Storage galore: New PS5 update finally lets users add more space for games - Ars Technica

As detailed in a post on the PlayStation Blog, the update gives users the option to increase the PS5's overall storage capacity by installing a PCIe 4.0 M.2 SSD (ranging from 250GB to 4TB) that fits certain technical and dimensional requirements.

Once the M.2 drive is installed, the new storage space can be used to copy, download, update, and play PS4 and PS5 games as well as media applications.

This is a big step up over the "cold-storage" solution that was added to the system in April, which allowed last-gen games to run straight from a standard platter-based external hard drive or SSD via USB—and notably kept players from doing the same for PS5 games.

As a result, the feature did little more than let players free up space for PS5 games by storing PS4 games on an external drive...

or just letting PS5 downloads collect dust in storage, which Sony said still allowed for faster transfers back to internal storage than redownloading from scratch.

Single and double-sided M.2 devices can be used, and Sony recommends a minimum sequential read speed of at least 5,500MB/s.

Users have the option to use either a drive with a heatsink built in or install their own, though Sony specifies the PS5's housing only allows for a total depth of both SSD and heat dissipation of up to 11.25 mm.

Players running games from an SSD may not have an identical experience as they would playing from the PS5's standard internal storage, regardless of a device's sequential read speed.