Sony has launched the rumored new PlayStation 5 model that's slimmer and smaller than the original PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 5 Digital Edition. This model will also come in both disc and digital versions, and perhaps the most important upgrade is that it has a proper 1TB of SSD storage instead of 825GB.
Sony says the new PS5 has been reduced in volume by more than 30% and weighs 18% and 24% less than the original disc and digital models. The design has been changed slightly and is no longer as clean as the original design. The new models have four separate cover panels, with the top portion having a glossy finish while the bottom portion has a matte finish.
Slimmer, smaller design with the same power, more storage
In addition to providing nearly 200GB more usable space on its PCIe Gen 4 NVMe drive, Sony will also allow buyers of the digital edition to connect the Ultra HD Blue-ray Disc Drive for PS5 to it. The disc drive will set users back by $79.99/€119.99. A user-accessible secondary NVMe slot will also be present, and Sony has switched out the USB-A port at the front for a total of two USB-C ports.
As far as the rest of the specs are concerned, Sony hasn't changed anything. You still get the same 8-core AMD Ryzen 2 CPU, a GPU based on AMD's RDNA2 architecture with raytracing and 4K 120Hz support, and 16GB of RAM, so performance will not see any improvements whether you use an original PS5 or the slimmer version.
Price for the digital edition has increased by $50
Sony will include a horizontal stand with the new PS5 and will launch a vertical one as a separate purchase later for $29.99. As for the consoles, the disc version will be available for $499.99/€549.99 and the digital model will set you back by $449.99/€449.99.
The debut for the updated consoles will be in the US in November, followed by other markets around the world over the next few months. Sony will stop producing the original PS5 going forward but will continue to sell existing stock.
Buyers will also be able to pick up covers for the console in various colors, including an all-matte black version along with Volcanic Red, Cobalt Blue, and Sterling Silver, with more to come later. These covers are priced at $54.99/€54.99.
Sony won't have a new exclusive game debuting alongside the improved console in November, but it does have Marvel's Spider-Man 2 releasing on October 20th, along with non-exclusive titles such as Alan Wake 2 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (Call of Duty won't be exclusive to Xbox right away despite Microsoft's Activision purchase) on the way in the final week of October and the first couple of weeks of November.
Image credit: Sony
