PS5’s First Beta Software Update Adds Support for External M.2 SSD

If you’ve been waiting for the PlayStation 5 to support external M.2 SSD, you’ll be happy to know that the beta update for the next-gen console is adding that capability. Unfortunately, the beta update is only available to selected users.

On top of that, it will be tricky to find for M.2 SSDs that will be compatible with the PS5. Not only do you need an M.2 SSD that can do 5,500MB/s or faster sequential read speed, it’s still not guaranteed that “all M.2 SSD devices meeting the described specifications will work with your console.”

Given the level of performance you need for the M.2 SSD, it needs to be adequately cooled too. According to PlayStation, you need to use a cooling structure of sorts with the SSD, such as a heatsink. Both single-sided or double-sided heatsinks will work too, as long as it meets the dimensions outlined in this support page.

The PS5’s M.2 SSD support will be available to everyone through a future software update, though it remains to be seen exactly when this will happen. Nonetheless, it’s still great that the feature can be tested by beta users now.