The PlayStation 5’s currently unused internal storage expansion slot will reportedly be enabled this summer. Its use will allow players to add additional space to a console that quickly fills up due to massive game sizes and updates.
According to Bloomberg, a firmware update will enable use of the M.2 SSD expansion slot by allowing the internal fans to run at a higher speed. Overheating concerns were a factor in not enabling the slot at launch, and you cannot play or store PS5 games on an external drive. These more-traditional external drives can be used for storing and playing PS4 games, but users (including me) have seen issues with the console hard-crashing with the drives plugged in.
You’ll want to wait until Sony releases a list of officially approved NVMe SSD units before you make a purchase, as they’re still quite expensive, and not every model will work. They need to be able to run as quickly as the permanent drive installed in the system, which is how the PS5 is able to load games so quickly, and they also need to physically fit in the slot. The Xbox Series X|S uses a similar drive, but it also comes with a proprietary expansion slot that was enabled on launch day.
Game file sizes are certainly becoming more of an issue, as they continue to rise while storage capacity on consoles has stayed relatively stagnant. The PS5 comes with an 825GB SSD, but only about 667GB are usable. If you have a 500GB model PS4, for instance, you may no longer be able to have fully updated versions of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War and Warzone with Modern Warfare on the system at the same time.