If you've been contemplating getting a PS5 but just can't picture where a giant white box will fit in your perfectly set-up space, then you might just be in luck.
Talk of a new PS5 model or a PS5 Pro has been rife for a while but it seems Sony are taking inspiration from a retro classic, the PS2. This was a console that mid-generation shed a lot of weight to produce the iconic PS2 Slim, and we may just have seen a similarly svelte PS5 Slim.
Unusually the video evidence has come not from a traditional source, but from an Australian electronics repair specialist, Better Way Electronics. In the footage the console is being held in one hand, something that would be pretty much impossible with the regular PS5 (unless you do a lot of upper body work).
CFI-2016 PS5 Case pic.twitter.com/udFyQbVpz8August 11, 2023
In terms of design, it seems like this mini-machine will have its own look too. Most noticeably there is a large crease down the middle that splits the console in too, which we reckon looks like a long-rumoured detachable disk drive. In addition, it looks to have a second USB-C port on the front of the console, a handy upgrade from the standard PS5.
Other than that, it's impossible to tell if there are any significant hardware upgrades, but I think given the reduced size, it's probably unlikely. Perhaps a PS5 Pro will still arrive in the future.
As for the launch of the PS5 Slim? Although nothing has been confirmed, if this leak is legit then we reckon it could be soon, as early as this year. Sony actually has had the PS5 on sale recently, which could suggest it is clearing the old stock for this new model. Microsoft also expects a new PlayStation Slim to launch this year.
I reckon that the PS5 Slim, if real, will mean the end of the chunkier original PS5 and become the new standard edition of the console. While nice, if you already own a PS5, it's likely not enough of an upgrade to warrant a separate purchase.
