Sony got the PlayStation 5 right in so, so many areas, with outstanding graphics, powerful hardware, and excellent exclusive games.
But one thing did let the package down a little, and that was the integrated storage. Not by much, mind, as the 825GB SSD is fast, but the somewhat limited capacity left PS5 owners wanting more.
Well, Sony heard your anguished cries and responded with the launch of the Nextorage NEM-PA SSD, designed with PS5 users firmly in mind.
So, what is a Nextorage PS5 SSD?
Sony Launches PS5 SSD Expansion Under Nextorage Brand
If you've not heard of Nextorage, you're not alone. The Sony subsidiary deals primarily with memory and storage solutions for business and industrial applications but now has its name on a PlayStation 5 SSD.
Nextorage, led by a team of Sony engineers and technical staff, has developed what looks like a powerful PS5 SSD upgrade.
The Nextorage NEM-PA drives come in two different sizes, offering slightly different performance, but both using the PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 NVMe form factor to fit within the PS5.
The 2TB PS5 SSD comes with blazing fast read and write speeds, along with a substantial TBW of 1,400, while the 1TB version has slightly less on offer but is still a top-notch drive. In addition, both drives will ship with a PlayStation 5 compatible heatsink, ensuring drive longevity.
But, most importantly of all, as Nextorage is a Sony subsidiary, the PlayStation 5 SSD upgrades are guaranteed to meet Sony's requirements.
How Much Will the Nextorage PS5 SSDs Cost?
Unfortunately, neither Sony nor Nextorage have revealed how much these powerful PS5 SSDs will cost. Hopefully, the lesser-known Nextorage branding will keep the price down, although, with the hardware on offer, they won't be going for a song.
Similarly, we don't know when these new ultra-fast PS5 storage drives will launch, but we suspect Nextorage and Sony won't keep you waiting long.
Is It Worth Upgrading Your PlayStation 5 SSD?
There are two main reasons you should consider upgrading your Playstation 5 storage: storage and speed.
First up, storage. The PlayStation 5 comes with 825GB storage. Depending on the games you install, you'll fit between 10-20 games on the default SSD, but with some PlayStation 5 games consuming more than 100GB and titles like Call of Duty: Black Ops COld War requiring a whopping 225GB, you could be forgiven for wanting more.
Boosting up to 2TB storage for your PS5 will make it easier to manage your games, install updates, and account for any PlayStation 5 firmware upgrades.
Second, speed. The PlayStation 5 solid-state drive is already fast. Its 5,500MB/s read/write rate was one of its major plus points during its 2020 launch. However, the Nextorage drives promise (on paper, at least) to increase that rate further, offering read/write up to 7,300MB/s—astonishingly fast for a console storage drive.
The PlayStation 5's in-game load times are already incredibly fast, but a third-party SSD like the Nextorage could reduce them further.
Swapping Out Your PS5 SSD Is Simple
One thing is for sure: Sony has made the processing of swapping your PS5 SSD an easy task.
Unlike the consoles of previous generations, the PlayStation 5 case comes off with relative ease, allowing you to swap the drive without causing damage to your machine.
Sony officially enabled third-party SSD upgrades in early September 2021 after enabling beta testing in August of the same year. Now that third-party solid-state drive support is official expect to see more PlayStation 5 compatible solid-state drives hit the market.