Sony has revealed a revised PlayStation 5 today, effectively representing a “Slim” revision of the current best-selling video game console. The outgoing model was ridiculed for its massive size during its launch, so it’s a good job the new one is much, much smaller.
How much smaller? How does a whopping 30% sound? The Atkins diet has not only produced a sleeker device—one that will no doubt fit better on your TV cabinet—but has also resulted in an 18% weight loss (24% for the Digital Edition without the Blu-ray disc drive).
That’s not the only thing that has changed: the new modular design uses four smaller faceplates instead of two giant ones. The top half gets a new glossy finish, while the lower half remains matte. This enables buyers of the Digital Edition to easily install the BD drive (sold separately, of course) after the fact—something that simply could not be done before.
Both the standard and Digital Edition PS5s also get a larger 1TB SSD, up from 825GB previously. At the front, you’ll now find two USB-C ports (one of which is USB 3.2 Gen 2) instead of just one, with the single USB-A port having been ditched. You still get two USB-A ports (both USB 3.2 Gen 2) at the back, mind.
One drawback of the new design is the removal of the universal stand, which could hold up the original PS5 in either horizontal or vertical positions. While a simple horizontal stand is still provided, you’ll have to purchase a new vertical stand separately. The good news is that the slimmer version is compatible with all versions of the PS5, including the “fat” ones.
The PS5 “Slim” will go on sale starting in November and will be the only model available once existing stocks are depleted. It’s priced at USD 449.99 (around RM2,128) for the Digital Edition and USD 499.99 (around RM2,365) with the disc drive. The USD 50 extra for the Digital Edition is effectively a delayed price increase for the PS5 for the US, as other markets received their hikes last year (prices for the new model remain the same in Europe and the UK, but are higher again in Japan).
As for the accessories, the new disc drive is yours for USD 79.99 (around RM378), while the vertical stand is USD 29.99 (around RM142). You can also get new faceplates in Volcanic Red, Cobalt Blue and Sterling Silver as part of the Deep Earth Collection, as well as the all-matte Black; prices for these start at USD 54.99 (around RM260).
The new PS5 continues to be powered by a custom AMD Zen 2 CPU clocked at up to 3.5GHz, along with an AMD RDNA 2 GPU clocked at up to 2.23GHz, the latter capable of hardware-accelerated ray tracing. It also has 16GB of GDDR6 RAM, supports 4K 120Hz TVs and variable refresh rates (VRR), and features Sony’s proprietary Tempest 3D spatial audio technology.
