New PS5 External Disc Drive Requires Internet Connection for Pairing

Sony is rolling out redesigned, smaller PlayStation 5 models in November, including a new optional Ultra HD Blu-Ray Disc Drive that can pair to a Digital Edition PS5 in order to let digital gamers move to discs later. But it appears that those who decide to add a Blu-ray drive later on will require an internet connection to pair the console and the drive together.

Call of Duty-focused site Charlie Intel posted images on X (formerly known as Twitter) of a Call of Duty Modern Warfare III bundle featuring the slim PS5, and readers noticed that the fine print on the box reads "Internet connection required to pair Disc Drive and PS5 console upon setup."

It's a fair bit of irony for a medium that gamers like because physical copies mean you can play games even if servers are shut down later on.

Some X users likened the move to putting DRM on the optional disc drive, with some worrying about issues when, many years down the line, Sony may shut down servers supporting the PlayStation 5 and the disc drive, preventing the preservation and play of these games.

Community Notes on X point to a Wired story from December 2020 that may, in part, answer why this is occurring. That article points out that both Sony and Microsoft "lock down the software they use to pair their disc readers with their consoles' motherboards." This may be an attempt to ensure compliance with Section 1201 of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, which is what makes it illegal to "circumvent a technological measure that effectively controls access to a copyrighted work." In that case, pairing the disc drive and the motherboards ensures that you're using a legitimate first-party accessory, and not one that can enable piracy.

Of course, pirates have rarely been stopped by firmware pairing, though third-party repairs sure can suffer. It's likely that you'll only need to connect to the internet one time, on first use, to pair the drive. It's unclear if Sony will ever remove the requirement, perhaps when the next generation of consoles comes out.

Sony did not respond to a request for comment in time for publication. If we hear back, we'll update the story.

The new PlayStation 5, which some have taken to calling the PS5 Slim, is set to launch in November alongside the existing design. Once the original design is out of stock, the new one will be the default.

Sony is bumping the storage on the PS5 from an 825GB SSD to 1TB. The PS5 with a disc drive will run for $499.99, while the Digital Edition will be $449.99 (a $50 increase from the existing model). Those who want to add a disc drive to the Digital Edition later can pay $79.99 for the accessory.