Installing the PlayStation 5 Slim disc drive requires an internet connection

[Daniel Sims]

Why it matters: Console users who prefer physical media have become increasingly concerned in recent years as the industry deemphasizes discs in favor of digital distribution. The emergence of the PlayStation 5's new slim model presents an intriguing compromise on this issue, but further information has revealed a potentially significant caveat.

Close examination of photos of the upcoming PlayStation 5 Slim's packaging reveals that installing the optional disc drive will require an internet connection. The fine print likely won't be an obstacle for most users, but it could create problems in edge cases or raise concerns regarding preservation in the far future.

Eagle-eyed readers caught the detail when well-known Call of Duty leaker CharlieIntel posted pack shots for a PS5 Slim bundle that includes the upcoming Modern Warfare III. The connection is a one-time requirement, so users can still play physical games offline after the drive's initial installation.

The issue is concerning because it adds a new step that depends on the longevity of Sony's authentication servers. Setting up the disc drive version of the original PS5 doesn't require an internet connection, allowing anyone to play physical PS5 games anywhere and anytime. Receiving an optimal experience may require patches and system firmware, but launch-period consoles won't become completely useless in a theoretical future after official PS5 support has ended.

Selling separate optical drives gives owners of digital-only consoles a path to accessing physical games. It also allows users to replace broken devices without replacing or shipping the entire console for repairs. However, the one-time connection requirement adds another potential failure point. Moreover, the box pictured is the PS5 Slim Disk version, suggesting that this model also requires online authentication and removing the ability to play physical games offline out of the box.

Sony and Microsoft have long used DRM to link their consoles' optical drives to their motherboards. So far, this has only been a problem for third-party repair shops that can't swap out defective drives for working ones without breaking US copyright law. However, the upcoming self-installed PS5 disc drive makes copy protection an issue for ordinary consumers, and it could be the primary reason behind the internet requirement.

Giving customers direct access to the hardware linking the drive to the rest of the console theoretically facilitates the eventual emergence of modded or third-party optical drives that could enable piracy or custom firmware. Sony could be attempting to head off that eventuality, but an online authentication doesn't guarantee that the company's security is uncrackable. Circumventing the disc drive's online requirement could also provide a tool for future game preservation.

The PS5 Slim arrives in November. The disc version will cost the same as the launch SKU--$500, while the digital model's price gets a $50 price bump to $450.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/100624-installing-playstation-5-slim-disc-drive-requires-internet.html

 

[Theinsanegamer]

Remember the outrage when MS tried this?

Will the community respond in kind now that Sony is doing it?

Probably not, but I can hope the gaming community rediscovers its collective spine.

 

[m4a4]

Remember the outrage when MS tried this?

Will the community respond in kind now that Sony is doing it?

Probably not, but I can hope the gaming community rediscovers its collective spine.

As much as I don't like it, Xbox's scrapped plan was basically a "phone home every 24hrs". This is a one time "Yup, the disc drive is legit; paired". Quite a bit different.

But man, I'm hoping one of these days us consumers get proper protections that prevent BS like this. Or that people do actually start voting with their wallets. Too much "you bought it, but we don't consider that you actually own it own it" from companies...

 

[texasrattler]

As much as I don't like it, Xbox's scrapped plan was basically a "phone home every 24hrs". This is a one time "Yup, the disc drive is legit; paired". Quite a bit different.

But man, I'm hoping one of these days us consumers get proper protections that prevent BS like this. Or that people do actually start voting with their wallets. Too much "you bought it, but we don't consider that you actually own it own it" from companies...

One time setup for now. Doesn't mean they won't have access or won't do something dumb later on.

As for people voting with their wallets. Never going to happen because kids get their parents to buy stuff. Kids these days are well into their 20s and still at home. Even when kids leave home, they will either already have a console or buy one. It's a way for many to pass time and have fun.

 

[The Talking Tech]

"The new PS5’s optional disc drive requires an internet connection"

Sony is setting the worst example in an era where gaming preservation is at its most important.

 

[Puiu]

It might be to verify that the disc drive is original and hasn't been altered to bypass DRM.

 

[Puiu]

Remember the outrage when MS tried this?

Will the community respond in kind now that Sony is doing it?

Probably not, but I can hope the gaming community rediscovers its collective spine.

No, I don't remember, because what MS tried was to make an always on console, which is completely different from needing an internet connection to install extra hardware.

MS was destroyed back then for good reason.

 

[Lounds]

I assume it's to paid the drive with the motherboard of the PS5. Once done it's paired and won't require a connection again. I'm sure testers will figure it out when it launches.

 

[kiwigraeme]

I know slippery slope - but this is not a big deal

who will this affect - someone in 20 years -who has this console? - and has a relevant disc drive lying around they want to attach

Sony is not exactly a fly by night company

What would be more concerning - in 20 years your digital purchase have disappeared

The pertinent point is how many physical discs are really fully standalone now - and not just a digital code on a disc - or a game that's buggy

 

[Burty117]

Remember the outrage when MS tried this?

