According to legal documents from Microsoft filed as a part of its current battle in the courts with the FTC, a PS5 Slim version of the console is due out later this year, and at the same price point of the current PS5 Digital Edition console, $399.99.
While Microsoft might be spoiling Sony’s day with this news coming out, it’s not the first time we’ve heard about a Slim console, and it’s also what Sony has done with all of their consoles since the original PlayStation.
In the case of the PS5, we’ve heard reports of a slim model being one sold with a detachable disc drive, and that it’ll be a new design for the console.
We’ve also heard that it’s due out in Q3 2023, which is really the big thing that Microsoft is spoiling. Everyone expected a Slim console at some point, we just now have a more solid idea of when to expect it.
Of course timelines can change and we could see the release of the Slim pushed back into 2024, but with September generally being another point in the year where Sony likes to put on a big show, it could be the case that it’ll be announced then and released in the Fall.
Especially now that we have it confirmed that Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is the big Fall game this year with its October release date.
Pairing it with new hardware that, if reports are to be believed, is pretty much “a new console entirely,” makes a lot of business sense.
What is unfortunate though is that those same reports also currently say the detachable disc-drive likely won’t be compatible with the current PS5 Digital Edition version of the console.
It could’ve been great for those with a digital console who perhaps wished they could grab some games on disc to have the option of just getting a disc drive without buying a whole new console.
Hopefully that last part isn’t true, and the disc-drive will be something all PS5 users could take advantage of, save of course for those with a disc drive already in their console.
Source – [The Verge]