As all of us know that PS5 is just about the launch, and it is the main reason why essential details with regards to the product are rolling out. Just recently, Sony confirmed some news regarding the SSD storage expansion slot of the PS5, and it confirms long-running speculations. The initial hint given long back this year by PS5 Hardware Architect Mark Cerny’s; Sony has now officially confirmed that PS5 won’t support SSD storage expansion at launch.
Instead, the console giant is most likely to unlock this feature as part of a future update. Sony also claims that PlayStation 5 can load virtual worlds far faster than ever before. It is mainly because the company features the fastest solid-state drives ever made, but you should know that it isn’t precisely that big drive. Additionally, you should know that you won’t be able to expand that blazing-fast SSD storage on day one.
On the other hand, the console giant also features a dedicated internal slot that can be fit theoretically standard stick-shaped M.2 SSDs. Furthermore, it is an easy, easy way to succeed. The slot disabled out of the box. It ideally reserved for a future update. Suppose you have paid some close attention to the news update. In that case, it won’t come as to surprise anymore as PlayStation hardware architect Mark Cerny spent several minutes talking up the SSD storage expansion feature.
Some of the must-know features of PS5:
CPU: AMD Zen 2-based CPU with eight cores at 3.5GHz (variable frequency)
GPU: 10.28 TFLOPs, 36 CUs at 2.23GHz (variable frequency)
GPU architecture: Custom RDNA 2
Memory interface: 16GB GDDR6 / 256-bit
Memory bandwidth: 448GB/s
Internal storage: Custom 825GB SSD
Usable storage: 667.2GB
IO throughput: 5.5GB/s (raw), typical 8-9GB/s (compressed)
Expandable storage: NVMe SSD slot
External storage: USB HDD support (PS4 games only)
Optical drive: 4K UHD Blu-ray drive
What is to holdup?
Even though Mark Cerny spent several minutes discussing the SSD storage. He concluded the speech saying support was likely to be “a bit past” launch. Cerny also said that It’d great if that happened by launch, but it’s expected to be a bit past it, so please hold off on getting that M.2 drive until you hear from us.
Additionally, he said that not all M.2 SSDs are fast enough to keep up with the PS5, thin enough to fit into the SSD bay, or compatible with Sony’s I/O controller. The company has promised to make compatibility testing later this year. Lastly, he said off-the-shelf SSDs would need to deliver more than 5.5GB/sec of bandwidth over a PCIe Gen4 connection. The company says it is a giant heatsink so large that they won’t fit into the PS5’s drive bay.
People suggest that Sony’s compatibility testing program hasn’t kicked off entirely, and none of them could even say that the drive would actually work with the PS5. All we can hope is to test the drives ourselves when we get a hand on it. While for the team being might find yourself having to manage your PS5’s internal storage carefully. As per the leaks, PS5’s 825GB SSD drive may come with as little as 667GB of usable storage.
Some of the games launched for PS5 are:
- SackBoy: A Big Adventure: 32GB
- Spider-Man: Miles Morales: 50GB
- Spider-Man: Miles Morales Ultimate Launch Edition (includes Spider-Man Remastered): 105GB
- Demon’s Souls: 66GB
- Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War: 133GB
If you are someone who plans to buy all of these games, then your half of the storage is already counted for. Yet storage isn’t going to be the main problem for Sony as Microsoft also decided to go with solid-state drives for its 1TB Xbox Series X and 512GB Xbox Series S, which are most likely to feature 802GB and 364GB of space.
The best part is that it supports USB external storage, and Sony confirms that it would be available soon. Additionally, Cerny stated it’s an excellent way to add lots of PS4 games to your PS5 since they don’t need the faster-speed the SSD can unlock.
Is the NVMe SSD the same as an SSD?
No, it is not the same. This question has left almost everyone confused, so we are answering it right here. The majority of the console manufacturers regularly refer to their storage as just “SSD.” Ideally, Regular SSDs (solid-state drive) depend upon SATA, and it is a much slower way of transferring data on the system. On the other hand, SSD is relatively faster as compared to a general mechanical hard drive, but it is slow when compared to an NVMe drive.
How much do you get with the PS5 storage?
The PS5 said to integrated with 825GB NVMe SSD, that provides super-fast load times. It also claims to feature a transformative impact on how next-gen games will perform in the future. All you need to know that the drive installed in the PS5, and it known as the internal drive. Additionally, you cannot remove it.
Basically, the PS5 only has 664GB of usable memory to play with. And the significant chunk of storage is reserved for system files.
How can you expand the storage?
You can expand the storage of PS5 mainly in three ways, including by installing a Sony-certified NVMe SSD, an external HDD, or SSD attached via USB. Though these updates are most likely to roll out in the future and not the launch day.
The games installed to either the internal or additional NVMe SSD are most likely to benefit from the full power of PS5.
Final thoughts:
If you are planning to buy PS5, then you need to know that it isn’t clear yet that Sony is still conducting compatibility testing with third party SSD storage devices. By 2021, we can expect the company to release an official list of supported devices.
