As fans likely predicted but hoped against, the PlayStation 5’s actual SSD storage space has been confirmed to be smaller than most were probably expecting, with only 664GB of the 1TB that was promised. Storage space will be a huge problem in next-generation gaming especially for fans who love to download exclusive games.
Games like Grand Theft Auto, Destiny, and Call of Duty eat away storage spaces in humungous chunks, obliging players to move other games to the cloud in order to free up some room. Shuffling between game installations was already a problem in the age of Xbox One and PlayStation 4 but this issue is going to be more critical in the next generation.
This problem is because of the custom SSD drive that powers both of the console’s enhancements in loading times and game speed. As PC players have understood for quite a few years, SSD technology is a giant leap forward over the classic hard drive and such massive leaps need a massive financial investment.
Players can still connect traditional external storage but old drives will not provide the same hasty experience as what will be introduced this time around. This means players will have to divide their games to keep the best and biggest on the default SSD.
As spotted by some gaming enthusiasts in the ongoing PlayStation 5 previews in Japan, the PlayStation 5’s 825GB SSD will not be totally open to users when they get their hands on the next-gen console. Rather, only 664GB will be available for the installation of games and save data while the rest will be allotted to the console’s system software and important files.
Sony has already confirmed its launch titles’ storage requirements so players will have an idea of what they will need on release day. Simple games such as Sackboy: A Big Adventure will need 32GB of storage while Spider-Man: Miles Morales Ultimate Edition will require at least 105GB – almost one-sixth of the PlayStation 5’s accessible storage space.
Of course, even this seemingly massive size of Spider-Man: Miles Morales will be overshadowed by some third party game. On the PlayStation 4, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Destiny 2 usually go up to at least the 200GB ceiling and this number will only rise up thanks to enhanced 4K graphics on the PlayStation 5.
Xbox Series X users will also be on the same boat with these kinds of games but its SSD will be slightly bigger, providing players a notable 850GB storage space. With games taking up this much space, this could be sufficient to install one more big game before resorting to external storage.
Early buyers of the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 is going to be in a bad position compared to those who come down the line because this is how technology has always worked. These consoles are cutting edge and bets don’t sometimes pay off.
The Xbox 360 originally needed an adapter to use the Wifi while the PlayStation 3’s release console featured controllers that had no rumble. A few generations later, games may be better but the new SSDs that power them might bring along more problems along the way.
