Data Backup Digest

Sony is soon to release the latest generation of their PlayStation games console. The PS4 offers consumers access to games developed for the new system, taking advantage of the better hardware and infrastructure within. With a redesigned controller and a host of exciting features, the PS4 will likely sell into the millions for the technology company.
One aspect you might be interested to know about the PS4 is the console’s storage capacities. In the past, storage on a console wasn’t exactly a big deal. There was no such thing as being able to download games off a disc or from an online store and all your save games were stored on a memory card. Nowadays, however, the market is very different. Downloading games is commonplace and is becoming an increasing demand from consumers. As such, modern consoles now have ample storage space in order to support large game libraries.
Let’s get down to the hard facts: the launch model of the PS4 comes with a 500 GB hard drive. Larger capacity models might be offered in the future, but that’s just speculation.
This storage space can be used to hold a variety of media, from simple things like pictures to large files like whole games. Including those downloaded off the Playstation Network, users are also able to install their games from the disc onto their drives. As a security measure on Sony’s part, the disc will still have to be in the drive when you play, but installing data to your drive means that the game will load quicker and should keep the console quieter.
500 GB is ample size and should last the majority of consumers a long time. But what if that just isn’t enough?
It has been announced that, at launch, the PS4 won’t support external hard drives. Shuhei Yoshida, the president of Worldwide Studios at Sony, confirmed the fact in response to a user’s question on Twitter. Despite having USB 3.0 connectivity, meaning that external drives couldn’t easily be attached, it’s only the internal storage that will be supported at first.
However, Sony uses standard hard drives within their systems. This means that, should you wish, you can take the hard drive out of the console and swap it out for a larger capacity one. All of this can be done without breaking the warranty, unlike with the Xbox One.
Bear in mind that the hardware capabilities are there to support an external drive. Whether Sony will update the system down the line to support the expansions is unknown at this time.
That’s the internal storage, then, but what of the cloud storage? Storing your data online is becoming increasingly popular, especially with services like SkyDrive and Dropbox gaining traction at every moment.
Those users who sign up to PlayStation Plus - Sony’s paid subscription service to advanced features of their online service - will receive 3 GB of cloud storage to use on the PS3. This is an increase from the 2 GB offered on PS3 and Vita.