The Sad Reality Of PS5's Storage Capacity

Gamers everywhere are excited to get their hands on the next generation of console games. Upon launch, those who are lucky enough to secure a pre-order for Sony's new PlayStation may face some disappointment when it comes to the PS5's internal storage. While the PS5's storage capacity is said to be 825 GB, gamers may not get to use all of that space for games.

Thanks to the astute observations of a YouTuber YongYea, there's now reason to believe the PS5's operating system might take up around 161GB, leaving users with 664 GB of free space.

In his video, YongYea said he could "say with some semblance of assurance that the amount of available storage on PlayStation 5 will likely be around [664GB]." While this is no doubt disappointing to those who have been anxiously awaiting Sony's next-gen launch, the key phrase is "some semblance of assurance." YongYea asked his viewers to bear in mind that the demonstration revealing these specs used a development kit, meaning the model that hits store shelves could offer more storage availability.

He looked at the Xbox Series X for comparison, which has a full terabyte of storage, in conjunction with a teardown video discussing the PS5's specs. From this information, he concluded that the news isn't looking great for Sony fans.

Roland Moore-Colyer over at Tom's Guide provided insight that could potentially pacify gamers who are stressing over the PS5's potentially limited storage capacity. In his article, he mentioned that a console development kit could contain diagnostic tools along with other related software. He also asserted that a dev kit model could be packed with a lighter amount of storage space.

Consumers who are eager to take home a PlayStation 5 will have to look at the total cost, regardless of whether the final product will offer greater capacity than the alleged 664 GB. With today's AAA titles consuming large amounts of space, even 825 GB may not get you very far.

One aspect where PlayStation 5 users could see an advantage over Series X players is in the PS5's storage upgrade options. Sony will allow users greater flexibility in choosing a brand of storage drives. As long as a device meets the necessary speed requirements, consumers can install their own drives, which could offer cheaper alternatives down the road. Unfortunately, what's currently available comes with a hefty price tag. If you're picking up a PS5 at launch, you may want to factor an extra $230 into the total cost, which is even more than the Series X Seagate SSD.

Of course, next-gen gamers will have the option of using USB external drives to store their games. This would require extra steps, forcing you to manually move the game you wish to play from the external drive to your system's internal storage. It may be tedious, but it's one solution to the problem.

Added costs are to be expected when buying a new system. It comes as no surprise that as these new consoles push technical limits, prices are going to soar. With 4K resolution becoming the new standard, developers will face greater challenges in finding affordable solutions. Time may be the greatest solution for gamers who want to enjoy next-gen gaming but are held back by the intimidating cost of entry.

In an article that compared hardware specs of the PS5 to the PS4 and PS4 Pro, Push Square's Sammy Barker noted that the new console actually has less internal storage than the PS4 Pro. With this in mind, it could be prudent to wait for Sony to release a Pro equivalent of the PS5 with greater storage capacity. This could also motivate some who were looking to save $100 with the digital-only version to purchase the optical-drive model. Unfortunately, discs rarely accommodate most modern games, so purchasing the latter may not make much of a difference.

While Sony users may be forced to either pay a hefty fee or come up with creative solutions to limited storage, it seems as though Microsoft is actively trying to lighten the load on the Xbox Series X's internal storage. In a console generation where every little detail counts, this could give the Series X a slight advantage over the PS5.

The potential 664 GB limit is a disappointing prospect for sure, but gamers will have to wait to see whether this will truly be the PS5's full capacity out the box. There's always a price to pay for early adoption, so if the added cost discourages you from jumping all in, it could be wise to hold off and see how costs change as these new consoles mature.