Sony re-confirms PS5 won't support SSD storage expansion at launch
And reveals global game preferences.
With PS5 looming on the horizon like some giant obelisk which might also struggle to fit under your TV, the floodgates are now open and news around Sony's console continues to emerge, including official re-confirmation that SSD storage expansion won't be supported at launch.
PlayStation 5 will, of course, include a lightning-fast 825GB solid-state drive on release, and Sony has previously confirmed owners will be able to expand that SSD storage space via the console's dedicated internal M.2 slot.
However, speaking to The Verge, Sony has reiterated a point made by lead PlayStation system architect Mark Cerny earlier this year, confirming that PS5's M.2 slot will be disabled out of the box on launch day, and that it won't be activated for players until a "future update". USB external storage support, suited to the likes of PS4 titles, will be available on day one, however.
The Verge notes that Cerny stipulated a number of requirements M.2 SSDs would need to meet in order to work efficiently with PlayStation 5 - including I/O controller compatibility and the ability to deliver more than 5.5GB/sec of bandwidth over a PCIe Gen4 connection - with the website's sources suggesting Sony hasn't yet begun its SSD compatibility testing programme.
In other PlayStation 5 news, albeit this time filed under 'nifty', Sony has released a new video walking potential owners through the console's various settings options. As spotted by eagle-eyed PlayStation fans around the internet, however, there's a blink-and-you'll-missed-it glimpse of a previously unreported Game Presets feature.
Game Presets enable players to set their preferred settings for a number of different options, which are then applied to any game that supports the feature at start-up. Using the appropriate menu, users can specify their chosen difficulty setting, whether they wan't to play in first- or third-person mode, whether Performance or Resolution Mode should be prioritised, and more.
It's another beautifully considered bit of interface streamlining from Sony, and no doubt more examples of similarly pleasing attention-to-detail will emerge as PS5's launch draws nearer.