[A variety of new features will be added to Sony's next-generation gaming console. These include the ability to upgrade the highly requested 825GB internal hard drive, new UI enhancements, and additional customization options.

Sony has issued a series of recommendations to help users obtain compatible drives; an M.2 SSD with PCle Gen 4 and a read speed of at least 5,500 MB/sec is required. Samsung and Western Digital currently sell drives that meet these benchmarks, but they are expensive: the 1TB Samsung 980 Pro SSD costs $229, only $70 less than an Xbox Series S console.

Sony also emphasizes that the console is likely to get dangerously hot when using the currently unlocked M.2 SSD slots. Therefore, drives with "effective heat dissipation, such as heat sinks," are required. If all of the above does not make sense, it may be worth waiting for the manufacturer to release an officially licensed drive so that you can insert it into the slot without having to worry about compatibility.

The PS5 makes use of some clever technology to make the 825GB internal SSD feel larger, but it is still relatively small considering that high-profile games often occupy more than 100GB of storage space. Therefore, the ability to increase the internal storage capacity of the console would be a welcome addition for owners with large collections of games.

The first significant software patch for the PS5 was released in April, adding the ability to save PS5 games to an external hard drive. However, it is not possible to play native PS5 games from an external storage drive. Adding an additional internal SSD would remove this limitation, but Sony notes that game performance may suffer when played from a drive other than the console's original drive.

The PS5 software beta also includes the ability to upgrade the console's hard drive, as well as 3D audio support for the TV's built-in speakers. The console's UI has also been significantly improved, adding customization options for the control center, game base, and friends list. In addition, both the home screen and game library will allow users to more clearly distinguish between PS5® and PS4® games.

The PS5 software beta program allows users to try out features prior to the official system update. Currently, these features are available to select users in the U.S., Canada, Japan, the U.K., Germany, and France, but once thoroughly tested, they will be available to all PS5 owners. An official PS5 update with these upgrades is expected within the next few weeks.