Are PS4 USB Ports 3.0? (Does It Matter)

Wondering if your PS4 USB ports are 3.0? 3.0 USB has been the standard for a while now, but I bet your curious if 2.0 USB ports work on the PS4, I will explain everything you need to know.

The PS4, PS4 Slim and PS4 Pro all have USB 3.0 ports and only will work with USB 3.0 hard drives and memory sticks, USB 2.0 will work on the PS4 but only transfer data at USB 2.0 speeds.

I will explain if you can use USB 2.0 with your PS4, how to clean your PS4 USB ports, and where is and how to use a 3.0 external hard drive with your PS4 and if you can add USB ports to your PS4.. Read on to find out.

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Can You Use USB 2.0 On PS4?

You can use USB 2.0 devices with the PS4 but it will only output USB 2.0 speeds, USB 2.0 is not fast enough to run PS4 games from an external hard drive.

There’s no point in using USB 2.0 technology on PS4, I highly recommend buying a super-fast USB 3.0 external hard drive that also will work on the PS5, get the high rated Seagate external hard drive from Amazon here.

How Do I Clean The USB Ports On My PS4?

Use a can of compressed air and shoot short bursts of air through the PS4 USB ports ,there are two front of the PS4 and two at the back of the PS4 Pro. After shoot a burst on the top of the console, and use an electrical wipe to clean the surface of the PS4

I wrote about how to clean your PS4 and stop it from sounding like a jet engine in detail here, but I will discuss how to clean your PS4 USB ports.

Now you will need a can of compressed air that you can buy from most electronic stores or this Falcon Dust off can from Amazon.

Simply take your can of air and shot short bursts of air throughout the middle area of the console, and do the same with the USB ports on the front(if original PS4) and two on the back if you have a PS4 Pro.

After, shoot a continuous burst across the top of the console to blow off the dust build-up. Finally, use electrical wipes from Amazon to clean the whole surface area of the PS4 and wipe the dirt.

Check out the above video on how to clean your PS4 and get it looking as good as new!

Can You Add USB Ports To PS4?

A USB hub allows you to add 4 different USB ports to the PS4 using only one 3.0 USB port. If you have a wireless headset or an external drive or use a keyboard & mouse a USB hub gives you the freedom to still use these accessories but also charge other accessories and controllers.

Get a well made, highly rated Anker USB hub from Amazon here for around $10, it gives an extra 4 USB 3.0 ports, you can see a review specifically for PS4 is the above video.

I warn you, be careful of connecting too many USB devices to your PS4 as this can cause the ‘too many USB devices connected’ PS4 error in case this happens to you see my post on how to fix it.

How Do You Use A USB On PS4?

  1. Connect your external hard drive directly into one of your PS4/PS4 Pro USB 3.0 Ports (TIP: he PS4 has two ports on the front, the Pro has two on the front and one on the rear
  2. Under settings navigate over to devices
  3. Under Devices go to USB Storage Devices
  4. On USB storage Devices select “format as Extended Storage”
  5. You’re done! The External hard drive will appear as extended storage under storage which is located in settings if you did it right.

For more information about using a USB or an external hard drive with your PS4, please check out my post.

What Happens If You Plug A USB 2.0 Into A USB 3.0 port?

A USB 2.0 device plugged into a USB 3.0 port will work, but only will run at the speed of USB 2.0 technology, if you plug a USB 3.0 device into a USB 2.0 port it can only transfer data at USB 2.0 speed.

The transfer speed of every PS4 is 625mb/s which is 10 times faster than USB 2.0 used for PS3 and Xbox 360. If you connect a 2.0 external hard drive into your PS4 it will be capped at the PS3 transfer rate, and you cannot play games from a USB 2.0 hard drive.

Is the PS5 overpriced? Learn why it isn’t in my post here.

Where Is The USB 3.0 Port On PS4?

The PS4 and PS4 slim have two USB 3.0 ports on the front of the console, the PS4 Pro has two USB 3.0 on the front and one on the back