Today marks the first major system update for PlayStation 5, dubbed the PS5 April Update, and it’s main feature is the introduction of storage expansion through an external drive using a USB-connected device. While certainly a nice bonus, it does come with a few limitations.
PlayStation 5 update introduces storage expansion
The recent update enables a DIY storage expansion with ‘compatible external USB drives’. Players can store installed games on an external hard drive and ‘seamlessly’ copy games back onto their PS5 when they want to.
Players can’t however actually play games off of an external storage device. So it’s faster than having to download a game again, but it’s not like you can now suddenly have double the amount of games ready to go at a moment’s notice. And speaking of downloading, you can’t download a game straight to an external storage disk either; you have to download it on the console first.
Meanwhile Sony gives an update (or reminder, rather) on the official M.2 storage devices. They’re still working on it. That’s it!
New social features
Besides the storage expansion, PlayStation 5 owners now have new ways to make their friends on PS4 jealous. You can now use the Share Play feature cross-generation, so from a PS5 to a PS4 and vice versa. Options include the ability to share your screen with a friend, pass your controller virtually to a friend, or pass a second controller virtually to play co-op games together.
Lastly, the April Update introduces some minor personalization and accessibility options. You can now quickly disable in-game chat through the PlayStation menu, you can pre-download upcoming patches, customize your Game Library, and adjust the magnification of the screen.
As of writing, the update is slowly rolling out for all PlayStation 5 users worldwide.