The PS5 Slim’s disc drive can be swapped between consoles easily - but you need an internet connection
Bad news for hot swappers
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Although it is currently slated for an unspecified “November” release, thenew, slimmer PlayStation 5 modelis already starting to appear at a handful of retailers. A bundle containingMarvel’s Spider-Man 2is available right nowat Walmartalongside a host of other earlyBlack Friday PS5 deals.
It therefore is no surprise that some customers are getting their hands on the console a little early, including the popular YouTuber Ryan Biniecki who has posted a comprehensive unboxing and comparison video totheir channel.
In addition to outlining the console’s reduced size and weight, they use the video to answer several pressing questions about the system’s new detachable disc drive module. Although it was discovered last month thatyou’ll need an internet connection in order to install the disc drive, many have been left wondering whether it will be at all possible to move your disc drive to another PS5 console after it has already been installed on one system.
Thankfully, it appears that you will be able to swap the disc drives around, at least according to what was demonstrated in Biniecki’s video, but there is a catch. In addition to requiring an internet connection the first time it is installed on a console, the disc drive will also require a connection to install every time it is subsequently moved to a new system. This connection is only needed once per console, but without it the system won’t accept discs at all.
Although this isn’t too unexpected given the internet requirement for the initial installation, it does spark further fears about the decision’s potential impact on future video game preservation efforts. As the disc drive requires an initial connection toSony’s servers, there might come a time several years down the line when the servers are taken offline and uninstalled versions of the disc drive module become wholly unusable.
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Dash is a technology journalist who covers gaming hardware at TechRadar. Before joining the TechRadar team, he was writing gaming articles for some of the UK’s biggest magazines including PLAY, Edge, PC Gamer, and SFX. Now, when he’s not getting his greasy little mitts on the newest hardware or gaming gadget, he can be found listening to J-pop or feverishly devouring the latest Nintendo Switch otome.
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