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PS5 September System Update activates M.2 SSD expansion slot this week

After a long time waiting, PlayStation 5 owners will finally be able to utilize the M.2 SSD expansion slot on their consoles to upgrade its storage.

TJ Denzer

September 14, 2021 2:10 PM

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Ever since the PlayStation 5 was first announced, we’ve been saddled with a pretty paltry 825GB of storage space with only 667GB actually available for use. There was that sweet little M.2 SSD slot that promised us the opportunity to expand storage on the console, but it’s been disabled up to this point as Sony has continued to work on and test the functionality of upgrades on the system. Now, at long last, owners of PS5 will be able to utilize that slot if they so please. The M.2 SSD expansion slot on the PS5 is being activated in a global system update this week.

PlayStation announced the upcoming September system update for PS5 in a PlayStation blog post on September 14, 2021. On September 15, a new system update will roll out on all PS5 systems. There are a number of upgrades on the way, including streamlining the Game Base User Interface so you can more easily see and write messages and join parties. However, easily the biggest change is the activation of the M.2 slot.

It was back in March 2020 that console architect Mark Cerny confirmed support of M.2 SSD storage upgrades for the PS5. However, when the PS5 launched later that year, the slot was inactive as Sony claimed to still need time to work on it. The horizon finally came in sight in July as Sony announced that the long-promised (and until then, useless) M.2 slot would be activated for the PS5 system software beta program, allowing public users to stress test the system.

Now, a few months later, testing is done and general PS5 owners are going to be able to upgrade the console’s storage. Be sure to head over to the PS5 M.2 SSD support page to get more details on what you need to know before upgrading your console and what kind of M.2 SSDs the PS5 supports. The new system update will also improve 3D audio on built in TV speakers, the PlayStation Trophy system on PS5, and more, so be sure to check out the full update ahead of its launch on September 15.

TJ Denzer

Senior News Editor

TJ Denzer is a player and writer with a passion for games that has dominated a lifetime. He found his way to the Shacknews roster in late 2019 and has worked his way to Senior News Editor since. Between news coverage, he also aides notably in livestream projects like the indie game-focused Indie-licious, the Shacknews Stimulus Games, and the Shacknews Dump. You can reach him at tj.denzer@shacknews.com and also find him on Twitter @JohnnyChugs.