Ever since the launch of the Playstation 5, one of the most common requests from gamers has been to expand the M.2 SSD storage. Given that the PS5 launched late last year, the wait for this feature has been very long.
The main reason for such a hefty delay in the enabling of this feature, is the need for high spec SSDs that match the PS5’s own high-speed SSD to be readily available to consumers. Of course, gamers can still expand the storage available to them on the Playstation 5 with an external USB hard drive, but you aren’t able to play PS5 games from these directly.
But, there is some good news, as Sony have published a new support page which outlines the steps needed to make use of the internal M.2 SSD expansion bay. However, a pretty big caveat is that it’s only currently available to beta testers.
Sony states, “Important: This feature is only available to beta users at this time. If you have installed your M.2 SSD in a console that does not have beta system software installed, you need to remove your M.2 SSD before you can update the system software.”
Further to that, though, there is also a detailed list of requirements that have to be met, so if you’re considering being a tester for the M.2 expansion, be sure to read them carefully. Right now the PS5 supports PCIe 4 M.2 NVMe SSDs with a capacity range between 250GB and 4TB. A sequential read speed of 5,500MB/s or faster is also recommended.
However there’s no guarantee that the drive you pick will work, or work at full capacity. Sony states that it “assumes no responsibility for the selection, performance or use of third-party products.”
Not exactly a brilliant start for such a highly requested feature, but this is obviously the purpose of a beta test. Once it becomes available to the general public, you would hope that it becomes a more accessible experience.
