Users of the new PS5 Slim have stumbled upon a significant retention issue, which may well render physical games unusable on the device within a few years. Explanations.
As spotted by the @DoesItPlay1 account and some members of its community, resetting Sony’s all-new PS5 Slim causes the removable disk drive to get out of sync. This strange behavior elicits Concerns about the long-term viability of the new version of the console.
Among the new features of this PS5 Slim is the reduction of the console’s size, but not only. The main improvement is the detachable removable disk drive, This allows you to make the console compatible with physical games as needed, and all this without having to buy a new console. However, a big flaw was already looming on the horizon: the need to have an internet connection to install the device. And therein lies the problem.
PS5 Slim disc drive might stop working
When you plug the removable disk drive into your PS5, the latter must register with Sony’s servers to be approved as an official component, which prevents you from using any external disk drive. That’s why you need an internet connection during installation.
However, users who have already performed routine memory resets or full factory resets have reported an unintended consequence: The removable disk drive is out of sync. This one, which is crucial for users who rely on physical copies of games, then becomes inoperative, unless you are re-authenticated by Sony’s servers.
From a preservation perspective, this scenario is worrisome. One can legitimately wonder what will happen when the console requires authentication for its disk drive and that Sony’s server infrastructure will no longer be accessible.
It remains to be seen how Sony will react to this issue. One solution would be to remove the need to authenticate the disk drive, before the company shuts down its servers over the next few decades.