There have been several versions of USB and it got a little complicated once it got to USB 3.0. Hopefully this makes it much easier to understand when you decide to purchase one for your PS5.
Sony has not released an exact list of supported drives, but has mentioned that they support USB 3.2. The following SuperSpeed USB connections are supported on PS5 consoles:
- SuperSpeed USB 5 Gbps (USB 3.0/USB 3.1 Gen1/USB 3.2 Gen1 (1×1))
- SuperSpeed USB 10 Gbps (USB 3.1 Gen2/USB 3.2 Gen2/USB 3.2 Gen1x2)
- SuperSpeed USB 20 Gbps (USB 3.2 Gen2x2)
See the chart below that helps explain it a little better.
| USB 3.2 Gen 1×1 | USB 3.2 Gen 1×2 | USB 3.2 Gen 2×1 | USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 | |
| Transfer Speed | 5Gbps | 10Gbps | NOT SUPPORTED | 20Gbps |
| Previously Known As | USB 3.1 Gen 1 and USB 3.0 | — | NOT SUPPORTED | — |
| Interface Options | USB-A, USB-C, microUSB | USB-C Only | NOT SUPPORTED | USB-C Only |
Be wary that it appears that Gen 2×1 is NOT supported by Sony.
