Retail boxes for the PS5 Slim have revealed an internet connection is required to pair the detachable disc drive to the console before it can be used.
As Eurogamer reports, Sony decided to add a verification step which involves pinging a server before you are allowed to use the disc drive on the soon-to-be-released PS5 Slim. This check will occur regardless of whether you purchase the PS5 Slim with a drive already attached, or add one to a digital edition of the console in the future.
Sony hasn't explained why it decided to add this step to the setup process, but it's most likely there to ensure an official drive is being used with the console. That way a third-party manufacturer can't release an unofficial drive without Sony's permission and it may also reduce the risk of game piracy.
Adding online verification to a piece of hardware such as this raises a couple of big concerns. Firstly, if you don't have access to the internet then the PS5 Slim isn't a console you'll be able to use. Sony isn't advertising this fact beyond a small bit of text on the packaging and it could therefore catch a few people out.
The second, and arguably much bigger concern this raises, is the verification suggests Sony is permanently pairing the disc drive to a console. If so, you will never be able to resell the drive. What's also unclear is whether Sony will allow you to replace a disc drive with another one if your existing drive experiences a fault. It's likely we can, but hopefully Sony makes this clear in the documentation included with the new console.
One final question that this pairing process raises and which Sony really needs to answer: what happens when it eventually turns off the server handling disc drive pairing requests?
