Author: Game Infliction

2023 is finally the year where 2TB PS5 SSD upgrades are actually worth the price. Last year, prices for 1TB PS5 SSDs averaged around $150, whereas 2TB SSDs hovered closer to $300. This year, we’re seeing 1TB SSDs trickle below the $80 price point and 2TB SSDs are as low as $120. Note that you can’t use any old SSD and expect it to perform well on the PS5 console. You’ll want to pick up an PCIe Gen4 x4 M.2 solid state drive with a rated 5,500MB/s read speed to match the PS5’s internal drive.

Note that Sony recommends a heatsink attached to your SSD. Not all SSDs listed here have pre-installed heatsinks. For the ones that do, we’ll be sure to mention it. For the ones that don’t, all you have to do is purchase your own heatsink (we recommend this one for $10) and install it yourself. It’s very easy.

For our recommended picks for PS5 SSDs, check out our Best PS5 SSDs of 2023.

Officially Licensed WD SN850P 2TB PS5 SSD for $129.99

There are plenty of great deals on PS5-compatible SSDs. However, if you’re looking for one that has been officially licensed by Sony, then your options just narrowed down to a single SSD. That’s right, the WD Black SN850P is the only SSD that’s officially licensed for the PS5. Today, Amazon has the 2TB model for the lowest price we’ve ever seen.

The WD SN850P was made specifically for the PS5 console. That means it fulfills all of Sony’s requirements, like a minimum read speed of 5,500MB/s, a PCI-Express Gen4x4 interface, and a slim yet effective heatsink that fits within the confines of the PS5 bay. Because it’s officially licensed, the WD SN850P is the only SSD that’s allowed to have the PS5 logo gloriously emblazoned. No, you’ll never see it once it’s installed and the PS5 is closed up and no, it won’t make your PS5 any more special, but it’s there.

WD Black SN850X 2TB PS5 SSD with Heatsink $119.99

If you don’t mind not having the “PS5” logo, this WD SSD is almost the exact same SSD but $10 cheaper. That’s right, under the heatsink, the SN850X and the SN850P are 100% identical!

Crucial P5 Plus 2TB M.2 SSD with Heatsink for $129.99

You can’t ever go wrong with Crucial. The company has been making reliable and widely compatible flash memory for as long as I can remember. The Crucial P5 Plus boasts transfer speeds of up to 6,660MB/s which is well above the 5,500MB/s minimum threshold. Yes there are faster SSDs out there, but if your intention is to put this in your PS5, then that extra speed is worthless because you’re bottlenecked by the original PS5 SSD. Crucial even has an official YouTube PS5 SSD install guide to see you through the process.

Samsung 980 Pro 2TB PS5 SSD for $119.99

Looking for a fast and inexpensive M.2 SSD from a brand that you recognize? Here’s your answer. Amazon is offering the Samsung 980 PRO 2TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe Gen 4 solid state drive for only $119.99. In terms of performance, it’s no longer the fastest SSD on the market (the 990 Pro is), but it’s still a very fast drive. It certainly more than meets the minimum 5600MB/s speed requirement to be used as a PS5 storage upgrade, with speeds of up to 7,100MB/s.

Adata Premium 2TB M.2 SSD for PS5 for $94.99

It’s happened, folks. A 2TB PS5-compatible SSD has broken past the $100 price barrier. The Adata Premium SSD boasts transfer speeds of up to 6,100MB/s, which is more than fast enough to surpass the PS5’s recommended minimum speed threshold of 5,500MB/s. Yes there are faster SSDs out there, but if your intention is to put this in your PS5, then that extra speed is worthless because you’re bottlenecked by the stock PS5 SSD. Better to save that money and put it to better use. It also includes a thin aluminum heatspreader… too thin to be appropriately called a heatsink, but still enough for the PS5 console.

Silicon Power 2TB PS5 SSD with Heatsink for $92.67

Includes built-in heatsink!

The Silicon Power XS70 SSD with a preinstalled robust aluminum heatsink costs just under $100. The aluminum heatsink is still slim enough to fit in the PS5 without obstruction. It boasts transfer speeds of up to 7300MB/s read and 6800MB/s write, comfortably faster than the 5500MB/s minimum recommended requirement. It actually performs a little better than the Crucial P5 Plus, the original WD Black SN850, and the Samsung 980 Pro, although that won’t make a difference in your PS5.

Corsair MP600 PRO LPX 2TB “Optimized for PS5” SSD with Heatsink for Only $119.99

Corsair is a very well known brand for DIY PC builders. Corsair makes some of the best gaming products on the market, and that includes solid-state memory like RAM and SSDs. The MP600 Pro is Corsair’s fastest M.2 SSD and the “LPX” model is “optimized for PS5” because it includes a rugged preinstalled heatsink that is slim enough to fit in the PS5 bay without any issues. We like this RAM so much, we rated it the best PS5 SSD for 2023.

