, is purposefully disabled at launch and will be until further notice. Sony went on to say that the feature is "reserved for a future update.”

The statement made by Sony echoes comments made earlier this year, by PS5 lead system architect, Mark Cerny. In PlayStation’s ‘The Road to PS5’ video presentation, Cerny highlighted that there were a number of compatibility issues in using commercial M.2 drives with the PS5 that need to be addressed. During the presentation, Cerny said:

“[We’re] doing some compatibility testing to make sure that the architecture of particular M.2 drives isn’t too foreign for [PS5] games to handle. 

"Once we’ve done that compatibility testing we should be able to start letting you know which drives will physically fit and which samples have benchmarked appropriately high in our testing."

"It would be great if that were to happen by launch but it's likely to be a bit past it so please hold off on getting that M.2 drive until you hear from us.”

There’s no word on what progress Sony has made with its compatibility testing thus far, or when the expandable storage slot is likely to be enabled. However, when the functionality is eventually enabled, PS5 users should have a variety of expandable storage options open to them. 

This approach is in stark contrast to Microsoft’s already available, but proprietary, Seagate Expansion Card for Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, with the Series S’s storage limitations making more storage a necessity.

Until then, PS5 users will need to manage their 667GB of available storage wisely, with games like Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War taking up a whopping 133GB. Thankfully, PS4 games can be played via USB storage and will offer enhancements of their own regardless of whether they’re installed on the super-fast SSD or not!

Source: The Verge

Samuel Willetts
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