New PS5 Design is Thinner, Upgrades to 1TB SSD

News
By Aaron Klotz
published

There's an optional Blu-Ray player for the PS5 Digital Edition, as well.

Sony PlayStation 5 Slim
(Image credit: Sony)

Sony is launching new versions of the PS5 and PS5 Digital Edition featuring 1TB of internal storage, and a significantly slimmed-down form factor. The new PS5 variants will launch in November and will replace the current models. The disc drive version remains the same price, but the Digital Edition is going up $50.

Sony's new PlayStation 5 models have been slimmed down tremendously over the outgoing models. Both the PS5 and PS5 Digital Edition have slimmed down by more than 30%, and are 18% and 24% lighter compared to previous models. The differences are very apparent visually, with the slimmed-down PS5s being substantially thinner where the central matte black piece is located.

Sony PlayStation 5 Slim

(Image credit: Sony)

Internal storage and Blu-ray functionality have also been upgraded with Sony's new slimmed-down PS5 models. The PS5 and PS5 Digital Edition both have been upgraded from an 825GB SSD to a 1TB SSD, giving gamers 24.1% more storage to play with (at least, before you factor in the operating system). The PS5 Digital Edition has also received a new optional add-on, in the form of an Ultra HD Blu-ray disc drive that can be added to the console for $70. This effectively enables gamers to turn the PS5 Digital Edition into the standard and more expensive disk-equipped PS5 if needed.

Sony PlayStation 5 Slim

(Image credit: Sony)

These new slim consoles are functionally identical to Sony's older revisions (beyond the storage and disk drive upgrades), designed to replace the thicker and heavier outgoing models on sale today.

Sony confirms that the new PS5 slim models will be available starting in November in the U.S at select local retailers and Sony's PlayStation store. Once launched in the U.S global availability will roll out in the following months. Eventually, the PS5 slim models will be the only models available once inventory runs dry on the outgoing models.

The PS5 Digital Edition will be priced at $449.99 - a $50 increase - and the standard variant with the Ultra HD-Blu-ray Disc Drive will be priced at $499.99 like the current PS5 models with disc drives. The optional Ultra HD Blu-Ray disc drive for the new PS5 Digital Edition will be priced at $79.99.

Sony is ditching the vertical stand in favor of a horizontal stand that will come with all PS5 slim models moving forward. For gamers who want to mount their PS5 in the traditional upright position, Sony is offering an optional vertical stand that will be compatible with all PS5 models for $29.99. On the original PS5, the included stand supported both horizontal and upright positioning.

Aaron Klotz
Aaron Klotz
Freelance News Writer

Aaron Klotz is a freelance writer for Tom’s Hardware US, covering news topics related to computer hardware such as CPUs, and graphics cards.

8 Comments Comment from the forums
  • Giroro
    It's still way too big, way too expensive, way too ugly, and the price hike to the digital edition is a real slap in the face for a 3 year old console.
    The can launch a $400 console during the peak-covid supply chain crisis, but not in a market when component prices are dropping like a brick? Get real.

    Maybe it could be justifiable to "work more hours" for a PlayStation if it had a huge library of amazing exclusive games and unique experiences, but really the last 3 years of AAA game releases have been severely disappointing on nearly all fronts. I for one don't want to pay $70 upfront to buy into a cynical artless cash grab built around combining subscriptions with toxic free-to-play monetization. It's anti-customer. I'm tired of it.
    I just want to buy a game, and then play it. Stop making everything so complicated.

    So thanks, but no thanks. My cheap indie boomer shooters are running just fine on cheap indie hardware.

    (And seriously, the PS5 ""slim"" is still bloody gigantic. It's nearly the same size as the original and no, it still won't fit in an Ikea KALLAX cubby. )
    Reply
  • Giroro
    "Pricing has not changed with the new models, the PS5 Digital Edition will be priced at $449.99 and the standard variant with the Ultra HD-Blu-ray Disc Drive will be priced at $499.99."

    The PS5 Digital edition has been $399 since launch. So yes, the pricing has changed.
    Reply
  • emike09
    *Caresses my gaming PC and gives it a lil kiss*
    Reply
  • JamesJones44
    Giroro said:
    The can launch a $400 console during the peak-covid supply chain crisis, but not in a market when component prices are dropping like a brick? Get real.

    This is not meant as a political statement. However, money was too cheap and too easy to obtain for too long. Companies knew it and they took advantage and they are going to continue to take advantage of it. I would fully expect this to be the new normal until money is much more expansive to obtain.
    Reply
  • WrongRookie
    The worst part of this is that the digital one is more expensive compared to the original one. It's also pointless to change to disc later on as it costs 80$ to do that.
    Reply
  • vern72
    Finally! It wasn't the thickness that was holding me back. It was the height. I couldn't stash it on the shelf where my PS4 Slim currently sits.
    Reply
  • bit_user
    Giroro said:
    It's still way too big, way too expensive, way too ugly, and the price hike to the digital edition is a real slap in the face for a 3 year old console.
    The can launch a $400 console during the peak-covid supply chain crisis, but not in a market when component prices are dropping like a brick? Get real.
    Dude, the PS3 launched at $600. That's got to be over $1k, in today's money. For the PS5 to launch at half that, they must have been selling near-cost.

    The initial supply contracts would have been in place since before covid, and raising their list price, in the face of the demand surge that followed its launch, would've surely gone over very poorly with the public. In the mean time, we've already seen several iterations of BoM-reductions, with this being just the latest and most visible. That was probably enough to counteract inflation, but not enough to yield actual cost-reductions after accounting for it.

    Giroro said:
    So thanks, but no thanks. My cheap indie boomer shooters are running just fine on cheap indie hardware.
    I have a PS3 for that. I recently grabbed a PS5 disc-edition on sale for $450. This was the TSMC N6 die-shrink, but still using the original housing. I figure that's not a bad price for a UHD blu-ray disc player + streaming box + console that can also play the entire PS4 library, as I never got a PS4.

    Giroro said:
    (And seriously, the PS5 ""slim"" is still bloody gigantic. It's nearly the same size as the original and no, it still won't fit in an Ikea KALLAX cubby. )
    Yeah, I'm not a fan. Especially the bulge from the disc drive. I'm not sad I got mine ahead of these changes.
    Reply
  • BadBoyGreek
    Somehow, Sony managed to make the system uglier with this slim down. The disc drive bulge looks just downright ghastly on this new slim model.

    I recently put DBrand Darkplates with a matte stip for the center area on my PS5 Fatboy. Looks super sleek and 100x better :)
    Reply