PlayStation Quietly Removes PS5's Worst Feature, The Wins Keep Coming

It appears that PlayStation has just removed a rather unpopular feature, and it’s about time.

Sony has been making quite a few under-the-hood changes to its PlayStation consoles at the moment, improving the innards of the hardware to give owners a better experience.

This was evident when it was discovered that new PS5 Slim consoles have a new cooling infrastructure similar to the PS5 Pro’s cooling system, as we reported earlier this week.

It should mean that PS5 consoles will be sufficiently quieter compared to before, and will theoretically last longer as degradation slows down as a result of this improved cooling.

The wins don’t stop there, however, as it looks like a rather unpopular PS5 feature has now also been removed from new models.

(Getty/NurPhoto)

As reported by @Modyfikator89, new PS5 Slim consoles with a disc drive (model CFI-2116) don’t require an internet connection to pair with the Blu-ray drive.

According to Modyfikator89, the disc drive is now factory-paired with the rest of the console, eliminating the need for an internet connection to activate the drive.

This new model of the console is now available in stores, meaning that if you’ve just picked up a PS5 in a Black Friday deal or are getting one for a loved one at Christmas, those Christmas Day internet slowdowns won’t stop you from popping in a disc and enjoying whatever content is on it.

A Win For Hardware Preservation

Modyfikator89 also says this feature is useful for “future exploits and those planning system modifications (modding/jailbreaking)”.

This will mean modders won’t need to connect it to the internet if they buy a console after new firmware patches have been released.

Altogether, it seems that Sony has been making a lot of these changes in an effort to improve the longevity of the console.

With the new cooling system, plus the lack of an internet connection requirement to use all the features of the console, it should mean your shiny new PS5 console will still function as advertised even in 10, 15, or even 20 years’ time.

In related PlayStation news, PlayStation Plus Essential games are expected to transition to a PS5-only model from next month, leaving PS4 owners without any new monthly games to claim.

This month’s PlayStation Plus Essential games include LEGO Horizon Adventures, Killing Floor 3, The Outlast Trials, Synduality Echo of Ada and Neon White. They are available from today, 2 December, and will be on the service until 5 January, 2026.