Western Digital and Sony are officially partnered up to offer an officially licensed Solid State Drive (SSD) that is PlayStation branded.
The SN850 NVMe SSD will soon be spotted on shelves sporting the similar packaging that all other PlayStation branded items come in and will have the all-important featured logo letting customers know that it is an “official licensed product” for PS5 consoles. The WD_BLACK SN850 NVMe SSD was originally released in February 2021 with Western Digital later reporting in July 2021 that it was compatible with the required specs needed to expand the PS5’s internal SSD storage.
The good news is that now people who aren’t sure of what the best and most qualified product to upgrade their PlayStation 5 systems now have a clear choice that’s safe and is backed by Sony. The requirements for finding a proper SSD for Sony’s current flagship console can be a little intimidating considering that the PS5 has a few specific requirements to be able to expand your system’s storage capacity. PlayStation 5 architect Mark Cerny revealed in August last year that the SN850 was his internal PS5 SSD of choice.
Sony and Western Digital came to the agreement after “spending hundreds of hours playing the most graphic-rich titles to ensure with games stored on the drive, gameplay is fast, smooth and visually immersive”. In a press release, Susan Park, vice president of Consumer Solutions Product Management shared how excited the company is to be working with Sony on a licensed product. “Western Digital’s WD_BLACK brand was created to bring high-performance products to gamers everywhere. Combined with this innovative partnership, we aim to deepen our current commitment to developing storage solutions that enhance the gaming experience for all gamers.”
The Sony-branded SSD is available to buy directly from WD’s online store now with a rollout to more retailers next month. The 1TB option is currently going for $169.99 USD while the 2TB lists for $279.99 USD.
If you are a more savvy shopper, the 1TB version of the SN850 can be purchased with a heavy discount at major retailers such as Best Buy for $149.99 USD but, weirdly enough, you can purchase the non-branded SSD from Western Digital’s official site at $119.99 USD. Bargain hunters can grab this upgrade for $109.99 USD (today) as part of Prime Day.
Have you upgraded the storage on your PS5 yet? Were you waiting on an officially licensed offering from Sony such as the SN850 SSD?
Source: Western Digital, VGC
Listen to The Cross Roads Video Games Podcast
If you want to hear more about PlayStation, PC, and Xbox along with the current slate of games, news, and more, catch The Cross Roads Podcast live Tuesdays at 8PM ET on youtube.com/Exodus803.
Watch or listen to The Cross Roads Podcast wherever you consume your podcasts!
Anchor | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google | Overcast | Pocket Casts | Twitch
Thanks for listening!
Leave a Reply