MS tried was to make an always on console...

I could be remembering wrong but, didn't they initially try to force you to have the camera plugged in as well? So the console required an internet connection AND the Kinect plugged in and always on?

Disk'ed games wouldn't even load without the internet connection either, it was only after the massive backlash they started removing these barriers through software updates.

Didn't help that the console cost £70 more than the PS4 while being substantially less powerful as well thanks to the forced inclusion of the camera that nobody wanted.

 

[Theinsanegamer]

I could be remembering wrong but, didn't they initially try to force you to have the camera plugged in as well? So the console required an internet connection AND the Kinect plugged in and always on?

Disk'ed games wouldn't even load without the internet connection either, it was only after the massive backlash they started removing these barriers through software updates.

Didn't help that the console cost £70 more than the PS4 while being substantially less powerful as well thanks to the forced inclusion of the camera that nobody wanted.

Yes they did. Best part being the xbox was so weak because Sony intentionally leaked fake specs and MS took the bait.

It might be to verify that the disc drive is original and hasn't been altered to bypass DRM.

Piracy has overcome DRM every single time, while screwing over paid customers. This is no different.

One time setup for now. Doesn't mean they won't have access or won't do something dumb later on.

As for people voting with their wallets. Never going to happen because kids get their parents to buy stuff. Kids these days are well into their 20s and still at home. Even when kids leave home, they will either already have a console or buy one. It's a way for many to pass time and have fun.

Exactly. The last decade has proven that the "slippery slope" is not a fallacy, its a fact of life. Especially in the gaming world, where corporations regularly screw over customers. Why on EARTH would anyone trust sony on this?

 

[bviktor]

for the players!

 

[dangh]

"The new PS5’s optional disc drive requires an internet connection"

Sony is setting the worst example in an era where gaming preservation is at its most important.

How is that worst example? It is bit weird and surely troublesome, but not affecting consoles with build in drive, and still worst example is xbox where you simply can't do anything without pinging internet even if you have a disk drive.

 

[AndreV]

No, I don't remember, because what MS tried was to make an always on console, which is completely different from needing an internet connection to install extra hardware.

MS was destroyed back then for good reason.

The irony is that much hasn't changed - on Xbox Series X most disc games require internet connection to be played, I'm talking about single player games. After first time rant, the consciousness of the masses has been accustomed to the increasing idea of losing another piece of their freedom, so MS came back to that practice and people didnt felt outraged, second time they...accepted it.

Now people will accept almost anything trough the "boiling frog" method.

Overton window practice in full force.

 

[AndreV]

As much as I don't like it, Xbox's scrapped plan was basically a "phone home every 24hrs". This is a one time "Yup, the disc drive is legit; paired". Quite a bit different.

But man, I'm hoping one of these days us consumers get proper protections that prevent BS like this. Or that people do actually start voting with their wallets. Too much "you bought it, but we don't consider that you actually own it own it" from companies...

The online connection itself is not the main problem, but the fact that Sony "marry" the Disc Drive to the console, unable to use the Drive on more than one console, and if the console dies, the Drive will be useless forcing you to by another, because I'm pretty sure that Sony will force the user the unpair the Drive on the same console it was paired, but since it is dead or sold...

 

[Puiu]

The online connection itself is not the main problem, but the fact that Sony "marry" the Disc Drive to the console, unable to use the Drive on more than one console, and if the console dies, the Drive will be useless forcing you to by another, because I'm pretty sure that Sony will force the user the unpair the Drive on the same console it was paired, but since it is dead or sold...

You don't know that, you don't know if you can't swap it afterwards. We actually don't know at all why it needs that internet connection, it's just us making assumptions.

 

[AndreV]

You don't know that, you don't know if you can't swap it afterwards. We actually don't know at all why it needs that internet connection, it's just us making assumptions.

You can know some pertinent things by inference/logic. Ask yourself first the obvious things: why the need for online connection(just like when you make an online account on an Apple product that "marry" the hardware to the ID), why both of them, why simultaneous and why together. The same with Apple and Samsung that "marry" the hardware components of a device(screen, motherboard, sub-board, battery, etc, so you cant replace them without the manufacturer approval and paying)
For a smart man these points should tell some important things.

 

[Puiu]

You can know some pertinent things by inference/logic. Ask yourself first the obvious things: why the need for online connection(just like when you make an online account on an Apple product that "marry" the ID to the hardware), why both of them, why simultaneous and why together.
For a smart man these points should tell some important things.

The same thing is needed just to check if the part is original and not "modded". It could be as you said, but I'm waiting to see what they did to it after it launches. Hopefully it won't lock the drive to a specific console.