PlayStation 5 System Update Arrives With A Mystery

PlayStation 5 is receiving a new system update today, about a month after it received the last one. This update doesn't do a whole lot, but judging by Sony's brief patch notes, it'll be one to install right away regardless. The new update brings the PS5 system version to 21.01-03.21.00 and weighs in at just under 1GB in size.

Unfortunately, what's contained in that 1GB – 902.4MB, if we want to be specific – is a mystery. The patch notes for this update simply say that it "improves system performance" without additional detail. Improved system performance is always a good thing, though, so you'll want to manually update by going into your PS5's System Settings if you aren't automatically prompted to install the update the next time you turn your PS5 on.

PlayStation 5 owners have been waiting for a system update that enables the PlayStation 5's expansion storage slot, but sadly, it seems this update isn't it. Sony has indicated in the past that there's currently a lack of M.2 drives that are compatible with the PlayStation 5, suggesting that when more are available, it'll enable the expansion slot through a system update.

While the PlayStation 5 has supported external storage from the start, it wasn't until April that a different system update allowed users to store their PlayStation 5 games on those external drives. That's a decent-enough workaround for the PlayStation 5's rather small internal SSD, but being able to tap into that expansion M.2 slot would obviously be preferable.

We'll keep our eyes peeled for more on that storage upgrade, but for now, be sure to download this new system update to benefit from these mysterious performance upgrades. The update is available now in the United States, and you can check out Sony's patch notes for more.