Sony Releases Major System Update for PS5, Enabling M.2 SSD Storage Expansion Slot and More

As promised on the official PlayStation blog yesterday, Sony has released a major system update for PS5 today that adds numerous exciting features to the next-gen console.

The biggest addition, without question, is support for M.2 SSDs. Sony’s new 21.02-04.00.00 update finally unlocks the PS5’s expansion slot, allowing users to bolster the system’s relatively paltry amount of internal storage with PCIe 4.0 M.2 alternatives that range in capacities from 250 GB to 4 TB. Per Sony’s published requirements, these drives should have a minimum sequential read speed of 5,500 MB/s and a heat sink to keep temperatures in check for more consistent performance.

M.2 SSD Requirements for PS5 Consoles

Sony’s new PS5 update also includes some very cool features such as 3D audio support for built-in TV speakers, enabling three-dimensional sound without a traditional discrete surround setup. The feature works by leveraging the DualSense wireless controller’s built-in microphone to measure the acoustics of a room.

Version: 21.02-04.00.00

Main features in this system software update:

• You can now insert an M.2 SSD to your PS5 console’s expansion slot and use M.2 SSD storage. Just like your PS5’s console storage, you can install PS5 and PS4 games in M.2 SSD storage and play them directly from there.
• You can use PCIe 4.0 M.2 SSDs with a capacity of 250 GB minimum and 4 TB maximum.
• To safely insert or remove your M.2 SSD, make sure your PS5 is turned off, and that the AC power cord is unplugged.
• To use M.2 SSD storage, insert your M.2 SSD in your PS5’s expansion slot while your PS5 is turned off. When you turn on your PS5, you’ll format your M.2 SSD so that it’s ready to use.
• To move a PS5 or PS4 game that’s installed in console storage or USB extended storage to M.2 SSD storage, go to your game library, press the options button, and then select [Move Games and Apps]. Then, select the game you want to move, and then select [Move].
• To install games to M.2 SSD storage by default, go to [Settings] [Storage] [Installation Location], select [PS5 Games and Apps] or [PS4 Games and Apps], and then select [M.2 SSD Storage] as the installation location.
• You can now enjoy 3D audio through your TV speakers.
  • To enable 3D audio for your TV speakers, go to [Settings] [Sound] [Audio Output], and then turn on [Enable 3D Audio for TV Speakers].
  • You can also measure the acoustics of your room using the microphone on your DualSense wireless controller to apply the 3D audio setting that’s optimized for your room.
• In your games home screen, we’ve updated the following
  • If you have different platform versions of the same game installed, they’ll now appear separately on your home screen.
  • Different versions of a game are now easier to spot. Icons are displayed to indicate the specific platform, such as PS5 or PS4.
• In (Game Library) , we’ve updated the following:
  • The [Installed] tab is now the first tab you’ll see, making it easier to find games that aren’t on your home screen, as well as offering quicker access to your media gallery.
  • Under the [Installed] tab, each game’s tile now clearly indicates its platform (such as PS5 or PS4). Also, just as in your games home screen, different platform versions of a game will now appear separately.
  • Under the [Your Collection] tab, you’ll now see that game tiles display the number of versions available to you when you’re entitled to multiple versions of a game.
  • You can now hide games much more quickly.
• In Game Base, we’ve updated the following:
  • From the Game Base control menu, you can now do the following:
    • You can now access party text chats and send messages from the Game Base control menu in the control center.
    • If you’re the owner of a party, you can now delete it. From the GameBase control menu, select the party you want to delete, and then select [Delete Party] from the … (more) menu. If you delete a party, it will be deleted for all members.
    • You can now see how many of your friends are online, busy, or offline under the [Friends] tab.
    • You can now accept, decline, or cancel multiple friend requests at the same time. To do so, under the [Friend Requests] tab, select [Received Requests] or [Sent Requests] from the (Select Multiple) menu.
  • In (Trophies) , we’ve updated the following:
    • You can now track up to five trophies per game in the control center using the trophy tracker.
    • To start tracking a trophy, select a trophy, and then select [Start Tracking].
    • When you’re playing a game, you can easily access information about the trophies you’ve added to your trophy tracker.
    • You can also view your trophy tracker in pin-to-side mode to see information about the trophies during gameplay.
    • When viewing the trophy lists of games, the trophies will now be displayed vertically instead of horizontally. You’ll now be able to see more information for each trophy without selecting it.
• In the control center, we’ve updated the following:
  • You can now customize your control center more freely. All the controls at the bottom of the screen can be rearranged.
  • The first time you open the control center, you’ll see a quick introduction to some of its key features.
• When you enable the screen reader, you can now use the following features:
  • You can now pause the screen reader by pressing the PS button and triangle button at the same time. To resume, press the PS button and triangle button again.
  • You can now make the screen reader repeat anything it reads. To do so, press the PS button and the R1 button at the same time.

Source: PlayStation