Sony has confirmed that PS5 storage expansion won't be possible at launch, with M.2 SSD storage expansion support set to come later in a system software update that has no specific release date as of yet. The PlayStation release date looms large this week as some regions will get the console on November 12, 2020, with the rest of the world - most notably Europe, when it comes to large markets - will get a November 19, 2020 release date instead.
While much of the buildup behind the PS5 specs and its technological advancements have been discussed already, one wrinkle cropped up after critics got their hands on review units - storage space. The PS5's previously advertised SSD storage space of 825GB is, in practice, significantly smaller, as confirmed by those who've gotten a chance to go hands-on with the next-gen console. In practice, the PS5 SSD storage space is actually 667GB with Astro's Playroom installed, which is a significant reduction in space of nearly 160GB. With so much of modern gaming revolving around digital downloads, having a limited amount of space could be a major issue for PS5 early adopters.
The PS5 SSD storage issue got a little more pronounced following the release of an official PlayStation 5 FAQ from Sony, as the company confirmed that the console would not support PS5 storage expansion until post-launch. The news comes from a question that asks "should I buy an M.2 SSD drive for my PS5 at launch?" Sony's response is, shockingly, "no," with an explanation that follows indicating that M.2 SSD storage functionality on PS5 won't be possible until a system software update that's coming in the future. Exactly when that update is coming remains to be seen but, for early adopters already concerned about their console's storage space, the issue has now been compounded by a lack of expansion options immediately following launch.
This was always a possibility given the architecture of the PS5 SSD, which features some ground-breaking technology and specs. It's also previously been indicated by Sony that this would be the case over the weeks leading to launch, but to have it spelled out in a FAQ from the company - and with no date attached to when it will be supported - makes the issue much more glaring.
With that said, there's a silver lining of sorts for early adopters when it comes to PS5 SSD storage expansion - there simply won't be many new games for the console at launch. Both PS5 and Xbox Series X suffer from an alarmingly scarce games library when it comes to actual next-gen titles, and for the time being, many fans are likely picking up a PS5 both for what's to come and to explore a few of their favorite games from last-gen with faster load times and a nicer sheen. The longer the PS5 SSD storage expansion issue isn't immediately solvable with an upgrade, however, the more Sony risks the PS5 falling behind early due to some issues that could easily be fixed - either now or in design years ago.
Source: PS5 Official FAQ