Sony has launched a new PS5 software beta that adds useful accessibility options, some user interface changes, and support for Dolby Atmos devices. It also doubles the console’s maximum storage space to 8TB, adopting support for even higher-capacity M.2 SSDs than what’s currently generally available. That’s a bit surprising considering major manufacturers like Samsung, Western Digital and others haven’t released 8TB versions of their respective flagship SSD models. Perhaps that will change soon.
That doesn’t mean they don’t exist each 8 TB M.2 2280-sized SSDs currently available that meet the storage speed requirements of the PS5 (sequential read speed of 5,500 MB/s). For example, there is one Sabrent 8TB M.2 SSD that’s currently marked down to $999.99, and you’ll need to supply your own M.2 heatsink before installing it in a PS5. Micro Center’s Inland brand also incurs a few costs $869.99 for one without heat sink and one for $889.99 that has one pre-installed. Corsair’s MP600 Pro XT is available for $1,014.99.
At these enthusiast-level prices, I can’t imagine most people will jump into one right now. Eventually they’ll get cheaper, as all M.2 SSDs have done in recent years, but it may be a while before these 8TB models cost less than $500.
This update is great for people who want to do the SSD upgrade now, or who know they’ll want to do so at some point. I mean, based on the explosive file size of games over the past few years, raising the ceiling on storage is a good thing.
But taking into account some PS5 rumours, the added support for larger SSDs (not to mention PS5 price cuts happening all over the world) could be a signal for something bigger – that new hardware is approaching. As to the form that may take, Insider gaming reported in 2022 that Sony plans to launch a redesigned version of the PS5 with a removable disk drive. More recently, The edge has picked up that Microsoft’s court documents from the FTC vs. Microsoft case claim that Sony will launch a “PlayStation 5 Slim” in late 2023, which is just a few months away.