Can you believe that the PS5 is getting on for four years old now? Launched at the height of the pandemic, it provided gamers with some much needed escape during some pretty dark days. That is, if you could find one – its early days were plagued by stock shortages, though thankfully – like the pandemic – they are now a thing of the past.
Given its no spring chicken, Sony has breathed new life into the console with a new Slim variant. It's pretty much the same device but with a more lithe frame – no bad thing, given the PS5 was an imposing beast. Here's everything you need to know about the PS5 Slim.
Now all we need is that much-rumoured PS5 Pro to become real and we'll be happy.
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PS5 release date
The PS5 Slim was announced at the start of October 2023, just shy of the PS5's third birthday. That's generally accepted to be mid-life territory for a modern console, even one that's rumoured to have "at least" a seven-year lifespan. But rather than buy its consoles a cardie and a pair of slippers once they enter middle age, Sony prefers to give them a new lease of life with one or maybe two new models. Think of it as the console equivalent of a midlife crisis.
That's what it did with the PS3 and PS4. The 2006 PS3 was followed by not only the PS3 Slim in 2009, but the PS3 Super Slim in 2012, while the PS4 (2013) was followed by the PS4 Slim and PS4 Pro (both in 2016). So the PS5 Slim is following in a proud tradition.
It went on sale at the end of November 2023.
PS5 Slim price
Now, price. How much do you have to pay for a PS5 Slim?
Like the original PS5, the new PS5 comes in two variants – one with a disc drive, one without. The Digital Edition starts at £390 / $450 / AU$769, while the version with the disc drive costs £480 / $500 / AU$799. This is more expensive than the launch price of the original PS5 Digital Edition (£360 / $400 / AU$600) and Physical Edition (£450 / $500 / AU$750), but is in line with current PS5 prices as both models received a price hike earlier in 2023.
The all-important detachable disc drive comes in at £100 / $80 / AU$159, meaning you'll save £10 / $30 / AU$129 if you decide to get the disc-drive included model from the get-go.
Want the vertical stand to go with it, and show off how slim your new PS5 is? That's extra too. It costs £25 / $30 / AU$49.
Sadly, the console's launch prices still stand. But if you want a game or two to go with it, you could save money with a bundle, rather than buying them all separately.
Here are the best prices currently available.
PS5 Slim availability
The good news is that, so far, there's no sign of the stock shortages that plagued the original PS5's first year of life. In the UK, the PS5 Slim is in stock at Argos, Amazon, EE and Currys, among others.
It's the same story in the US. At time of writing, it's available at Best Buy, Target, Amazon and all the usual retailers.
And in Australia, you can pick one up at JB HiFi, Amazon and Harvey Norman.
PS5 Slim specs
The main selling point of the new PS5 is the slimmer profile, but it's also lighter than the original PS5. The Slim model is 30 per cent smaller and 24 per cent or 18 per cent lighter, depending if you opt for the version that includes the disc drive. Which is very welcome – the PS5 is the largest gaming console in history.
This is in keeping with previous 'Slim' models – the PS4 Slim was 40 per cent smaller than the original PS4, while the PS3 Slim was 33 per cent slimmer than the standard PS3, 36 per cent lighter, and 34 per cent more power efficient. Sony then went on to launch a PS3 Super Slim model, which managed to be 20 per cent smaller than the PS3 Slim, while tipping the scales at 25 per cent lighter.
You can buy the PS5's disc drive as an optional extra, if you buy the digital edition and start missing physical discs. And the PS5 Slim has 1TB of storage (up from 825GB) and it replaces the front USB-A port with a newer USB-C one, making for two front USB-Cs.
Soon the slim version will be the default, as Sony has confirmed that once all stock of the original PS5 has sold, only the Slim will be available. It's the future!
MORE:
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Find out where to buy a PS5
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