In context: As hardware becomes increasingly powerful, software assets take up more space. The smaller storage allocation for the PS5 reported earlier this week are not sitting well with some gamers as they realize the solutions will not hold many next-gen titles.

This week, both Sony and Microsoft have faced criticism over the seemingly small amount of storage available in their next-generation consoles. Fortunately, the Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 have SSD storage expansion options. So those with a bit more Christmas cash on hand could opt for additional drive space if they wish. However, today Sony said not so fast.

On Thursday, a Sony spokesperson confirmed that the PS5's expansion bay would not be available at launch. While the physical hardware and the port that accepts M.2 SSDs are there, it will be disabled by system software until Sony can certify some aftermarket SSDs.

"[T]his is reserved for a future update," was all the spokesperson would tell The Verge.

The news should not come as a complete surprise. In a PS5 deep-dive earlier this year, Sony's head architect Mark Cerny mentioned that they are still benchmarking and performing compatibility testing on SSDs and would not likely have that completed on day one.

"It'd be great if that happened by launch, but it's likely to be a bit past it, so please hold off on getting that M.2 drive until you hear from us."

Fortunately, users will still be able to hook up an external drive. It will just not provide the advantages of an M.2 SSD in the expansion bay. Even with the smaller storage allocation, players should not run into space shortages immediately unless they go on a download spree, so there is no need for panic.

Although Sony did not say when the bay would be functional, it should not be too long since it has been in testing for most of this year.