Sony reportedly plans to enable storage upgrades on PlayStation 5 this summer

PlayStation 5 users have a problem, and that problem is storage. While the console features a total of integrated 825GB of SSD storage, with only 667GB of that space being usable for installing games and apps. With games like Call of Duty taking up over 100 gigabytes of storage, that space can fill up fast, especially when the system offers no external storage options for PlayStation 5 titles. 

While the PlayStation 5 features an M.2 SSD slot for storage expansion, this SSD slot is currently unusable. Sony has not enabled expanded storage within its PlayStation 5 console, making expanded storage an impossibility on the system. 

Bloomberg has reported that Sony is working towards enabling expanded storage on their PlayStation 5 console this summer, allowing PS5 owners to expand their system’s internal storage by utilising PCIe 4.0 SSDs. Sony is expected to certify some PC-grade NVMe SSDs for use within PlayStation 5 consoles, allowing PS5 users to expand their consoles with large NVMe storage solutions, which can be 1TB+ in size. 

Sony will need to certify SSDs for their PlayStation 5 console, as not all SSDs are created equal. Games will start to be produced with the PS5’s storage specifications in mind, and that will force Sony to only allow PS5 game installs on storage solutions that are deemed as fast enough, lest they deliver PS5 users a sub-par gaming experience. 

Microsoft already offers Xbox Series X/S users expanded storage options, placing them ahead of Sony in this regard. Microsoft also offers its users expanded storage options though official add-ons, making storage upgrades a hassle-free experience. PlayStation 5 users will need to look for Sony-certified PC-like SSD products, whereas Xbox users only need to look for official Xbox merchandise. Beyond that, Xbox user will not need to partially disassemble their systems to install storage add-ons. Sony’s expanded storage options will also be less plug-and-play than Microsoft’s expansion options.