Summary
A newPlayStation 5beta firmware update doubles the maximum capacity of the console’s SSD storage.Sony launched the PS5 beta programin June 2021, allowing interested users to preview upcoming updates and provide feedback. It’s similar to Microsoft’s Xbox Insider program, both of which give console owners pre-release access to system software, some of which never sees the light of day.
For example, beta testers got access to theMarch update that added Discord chat to the PS5more than a month before it officially released. The beta program was particularly exciting when it first rolled out because someexpected features weren’t available when the console launched in November 2020 and have since been added with firmware updates. These included the implementation of 1440p resolution support and Gamelists, which allow users to organize their vast library of games into folders, and beta testers got to try them out first.
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Anotherfeature missing when the PS5 first launched was M.2 SSD support, and beta users got to preview that long-awaited update before everybody else. Up till now, the maximum capacity of these solid-state drives was 4TB, but a beta software build that released on July 31 increases that storage limit to 8TB. This will likely be a very welcome change when or if this firmware update becomes available to the public.
A shortage of storage space is a perpetual issue for console users, especially as game sizes only seem to be getting bigger. Many people are familiar with the frustration of scrolling through their game library, deciding what to remove to make room for a new title. Sony’s latest console notoriously only comes with about 667GB of useable storage space out of the box, a paltry number for many gamers, and soinstalling an M.2 SSD to the PS5is one of the first things new owners will do. And while 4TB should be more than sufficient for most people, upping that number to 8TB will effectively eliminate the need to ever clear up space again.
For comparison, the Xbox Series X/S allows for the addition of up to 2TB of storage, and the expansion slot is proprietary, with only Seagate and Western Digital expansion cards currently available. While the two consoles are comparable on most fronts, Sony deciding to open upPS5storage expansion to any third-party M.2 SSD with a read speed of 5500 MB/S has been a winning move in the eyes of many gamers. Not only has it kept the costs relatively low, but it’s guaranteed that the purchased storage will not become a paperweight whenever the next console generation begins.
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