PlayStation 5 digital edition has firmware that blocks disc drives

Sony's cheaper $399 PlayStation 5 digital edition apparently blocks disc drives on an OS level.

According to YouTuber Tronix Fix, Sony has baked in special custom firmware to cut off access to disc drives on the PlayStation 5 digital edition. To conduct the test, Tronix Fix took out a disc drive from a base PlayStation 5 console and soldered connector pins directly onto a PS5 digital edition's motherboard. Fun fact: The PS5 digital and disc version both have the same motherboard except the digital edition is missing connectors for a disc drive.

The transplanted drive actually powered up and spun a disc, but nothing showed on the screen, essentially confirming a disc-less PlayStation 5 can't be converted into a disc-playing console. Sony hasn't discussed whether or not the PS5's digital edition has custom OS firmware or not, but it makes sense as a way to discourage users from just fastening their own drives instead of buying the more expensive premium $499 PS5.

The PlayStation 5's disc drive is able to play DVDs, Blu-rays, and dual-sided BD-XL format discs that hold up to 100GB of data.