After months of rumors and reports, Sony has officially announced that a new model of the PlayStation 5 console is set to release in November. In previous PlayStation generations, Sony has often released new versions of its consoles that boast general redesigns and additional improvements. Now, this trend will again hold true with the PS5, although Sony’s changes with the console are going to be a bit more vast this time around.ย
Videos by ComicBook.com
Poised to broadly release in November, Sony is letting loose a new model of both the Digital and Standard Editions of the PS5. Both consoles will now be considerably smaller than the original version of the PS5, which was often disliked for its obtuse nature. With the Digital version of the PS5, though, Sony has made the console modular to where it can now attach a Blu-Ray Disc Drive. Sony will be selling these disc drives individually for $79.99 and will ensure that those who do buy the Digital Edition of the PS5 will have the option to still play discs on the platform if they so desire in the future.ย
“To address the evolving needs of players, our engineering and design teams collaborated on a new form factor that provides greater choice and flexibility,” said Sony in its announcement on the PlayStation Blog. “The same technology features that make PS5 the best to play are packed into a smaller form factor, along with an attachable Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc Drive and a 1TB SSD for more internal storage. The new PS5 has been reduced in volume by more than 30%, and weight by 18% and 24% compared to the previous models. There are four separate cover panels, with the top portion in a glossy look, while the bottom remains in matte. If you purchase the PS5 Digital Edition, you can add the Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc Drive for PS5 later, as it will also be sold separately for $79.99.”
PS5 Getting a Slight Price Increase
Likely the biggest change with these new PS5 consoles comes with the price. While the Standard Edition console will still cost $499.99, Sony has bumped up the price of the Digital version to $449.99. Still, it’s not all bad news as the PS5 is also now getting more internal storage. Previously, both PS5 consoles that are currently available only contained 825GB of memory on the SSD. With these slim versions, Sony says that both will now have full 1TB SSD units.ย
Sony has also mentioned that it will begin phasing out the original models of the PS5 in favor of this new slim version. This isn’t much of a shock, though, and is often the strategy that console manufacturers implement when introducing new hardware. Still, if you haven’t yet purchased a PlayStation 5 and are planning to do so in the future, these slimmer models will soon be the only versions that are seen on store shelves around the globe.ย
