The new Sony beta system software lets you connect an M.2 SSD to your PlayStation 5 console. So nearly nine months after launch, we’ll finally have the chance to add more storage to PlayStation 5.

The firmware is bringing a ridiculous amount of changes (and if we listed them all, we’d be here for another three or four pages), but the most important addition is the support of external M.2 NVMe SSD-s. „You can use PCle 4.0 M.2 SSDs with a capacity of 250 GB minimum and 4 TB maximum.

To safely insert or remove your M.2 SSD, make sure your PlayStation 5 is turned off and that the AC power cord is unplugged. To use M.2 SSD storage, insert your M2 SSD in your PlayStation 5’s expansion slot while your PS5 is turned off. When you turn on your PlayStation 5, you’ll format your M.2 SSD so that it’s ready to use. To move a PlayStation 5 or PlayStation 4 game that’s installed in console storage or USB extended storage to M2 SSD storage, go to your game library, press the options button and then select [Move Games and Apps]. Then select the game you want to move, and then select [Move],” Sony wrote.

Here are some additional details on what SSD you will need: „Interface: PCIe Gen4 x4 M.2 NVMe SSD […] Cooling structure: Using an M.2 SSD with your PlayStation 5 console requires effective heat dissipation with a cooling structure, such as a heatsink. You can attach one to your M.2 SSD yourself, either in a single-sided format, or double-sided format. There are also M.2 SSDs that have cooling structures (such as heatsinks) built-in. Sequential read speed: 5,500MB/s or faster is recommended.

Module width: 22mm width (25mm width is not supported). Form Factor: M.2 type 2230, 2242, 2260, 2280 and 22110. These numbers can be found on retail listings for M.2 SSD devices. The first two digits refer to the width, the remaining digits to the length. Socket type: Socket 3 (Key M). The total size including cooling structure in millimetres: smaller than 110mm (L) x 25mm (W) x 11.25mm (H),” Sony added.

The first supported SSD was already revealed. It’s Seagate’s FireCuda 530 with an August release date, presumably the same time Sony will make the new PlayStation 5 firmware publicly available. It’s not going to be a cheap product: in the US, the 500 GB model will cost 150 bucks (or 170 with a heatsink), the 1 TB version is 255/275 USD, the 2 TB version is 515/570, while the 4 TB model is an astounding 1000/1050 USD, respectively.

It won’t be cheap. At least the new firmware will bring 3D audio support via your TV, too. PlayStation Now can be 720p or 1080p, and the cross-gen games’ separate versions will be displayed in the menu separately.

Source: Gematsu, WCCFTech, PSL