Sony is all set to refresh its PlayStation 5 lineup for the holiday season, with the long-rumoured slimmer redesign of the PS5 confirmed to release next month. Sony unveiled the new PS5 models late Tuesday, showcasing design changes that have helped the console become smaller and lighter. While the PS5 slim's processing power and graphical capabilities remain the same as the original PS5, the mid-gen console refresh, which has a slightly smaller form factor than its infamously bulky predecessor, does get slightly bigger internal storage, up from an 825GB custom SSD to 1TB. The PS5 slim also brings the option to add an external UHD Blu-ray disc drive to its digital edition console. Notably, the disc edition of the redesigned PS5 slim maintains its pricing at $499.99 (roughly Rs. 41,615), but the digital edition gets a $50 price bump and will cost $449.99 (roughly Rs. 37,452), up from $399.
“To address the evolving needs of players, our engineering and design teams collaborated on a new form factor that provides greater choice and flexibility,” Sid Shuman, senior director of SIE Content Communications, said on the PlayStation blog. He added that the new PS5 had seen a reduction in volume by more than 30 percent, and weight by 18 percent and 24 percent compared to the original PS5s. The side panels on the console have also been redesigned, with the two covers split into four separate removable entities. These allow you to add the Ultra HD Blu-ray disc drive, which will be sold separately for $79.99 (roughly Rs. 6,657), on the PS5 digital editions later.
An attachable Ultra HD Blu-ray disc drive can be purchased separately
Photo Credit: Sony
There's another bit of additional and optional cost involved with owning the new PS5 models, too. The original PS5 allows you to set it up either horizontally or vertically with the help of the included stand that clamps on and screws into the console, keeping it in place. Now, the new PS5 Slim models will ship with a horizontal stand, but to set it up vertically — which is perhaps the PS5's default orientation and appears on all marketing material for the console — you'll need to buy a redesigned ring-style vertical stand, which will put you back $29.99 (roughly Rs. 2,495).
Sony will also release new PS5 console covers for the new slim variant in different colours in early 2024. These would include a matte Black colourway and the Deep Earth Collection colours in Volcanic Red, Cobalt Blue, and Sterling Silver, with more colours planned for future, according to the PS blog. The PS5 slim covers will start at $54.99 (roughly Rs. 4,576).
The redesigned PS5 slim will go on sale next month in the US at select local retailers and direct.playstation.com where available, with a global rollout planned for the following months. There are no official dates available for the launch in Indian markets, but one can expect the refreshed models to hit the shelves in the coming months. The original PS5 remains popular in the country, with stocks of the console easily available on e-commerce websites and retail stores. According to Sony, however, the new slimmer PS5 will be the only model available once the original PS inventory is sold out.
The PS5 physical edition costs Rs. 54,990 in India, while the digital edition comes in at Rs. 44,990. Sony is also planning to launch the PlayStation Portal, a handheld game streaming device to serve as a companion to the PS5, later this year. While a concrete release date has not been announced, the handheld will be sold at $199.99, or about Rs. 16,500.
