PS5 Update Will Enable USB Storage Support
You asked for it, and you've finally got it. Gone are the days of only being able to install Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War on your PlayStation 5, while the rest of your games are forced to watch from the sidelines. While we're slightly exaggerating on that front, it's no secret that Sony's next-gen offering was called out at launch for a rather lacklustre limit for internal storage. As game sizes continue to balloon, the PS5 was under fire for a paltry 825GB. Worse than that, file sizes meant only 667GB was actually useable.
Across the board, next-gen consoles have been criticised for their internal storage sizes as launch. The Xbox Series X comes out on top with a hefty 1TB on its internal SSD (with 802GB being useable), while the Xbox Series S is the budget version that only packs 512GB (364GB). Considering Black Ops Cold War takes up a chonky 133GB on PS5, it's easy to see why fans were frustrated by Sony's lack of external storage support.
How does the PS5 update offer storage support?
In a post on the official PlayStation blog, Sony announced the console's first official update will bring a tonne of changes. At the top of the notes was the massive reveal that you can now free up some much-needed SSD space thanks to external USB support for PlayStation 5 games. We're expecting USBs will start flying off shelves or you'll have to head up into the attic to dust off your old one.
In the post, Sony confirmed, "With this feature, you can now transfer your PS5 games to USB extended storage from your console’s internal storage. It’s a great way to extend the storage capabilities of your PS5 console, and you can seamlessly copy your PS5 games back to the console’s internal storage when you’re ready to play. It is faster to reinstall PS5 games from USB extended storage than to re-download or copy them from a disc".
Sony is enabling cross-generation Share Play between PS5 and PS4 thanks to support for external USB drives. It now means you can move your installed games from the internal SSD to a USB drive, and then back again. Take note though, you won't be able to play your shiny, next-gen, PS5 titles directly from a USB. You also aren't able to actually upgrade the internal SSD of the console - meaning you're still locked in at 667GB.
What else does the PS5 storage update mean?
The other interesting update is the mention of Share Play. Here, Sony is bridging the gap between old and new. PlayStation 4 owners can see your PS5 screen and even try out PS5 games for themselves. Hello Spider-Man: Miles Morales. It's obviously a ploy to try and persuade PS4 owners to upgrade, but with PS5 stocks still at minimal levels, good luck getting your hands on one. This is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of general updates for both models of PlayStation.
Sony concluded by saying, "In the coming weeks, we’ll be rolling out even more, including the ability to join a multiplayer session on PS5 from the app, manage your PS5 console storage, compare trophy collections with friends, and sort and filter products shown in the PlayStation Store". The big win here is that you'll finally be able to seamlessly shift your PS5 games from external USB to your console without having to delete those beloved favourites from yesteryear and losing your progress on The Last of Us Part II.
Even if the PS5 storage update doesn't mean you can actually play your games from a USB, it makes archiving and moving them back so much easier. Microsoft has been praised/criticised for its expensive "Storage Expansion" slot, and while Sony's latest solution still doesn't offer full support for SSD drives, PlayStation Senior Vice President of Platform Planning and Management promised it's on the way. In the meantime, you'd better start clearing out your USBs.
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