Sony Slices Another 300 Grams off the Weight of the PlayStation 5

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Australians are the first to get their hands on the lighter 'CFI-1200' consoles.

Sony PlayStation 5 slims down
(Image credit: Sony)

Some revised Sony PlayStation 5 models have hit retailers in Australia. Antipodean gaming magazine Press Start shared spec sheets from the new Optical Disc Drive (ODD) and Digital devices. But the only differences that can be seen are the weight reductions. The Sony PlayStation 5 CFI-1202A (with ODD) and PlayStation 5 CFI-1202B (Digital) are 300g and 200g lighter than the current revisions, respectively.

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Launch

CFI-1102 (2021)

CFI-1202 (2022)

ODD model (kg)

4.5

4.2

3.9

Digital model (kg)

3.9

3.6

3.4

Readers can be forgiven for experiencing Déjà vu, having read through our news thus far. A year ago we reported on the news that Sony had quietly revised the PlayStation 5 hardware to deliver 300g lighter consoles. At the time of the 2021 report, we already had a very clear answer about what Sony had done to reduce the weight. An enterprising YouTuber had opened up a device to observe that the heatsink had been reduced in size and mass. This was an obvious cost saving exercise from Sony, but only a 3 to 5 degrees Celsius higher system temperature for the new model was observed.

Surely Sony couldn’t cut another 200 or 300g from the thermal mass in 2022? Well, sadly we don’t have a definitive answer, as the source publication hasn’t acquired any new consoles from its local retailers, and admits it would be too sheepish to crack open a revised PlayStation 5 console, anyway. There may be some clue in the fact that the ODD console has been reduced in weight by 100g more than the Digital version this time around. However, checking out several bare slimline style ODDs, weighing in at around 150g, it is hardly likely that Sony could have reduced this component’s weight by such a degree.

(Image credit: Sony)

The PS5 console weight reduction news comes hot on the heels of the pricing announcements by Sony distributors worldwide. The US is lucky to swerve the spate of increases. In Australia, where these new samples have been seen, both models went up by AUD50 ($35). Are some pricier components required to shrink the console weights by 200-300g with the latest revision? Sony simply blamed “the current global economic environment and its impact on SIE’s business,” for the price rises. At least for now, neither Microsoft or Nintendo will be following Sony’s price hiking example.

We expect it won’t be very long until the truth about what Sony has done to cut the weights of the latest PS5 revisions emerges. Some may confidently speculate about this matter, but we'll have to wait for a teardown by a reputable source before we can definitively answer the weight reduction question.

Mark Tyson
Mark Tyson
News Editor

Mark Tyson is a news editor at Tom's Hardware. He enjoys covering the full breadth of PC tech; from business and semiconductor design to products approaching the edge of reason.

8 Comments Comment from the forums
  • punkncat
    Wasn't there some fluffle about the last time this was done the weight was taken out of the cooler?
    Reply
  • Giroro
    I disagree that Nintendo hasn't been raising the price of the Switch, they're just smart enough to avoid publicizing a price hike.

    When the Switch launched 5 years ago, it had an MSRP of $299. Their most recent release was this week was the Splatoon 3 special edition OLED switch, which has an MSRP of $359. That's 20% more expensive than launch, and even $10 more than a standard OLED switch. The OLED switch, itself, was always a stealth price hike hidden by an extremely minor upgrade.
    Minor late-gen hardware refreshes used to be at the same or cheaper price than the standard console - and the standard console usually had already gotten a price drop or two by that point. It just makes sense that old tech becomes less valuable as the hardware goes obsolete.

    Imagine if instead of releasing a Galaxy S22 this year, Samsung just re-released a special color Galaxy S8 plus, at $10 over it's original launch price.
    The phone market wouldn't accept that, so why should gamers?

    I know gamers willingly spend obscene amounts of money on valueless subscriptions, broken games, scams, artless products, exploitative skinner boxes, infinitely copyable products, gambling, 'to win', FIFA, and imaginary doll clothes.... But they still deserve to have some modern hardware. If we are to believe it's so expensive to box and ship a product in "these trying times" then at least put something decent in the box. The days of everybody panic buying any trash leftover on the shelves are over.
    These companies have had nearly 3 years to figure out their supply chain issues. At what point do the stockholders get to start blaming the out-of-control costs of doing business on incompetent management?
    How much more will we take until we just find a better hobby?

    Money doesn't disappear when you spend it. The only thing that can be certain is that somebody is getting extremely rich off of all this. I want to know who to blame.
    Reply
  • Eximo
    punkncat said:
    Wasn't there some fluffle about the last time this was done the weight was taken out of the cooler?

