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Much like the sun rising in the East and everybody dies, Sony launching a slimmed down version of its PlayStation gaming consoles is a certainty in life. Today the company has unveiled its slimline PlayStation 5 consoles.
Sony is sticking with both the disc version and the digital-only variant for its slimmed down consoles.
Though if you opt for the digital variant and later change your mind and wish for an optical drive, you’ll be able to add one on. Sony will sell the disc drive separately for you to just attach to the body of the new slimmed down console.
To keep the improvements coming, the newer version of the PlayStation 5 will come with 1TB of storage as well, which should let you install at least five games.
Smaller, lighter, better
The original PS5 is an absolute beast of a unit. It only just fits into my entertainment unit, without a huge amount of wriggle room.
Sony says that it has managed to reduce the size by more than 30% by volume, and cut weight by 18% and 24% compared to the previous models.
I haven’t seen a side by side with the current version of the consoles just yet, but a 30% cut in volume is pretty huge.
That may not be quite the same size reduction as the PS2 Slim, but it’s still a welcome bit of weight loss for the console.
PS5 slim pricing and availability
There’s no exact launch date for Australia, with Sony confirming the product will arrive in US retailers in November before rolling out globally in the following months. Once the existing stock has sold out, the slimline units will replace it permanently.
What we do know is that price looks the same as the current model:
- PS5 with Ultra HD Blu-ray disc drive – $799.95 AUD
- PS5 Digital Edition – $679.95 AUD
There will also be a new vertical stand, which will be sold separately at $49.95 AUD. A horizontal stand will be included in the box.
And if you like to colour things up, a variety of PS5 Console Cover colours for the new model will be available starting in early 2024, including an all-matte Black colourway and the Deep Earth Collection colours in Volcanic Red, Cobalt Blue, and Sterling Silver.
Prices for these PS5 Console Covers will start at $54.99 USD – AUD pricing will be confirmed at a later date.
Additional colours will also be released in the future.
PS5 slim edition specs
| Spec | PlayStation 5 | PlayStation 5 Digital Edition |
|---|---|---|
| External dimensions(excluding projecting parts) | Approx. 358 × 96 × 216 mm(width × height × depth) | Approx. 358 × 80 × 216 mm(width × height × depth) |
| Mass | Approx. 3.2 kg | Approx. 2.6 kg |
| CPU | x86-64-AMD Ryzen™ “Zen 2” | x86-64-AMD Ryzen™ “Zen 2” |
| 8 Cores / 16 Threads | 8 Cores / 16 Threads | |
| Variable frequency, up to 3.5 GHz | Variable frequency, up to 3.5 GHz | |
| GPU | AMD Radeon™ RDNA 2-based graphics engine | AMD Radeon™ RDNA 2-based graphics engine |
| Ray Tracing Acceleration | Ray Tracing Acceleration | |
| Variable frequency, up to 2.23 GHz (10.3 TFLOPS) | Variable frequency, up to 2.23 GHz (10.3 TFLOPS) | |
| System Memory | GDDR6 16GB | GDDR6 16GB |
| 448GB/s Bandwidth | 448GB/s Bandwidth | |
| SSD | 1TB | 1TB |
| 5.5GB/s Read Bandwidth (Raw) | 5.5GB/s Read Bandwidth (Raw) | |
| PS5 Game Disc | Ultra HD Blu-ray™, up to 100GB/disc | Ultra HD Blu-ray™, up to 100GB/disc |
| BD/DVD drive | Disc Drive port equipped with Disc Drive | Disc Drive port |
| Video Out | Support of 4K 120Hz TVs, 8K TVs, VRR (specified by HDMI ver.2.1) | Support of 4K 120Hz TVs, 8K TVs, VRR (specified by HDMI ver.2.1) |
| Audio | “Tempest” 3D AudioTech | “Tempest” 3D AudioTech |
| Input/OutputFront of Console | USB Type-C® port (Super-Speed USB 10Gbps) | USB Type-C® port (Super-Speed USB 10Gbps) |
| USB Type-C® port (Hi-Speed USB) | USB Type-C® port (Hi-Speed USB) | |
| Input/OutputBack of Console | USB Type-A port (Super-Speed USB 10Gbps) x2 | USB Type-A port (Super-Speed USB 10Gbps) x2 |
| Networking | Ethernet (10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX, 1000BASE-T)Wi-fi: IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax | Ethernet (10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX, 1000BASE-T)Wi-fi: IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax |
