While Microsoft made something of a controversial decision in only allowing the Xbox Series X’s SSD storage to be expanded through proprietary cards (though it still allows USB 3.2 externals HDDs), the PS5 is going down a different route.
Recently, John Linneman of Digital Foundry took to Twitter, and speaking about the PS5’s SSD, confirmed that the console will allow for expansions using off-the-shelf NVMe SSDs- though they will have to certified. Essentially, if you can find an SSD that is fast enough to support the PS5 (which is a big ask, because at 5.5 GB/s, the PS5’s SSD is very fast), then you can use it on your system.
It is worth noting, however, as Linneman points out, that there are currently no SSDs out there that are fast enough for the PS5. So while the console’s storage expansion is less restrictive than the Xbox Series X on paper, a lot will depend on how quickly such SSDs become available in the market.
Plenty of other details were recently revealed about the PS5. In addition to a full list of its specs, Sony also talked about how the console’s SSD will greatly reduce install times for patches. Meanwhile, it doesn’t look like the PS5 will have complete backward compatibility support for all PS4 games at launch. Read more on that through here.
The PS5 is currently due out this Holiday, and Sony is not expecting any delays- yet.
Beyond that, I was surprised that it allows for off the shelf NVMe drives…but only if they are certified. There are no drives available today that are fast enough for PS5 so do not buy one in preparation.
— John Linneman @dark1x.bsky.social (@dark1x) March 18, 2020
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