PS5 is missing this key feature at launch — and its good news for Xbox Series X

PS5 is missing this primal characteristic at launch — and its good news for Xbox Series X

(Prototype credit: Tom's Guide)

The PS5's 825GB of internal storage has been the only real drawback on an otherwise impressive piece of hardware. Not in terms of performance, where its lightning fast speeds accept attracted glowing reviews effectually the earth, but in capacity. With merely 667GB of usable space, that might not go too far when PS5 launch titles are tipping the scales at 50-100GB each.

1 positive, even so, was the agreement that external SSDs could exist used every bit a kind of overspill for content. Y'all couldn't play PS5 games directly off it, merely most people believed that you'd exist able to move content to the bulldoze when not in utilise to relieve you having to download/install it all over again. That'southward how it works on Xbox Series Ten, so it wouldn't be surprising for Sony to follow suit.

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Withal, at launch, it doesn't work that way. Digital Foundry has confirmed that while PS4 games installed on the PS5 can be moved off to an external SSD, PS5 games can't. The site performed the unenviable chore of filling the PS5's internal storage with games, before trying to install a new PS5 title. The PS5 OS politely informed the tester that they would demand to free upwards space, but PS5 games could only be deleted rather than archived to an SSD.

The site also found that the PS5 treats saved game data in a different mode too. While the panel lets you restore PS4 saved game data via USB, it'southward not an pick for PS5 saves. Digital Foundry speculates that this is a directly response to how saved games were hacked on PS4, allowing for cheats to be imported. Those worried about their saved games existence lost in the event of a drive failure tin relax a little, though: the PS5 automatically backs up saves to the deject.

Both these data management quirks could be changed via a software patch, of form, just at launch your options are somewhat express. While you'd struggle to fill upwards the internal storage with PS5 games even if you bought every available title on launch day, you're probably best off keeping PS4 games on an external drive, even if it ways slightly longer loading times (with SSD, they'll withal be faster than on your PS4'due south internal difficult drive, anyway.)

Simply in the long run, it'south a scrap of a business — specially every bit Sony isn't currently assuasive users to upgrade the internal storage. While there is an SSD expansion slot inside the PS5 that volition back up M.2 SSD sticks, the slot is currently disabled to the paucity of drives that will actually work. The PS5 has very specific requirements when it comes to drives that will work hither: they take to evangelize over v.5GB/sec of bandwidth over a PCIe Gen4 connexion while still beingness thin enough to fit in the physical space, so it'south wise to hold off until Sony officially signs off on some compatible models, at whatever rate.

This is where Microsoft's Xbox Series X and Serial South accept an advantage. Not just is expandable storage bachelor (albeit, expensive), but games which aren't in use can exist backed up to an external SSD. With that in heed, there's no real reason why Sony tin't exercise the aforementioned in the upcoming months. Fingers crossed.

Freelance contributor Alan has been writing about tech for over a decade, roofing phones, drones and everything in between. Previously Deputy Editor of tech site Alphr, his words are institute all over the web and in the occasional magazine as well. When non weighing up the pros and cons of the latest smartwatch, you'll probably observe him tackling his ever-growing games backlog. Or, more probable, playing Spelunky for the millionth time.