On Friday, a video circulated around the internet showing what was purported to be a “PS5 Slim” case, first posted by BWE_dev.
It appears to just be the outer shell, not a full unit, and it has a distinctive line running through the middle. But the fundamental shape is the same as the original and many commented that if this was a PS5 Slim it sure did not look…very slim.
That’s because it’s not a PS5 Slim, most likely. Not that this is a 3D-printed fake, necessarily, but Tom Henderson, who has been reporting on new PS5 hardware for a while now, believes this is an upcoming model of the PS5 with a detachable disc drive.
According to the report, the new console is not about sliming down its profile, it’s about reducing manufacturing and shipping costs. It’s not clear if this would end up replacing both the current disc and digital PS5s, but given the functionality, it certainly seems like it could.
The line in the middle is part of how the console is supposed to detach the drive, a process Sony wants to make easy. Gaming has gone increasingly digital, with each year hitting new highs in the total percentage of games sold digitally, so it makes sense things are trending this way. We are still in the “both options” phase, but I would be mildly surprised if discs survived next generation.
As for other PS5 hardware, we know the mobile-based Project Q is coming, which jams a screen in the middle of a PS5 controller for handheld play.
Allegedly PlayStation is looking to make a PS5 Pro, like the PS4 Pro, but it seems like it may come later in the generation, and no, it’s not the detachable disc one that’s being shown here. We don’t know any specs for this and rumors say it could arrive in late 2024. But nothing about that is verified. Xbox, meanwhile, does not appear to have its own Pro version on the way, and the rumors there instead are focused on a smaller, cheaper streaming box for its Game Pass and cloud gaming ambitions. But again, nothing has been announced there, even though one time Phil Spencer accidentally showed an old prototype of one in the background of a video.
The PS5 is in an odd situation because it had about two years where demand was not close to meeting supply. But now that’s happening, and sales are shooting up. I guess the goal here is to sell more units now at a higher margin, reducing costs with a new combined model like this. I guess my question about this is…is there some sort of benefit to the consumer of taking the disc drive out? I’m not quite sure what the point of that would be, unless I’m missing something.
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