WD and Sony Interactive Entertainment Release Licensed M.2 SN850 NVMe SSD for PS5

Western Digital Corp. and Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (SIE) teamed up to deliver the first official PlayStation-licensed M.2 SSD for PlayStation 5 (PS5) to gamers.

The WD_BLACK SN850 NVMe SSD for PS5 consoles ⁽¹⁾ enables players to expand the fast storage capacity of their PS5 console and gives them peace of mind knowing that their new and favorite titles are stored on a drive that’s been battletested to take on the most intensive PS5 gameplay.

Optimized for the newest-gen console, WD validated drive performance through multiple scenarios to ensure the drive has been tested for the PS5. This process included hundreds of hours spent testing some of the most graphic-rich titles across various genres to ensure that with games stored on the drive, gameplay is fast, smooth and visually immersive.

“We’re excited for this new journey with Sony Interactive Entertainment and the opportunity to bring the officially licensed drive to PS5 gamers,” said Susan Park, VP, consumer solutions product management, WD. “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.“

With the WD_BLACK SN850 NVMe SSD for PS5, gamers can store and play both PS5 games and PS4 games directly from the drive. The drive’s attached heatsink also makes installation quicker with its all-in-one design. Gamers can cut down on long load times with PCIe Gen4 technology, reaching up to 7,000MB/s ⁽²⁾ read speed to get them in the game fast so they can focus more on gaming.

Availability:
The WD_BLACK SN850 NVMe SSD for PS5 retails for $169.99 (1TB ⁽³⁾) and $279.99 (2TB ⁽³⁾) and is available for purchase exclusively at Best Buy (in stores and online) and on the company’s online store.

It will be available for purchase from other select retailers, etailers and resellers starting mid-August 2022.

⁽¹⁾ For PS5 firmware compatibility
⁽²⁾ 1MB/s=1 million bytes per second. Based on internal testing; performance may vary depending upon host device, usage conditions, drive capacity, and other factors.
⁽³⁾ 1GB=1 billion bytes and 1TB=1 trillion bytes. Actual user capacity may be less depending on operating environment.