In what many are rightly already calling a potential blow to game preservation, internet users who’s been able to examine the packaging for a Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 hardware bundle containing the new slimmer PlayStation 5 console out in the wild have revealed that it will require users connect to the internet to pair the console and its detachable disc drive – whether or not it came in the box or was bought separately.
Additional images of the Modern Warfare III PS5 Slim Bundle
Back says “150GB minimum.” Also says 90GB+ download required to play.
Bundle is available November 10th
(ty @_tlyer) pic.twitter.com/zAhx0lZWdu
— CharlieIntel (@charlieINTEL) October 24, 2023
It makes some sense that this would be the case, after all PlayStation could be opening itself up to nefarious types using modded or completely different disc drives to pass unauthorised information to the console, but it’s also a pretty big concern when it comes to future usability. As Digital Foundry’s John Linneman points out there could come a time when the server that performs the check to pair a disc drive no longer exists, which would render the drive – and subsequently any games printed on physical media – useless.
It could also mean that the idea of bringing a physical copy of a game along with your disc drive to a mate who has a digital PS5 slim could be less simple than it initially seemed.
Uhhhh…if this is the case, that is highly concerning and very strange. Hardware connectivity shouldn't be determined by a server that may not always be available. https://t.co/NT4KU6ShrN
— John Linneman @dark1x.bsky.social (@dark1x) October 25, 2023
Of course there does still exist the current “thicc” model of PS5 which doesn’t have this requirement, and the hope that if the worst case scenario were to happen, PlayStation would implement a fix of some kind to circumvent the requirement. It’s also possible that it’s related to a firmware update, which could mean it isn’t the case forever with future slim PS5 consoles manufactured having what they need out of the box.
At the moment, we don’t have a sure answer, but it’s certainly going to a sticking point among the game preservation crowd until it’s cleared up.
The new models are set to launch in the US very soon with a wider rollout, including Australia, to come over “the months following” at the below prices:
- PS5 with Ultra HD Blu-ray disc drive – $799.95 AUD
- PS5 Digital Edition – $679.95 AUD
- Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc Drive for PS5 – $159.95 AUD
- New PS5 Vertical Stand (compatible with all PS5 models) – $49.95 AUD