    Likely, but generally they do generational power improvements that follow node shrinks. So if the original PS5 was N7, and the new chips are N6 or N5, then they can maintain performance, reduce power, and reduce cooling.
    Reply
  • watzupken
    Eximo said:
    Likely, but generally they do generational power improvements that follow node shrinks. So if the original PS5 was N7, and the new chips are N6 or N5, then they can maintain performance, reduce power, and reduce cooling.
    I actually don't think they used a more advance node than what was used. Its more like the usual revision/ stepping where they deemed some improvements in thermals. But if they are so aggressively cutting the cooling solution, at some point, you will end up with either a very hot SOC, or, a loud fan to compensate for the lost of surface area for heat transfer. For me, I am just going to give the PS5 a pass for the price increase.
    Reply
  • WrongRookie
    Giroro said:
    When the Switch launched 5 years ago, it had an MSRP of $299. Their most recent release was this week was the Splatoon 3 special edition OLED switch, which has an MSRP of $359.

    You're comparing the base version and a limited release edition. The 50$ is for all the other qol that comes for the OLED model besides the OLED screen.


    Giroro said:
    The OLED switch, itself, was always a stealth price hike hidden by an extremely minor upgrade.

    Again...not just the screen. You get an adjustable stand, internal 64gb storage and a more premium product.


    Giroro said:
    I know gamers willingly spend obscene amounts of money on valueless subscriptions, broken games, scams, artless products, exploitative skinner boxes, infinitely copyable products, gambling, 'to win', FIFA, and imaginary doll clothes.... But they still deserve to have some modern hardware.

    Ok..this puzzles me. Modern hardware has always had issues even before this fiasco started. Nintendo for instance never puts out hardware on par to the competition.

    Unless you meant by supply..in which case that was also an issue from time to time.

    Giroro said:
    Money doesn't disappear when you spend it. The only thing that can be certain is that somebody is getting extremely rich off of all this. I want to know who to blame.

    This isn't a CEO scenario. Although I do admit that it is rather shady for Sony to do this...
    Reply
  • TheOtherOne
    They just removed one of two kidneys since you can do fine with just one kidney intact! :ptdr:
    Reply
  • Buturwrongtho
    Giroro said:
    I disagree that Nintendo hasn't been raising the price of the Switch, they're just smart enough to avoid publicizing a price hike.

    When the Switch launched 5 years ago, it had an MSRP of $299. Their most recent release was this week was the Splatoon 3 special edition OLED switch, which has an MSRP of $359. That's 20% more expensive than launch, and even $10 more than a standard OLED switch. The OLED switch, itself, was always a stealth price hike hidden by an extremely minor upgrade.
    Minor late-gen hardware refreshes used to be at the same or cheaper price than the standard console - and the standard console usually had already gotten a price drop or two by that point. It just makes sense that old tech becomes less valuable as the hardware goes obsolete.

    Imagine if instead of releasing a Galaxy S22 this year, Samsung just re-released a special color Galaxy S8 plus, at $10 over it's original launch price.
    The phone market wouldn't accept that, so why should gamers?

    I know gamers willingly spend obscene amounts of money on valueless subscriptions, broken games, scams, artless products, exploitative skinner boxes, infinitely copyable products, gambling, 'to win', FIFA, and imaginary doll clothes.... But they still deserve to have some modern hardware. If we are to believe it's so expensive to box and ship a product in "these trying times" then at least put something decent in the box. The days of everybody panic buying any trash leftover on the shelves are over.
    These companies have had nearly 3 years to figure out their supply chain issues. At what point do the stockholders get to start blaming the out-of-control costs of doing business on incompetent management?
    How much more will we take until we just find a better hobby?

    Money doesn't disappear when you spend it. The only thing that can be certain is that somebody is getting extremely rich off of all this. I want to know who to blame.

    I only read the part where you must of lost your mind. Original Nintendo Switch was $299. The new OLED with Splatoon 3 bundle is $359. So you do know bundles don't decrease the cost of the game that it comes with, right? Splatoon 3 is $59.99 just FYI. So Nintendo Switch has not increased in price. This rant you went on is pretty funny. Don't bother replying, I won't be back to read it.
    Reply
  • bit_user
    watzupken said:
    I actually don't think they used a more advance node than what was used.
    A quick web search on "PS5 TSMC N6" indicates they managed to procure some N6 wafers they likely used in this version. N6 should be a little cheaper and a little more efficient. Any efficiency improvements will enable them to make cost reductions in the power supply and cooling solution, as well.

    Sony has a long history of doing this, most famously in the PS3, which underwent 2 CPU node shrinks (90 nm -> 65 nm -> 45 nm) and 3 GPU node shrinks (90 nm -> 65 nm -> 40 nm -> 28 nm).

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayStation_3_technical_specifications#Configurations

    watzupken said:
    I am just going to give the PS5 a pass for the price increase.
    Not sure it's any help to you, but the price hasn't (yet) increased in the USA.

    BTW, there's a PS5 Pro rumored to launch in 2024.
    Reply