It’s been known for a while that the PS5 would come with a smaller SSD than the Xbox Series X, offering 825GB instead of a full 1TB. What hasn’t been so clear is how much of that is usable.
We’ve already heard some chatter that the PS5 only has 665GB of usable storage, with the rest reserved for the operating system. New evidence suggests that we've got a little more space, but you’re still not going to like what we've learned.
- Xbox Series X review: Our verdict is in!
- Check out our Xbox Series S review
- Just in: PS5 and Xbox Series X won't be in Best Buy stores until next year
A new image that Twitter user @Okami13_ screengrabbed from a now-deleted YouTube video shows the PS5 has slightly over 667GB of usable storage.
While that's better than 665GB, it’s not that much better. In fact it’s barely an increase at all in the grand scheme of things, especially not compared to the Xbox Series X's usable 802GB.
In case you needed any more confirmation - the #PS5 review kits have 667 GB of storage. Looks like that's with Astro's Playroom installed.https://t.co/jccCoosOkm pic.twitter.com/XgwfmiWThyNovember 3, 2020
The only question is why that discrepancy? Well as we pointed out at the time, the screengrab showing 665 GB (which came from Sony itself) was presumed to be a development kit – not a retail-model. This new screengrab came from a review unit, which is what’s going to be going on sale from next week.
Of course there’s still room for skepticism. As TechRadar points out, the screengrab refers to the storage as "HDD" rather than the more accurate "SSD." Why isn’t clear, and while people may casually refer to a solid state drive as a "hard drive" there’s no reason for Sony to be using the wrong acronym. It doesn’t discount the image completely, but it does cast doubt on its validity.
The good thing is we shouldn’t be waiting too long for a proper answer. The console itself goes on sale on November 12, and we should be seeing the first wave of reviews even sooner.
Unfortunately, like the Xbox Series S’s own storage woes, things don’t look too great, and it may make you more inclined to go out and buy a specialized storage expansion drives to make sure you have enough room for all your favorite games. It would just be nice if Sony told us a bit more about how that works, rather than making us guess and assume.
