Major PlayStation5 Software Update Out

Version 2.0 activates the internal SSD expansion slot, a few more noteworthy features added

The PlayStation5 is getting its second major software update tomorrow and its most user-requested feature so far. Sony took its time, but at least consumers now have more options for compatible M.2 SSD storage than they did just a few months ago. (Image: Charles Sims, Unsplash)

News regarding the beta release of this was published back in July but Sony just made this official: the second major software update for the PlayStation5 will be offered to all owners of the system tomorrow, bringing a number of new options and extended functionality to the table as well as the most user-requested feature since last November. That would be the use of the internal M.2 SSD storage expansion slot, of course, which will allow consumers to finally have more than 667GB worth of PS5 games installed at any given time (those could not be played off an external drive like PS4 games can).

This being a PlayStation and not just any old PC, making use of that M.2 SSD slot in the former is not as straightforward as it is on the latter. The PS5 needs M.2 SSDs that are of a certain speed or better, are of specific physical dimensions and are accompanied by a heatsink. These are all required in order for these M.2 SSDs to at least match the data transfer speed of the internal SSD of the PS5, to fit in the expansion bay comfortably and to not take a performance hit (get throttled) while handling intense workloads. Sony, to their credit, has clearly laid out all this quite clearly in the relevant support…