Sony’s bet on open-source storage for PS5 paying off against Xbox
Sony’s huge gamble on open-source external storage PS5 M.2 PCIe 4 SSDs is now proving to be effective against Xbox’s proprietary storage Series X expansion card
Another defeat for proprietary storage. PS5 owners are now spending far less than Xbox owners to add additional storage by sticking with the standardized M.2 2280 PCIe4 x4 SSDs.
There are several contrasts between the Sony PS5 and Microsoft Xbox Series X, but their respective approaches to external storage are particularly intriguing.
Sony chose to adopt M.2 2280 PCIe4 x4 NVMe SSDs early in its development, even though this was a risky move because such drives were not yet widely accessible.
Microsoft, on the other hand, decided to design its proprietary external drives and interface to be identical to earlier memory cards for PS1 or PS2 consoles.
Upon the release of the two consoles, consumers sensed the benefits and drawbacks of each choice right away.
Now the cost of PCIe4 x4 drives has substantially decreased and is now considerably less expensive than Microsoft’s exclusive option. A 1 TB Samsung 980 Pro would be available for $129 on Amazon if you searched for “PS5 SSD,” whereas a 1 TB Xbox expansion card is currently available for $199.