Nextorage 2TB PS5 SSD with Heatsink for $139.99

There’s an interesting story behind this drive. Nextorage was actually originally created by Sony as an SSD division catered to the PS5 console. For whatever reason, Sony decided to ditch that idea and sold this business to another stakeholder in the company, Phison (they make memory controllers found in SSDs from Seagate, Corsair, and Sabrent, and more). Phison eventually accomplished the goal of releasing an SSD catered specifically for the PS5 console in the form of this product right here.

Budget to Best: PS5 SSDs

There may be other SSD deals out there, but these are the PS5 SSDs we’ve tried ourselves and highly recommend. They also double up as outstanding boot drives for your gaming PC, in case you don’t need additional storage for your PS5 console.

How easy is it to install the SSD?

It’s extremely easy! Removing the case cover is completely toolless. In fact, the only screw you have to remove is the one that keeps the cover for the SSD bay in place. You don’t even put it back when you’re done. Sony has a quick and easy YouTube video guide.

What if the SSD I bought doesn’t have a heatsink?

Sony recommends you install an SSD that has an attached heatsink. If the SSD you purchase doesn’t include one, it’s simple enough to buy one for about $10 on Amazon and add it yourself. Most of these heatsinks are just attached using an adhesive like thermal tape.

Microsoft is reportedly in talks with Activision about extending the deadline for its $69 billion buyout of the company.

The deadline is currently set for today, July 18, with Microsoft oblidged to pay Activision Blizzard a $3 billion reverse termination fee if it fails to close in time.

The expiration of the contract would let either Microsoft or Activision walk away from the deal. While this is unlikely given both parties’ desire to complete, Microsoft wants to extend the contract “to ensure Activision is not wooed by another potential acquirer or has a change of heart”, Reuters reported. Microsoft and Activision have yet to comment on the claim.

Yesterday, a judge for the UK’s Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) paused Microsoft’s appeal against the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), allowing both parties more time to negotiate. During a hearing, the judge granted a two-month pause on the appeal process as Microsoft and the CMA resume negotiations. In April, the CMA blocked Microsoft’s proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard, citing cloud gaming monopolization as a reason not to allow the deal to go through. Microsoft then appealed the decision, with a trial set to begin on July 28.

“We’re grateful the UK’s Competition Appeal Tribunal has conditionally agreed to pause the formal appeal process subject to additional information,” a Microsoft spokesperson said in a statement sent to IGN. “As we’ve said before, we are considering how the transaction might be modified to address the CMA’s concerns. Microsoft and Activision Blizzard have agreed with the CMA that this is in the best interest of finding a prompt path forward.”

The CMA announced it was open to renegotiating a deal with Microsoft after the tech giant won a major merger case against the FTC. Microsoft is reportedly considering a divestiture of some type, potentially relating to its cloud gaming business, to satisfy the CMA’s anti-trust concerns. The UK is currently the only major jurisdiction standing in the way of what would be the largest acquisition ever in the gaming industry.

Last week, Microsoft and Sony agreed a deal to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation consoles for the next 10 years. The contract does not include a similar commitment for Activision Blizzard’s non-Call of Duty games.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Activision has confirmed Modern Warfare 2 weapons, bundles, and operators will carry over into Call of Duty 2023.

Following a period of extensive leaks relating to this year’s game, expected to be Modern Warfare 3, the official Call of Duty Twitter account posted a poll that left fans in no doubt about the transfer of their digital items. Call of Duty developer Sledgehammer Games, which is leading work on this year’s game, retweeted the post.

Let’s get this out of the way…

Should #MWII Operators, Weapons and Bundles carry forward into Call of Duty 2023?

— Call of Duty (@CallofDuty) July 17, 2023

Typically, items bought for a mainline Call of Duty game do not carry over to the next entry. But Activision was criticised when it announced cosmetics would not carry over from battle royale Warzone to its sequel, Warzone 2.0.

Modern Warfare 3 is set to continue the story set out by last year’s Modern Warfare 2 campaign, and comes just a year later, breaking a release tradition of alternating between the Modern Warfare, Black Ops, and other sub-brands on an annual basis.

Leaked images and information for Modern Warfare 3 appear to have emerged from a closed alpha test. Snippets of unconfirmed info suggest the return of Call of Duty’s classic mini-map, which is sure to be a crowd-pleaser. Perks are supposedly Gear categories (Ninja returns). Remastered versions of the original Modern Warfare 2 maps Terminal and Scrapyard are also rumoured to return with Modern Warfare 3. There are also reports War Mode from Call of Duty: WW2 is in Modern Warfare 3, and Outbreak comes back in the form of Outbreak 2.0.

Activision has left it late to reveal this year’s Call of Duty, but Microsoft’s ongoing battle to buy the company for $69 billion may have delayed announcement plans. With the acquisition saga apparently nearing a conclusion, Activision may be preparing an imminent reveal.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.