PS5 Slim video surfaces hinting at new design; Know what’s coming

Sony’s PlayStation 5 came out in November 2019 but the launch was plagued with supply-chain issues. As the world was dealing with manufacturing problems due to COVID-19, it also led to a global semiconductor shortage. It resulted in severe shortages of the PS5 as the stocks disappeared the minute pre-bookings went live, and it was rarely seen on the store shelves. It also gave rise to scalpers who sold the console at astronomical prices. Fortunately, all these issues are now in the rear window as we’re entering the 3rd year of the PS5, and Sony has big plans for the future.

As per reports, the Japanese corporation is currently developing a PS5 Slim and it could feature a slightly changed design in comparison to the present PS5.

PS5 Slim: Details

Going by previous trends, Sony tends to bring out mid-generation console refreshes, as it did with the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4. The PS4 saw two models come out mid-life - PS4 Slim and PS4 Pro, and both models targeted different consumer groups. While the PS4 Pro was a more spec-heavy version of the base PS4, with features like more processing power, and 4K upscaling, the PS4 Slim was the same as the base PS4 but in a more compact and lightweight shell.

This is expected to be the case with the ninth generation of consoles as well. A few days ago, a video surfaced on X (formerly known as Twitter), showing the dummy case of the alleged PS5 Slim. Posted by a developer @BwE_Dev, the PS5 Slim with the model number CFI 2016 can be seen with four different quarters of faceplates, instead of just two whole plates on the top and bottom.

If this appears to be true, it would mean that the PS5 Slim would not be compatible with the existing faceplates of the PS5. Although it carries over the familiar form factor of the PS5, the PS5 Slim could feature a more pronounced disc drive, as per the reports. The dummy case shows two front-mounted USB ports.

About PS5 Slim

While not much is known about the PS5 Slim previous reports have hinted that it could feature a more power efficient 5 nm APU which would allow Sony to cut down on the bulkiness of the console, making it thinner and lighter.

When launched, it is expected to be priced at $399, a price point at which Sony currently sells its PS5 Digital Edition.