PS5 M.2 SSD support is coming to the console's system software beta program
Sony is finally going to open up M.2 SSD support on PlayStation 5 consoles. Beta participants will be able to test it soon.
One of the longest and most odd absences from the PlayStation 5’s overall capabilities was support and functionality for the M.2 SSD port it houses. This port was meant to offer users the ability to expand their console’s usable storage space by way of M.2 SSD expansions. We’ve been waiting since launch last year for Sony to finally say something about this. Well, soon the M.2 port won’t just be a dust catch. M.2 support is set to roll out in the PS5’s first system software beta update.
PlayStation announced the details of the first system software beta program update in an on-console update, as reported by Tom Warren at The Verge. Announced back in June, the system software beta program on the PS5 allows users to opt into testing upcoming features on the PS5 before they go fully live for everyone. In the first system software beta program update, there are a lot of tweaks coming, but most notably, M.2 SSD support will finally be activated.
the PS5 software beta has a HUGE amount of changes. Here's the full list (pause the video to read each section) pic.twitter.com/0eTk8tdsIS
— Tom Warren (@tomwarren) July 29, 2021
Sony also provided a FAQ page on its PS5 support section to aid players in picking out an M.2 SSD that will work properly on the PS5. SATA is not an option, unfortunately. Players will need a PCIe Gen4 x4 M.2 NVMe SSD with at least 5,500 MBs of read speed or faster. Moreover, as M.2 SSDs run hot, players will need some sort of heat dissipation specifically for the M.2’s usage, as described below.
Sony also warns that not all M.2 drives will match the performance of the built-in SSD on the console, even with 5,500MB/s read speeds.
The first system software beta update will also feature a number of changes around the board. 3D audio support on built-in TV speakers will be improved using the DualSense controller as a means to measure acoustics and apply 3D audio to a room. Meanwhile, players will finally be able to view and write messages to friends in the Game Base friend menu and see PS4 and PS5 versions of games as separate entries on the home screen.
With so much rolling out in the PlayStation 5’s first system software beta update, stay tuned for more information. Here’s hoping this beta means we don’t need to wait too much longer for M.2 SSD support to become publicly available to PS5 players.
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