PS5 Slim Rumors: What We Know So Far

PS5 controller on purple background.

Andrew Hoyle/CNET

PlayStation 5 Slim rumors are starting to surface now that we’re already three years into the console’s lifecycle, with the latest being a video on Twitter showing a condensed redesign. 

The video, posted by Twitter user BwE_Dev, who claims to be a Ph.D candidate in cybersecurity and a PS5 software developer, shows him handling the shell of a smaller-looking PS5, exhibiting it from multiple angles.

CFI-2016 PS5 Case pic.twitter.com/udFyQbVpz8

— BwE (@BwE_Dev) August 11, 2023

Sony didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. 

PS5 Slim release date: coming this year?

Right now, there’s very little information on when a PS5 Slim might launch. The thinnest of unintended Amazon listings might suggest sometime this year. Microsoft, however, believes that the PS5 Slim will launch later this year, per documents revealed in the Federal Trade Commission lawsuit against Microsoft over its acquisition of Activision Blizzard. 

Looking at past PlayStation releases, the PSOne launched in 2000, six years after the launch of the original PlayStation. The PS2 Slim launched in October 2004, four years after the launch of the original system. And the PS3 Slim launched in 2009, three years after the original PS3. Based on previous redesign, 4.3 years is the mean time frame. So it’s just as possible we could see a PS5 Slim this holiday season as sometime next year. 

PS5 Slim price: will it be cheaper?

Per court documents from the FTC vs. Microsoft lawsuit, Microsoft believes the PS5 Slim will cost $400. Other rumors suggest that it’ll ship as an all-digital unit. That likely means it won’t include a disc drive. The current digital-only PS5 costs $400. Assuming Sony doesn’t drop the price, that should mean a disc drive-less PS5 Slim should cost around $400. Considering the PS5 has already sold over 40 million units, there’s isn’t a lot of incentive to drop the price. 

PS5 Design: is it really much smaller? Is that even the point?

Game console makers typically tend to release a redesigned version of their consoles as a cost-cutting measure. Plus, it has the added benefit of reinvigorating interest with the public. So don’t expect the PS5 Slim to double as a PS5 Pro. 

When new hardware first launches, it comes with the latest tech that’s typically more expensive to manufacture. But as technology improves and manufacturing gets cheaper, it brings an opportunity to give the system a facelift. 

While the PS5 Slim is rumored to be 5cm shorter than the current PS5, it likely will also be more power efficient. With that efficiency comes less heat. Given that current PS5 consoles are reportedly melting USB ports, a quieter and cooler PS5 would be welcome. 

The current PS5 comes in a disc drive version and an all-digital version. The all-digital unit is $100 cheaper, at $400. Current PS5 Slim rumors suggest that Sony will ship a digital-only variant with no disc-drive baked in. But it does seem, as from the video above, that there will be a disc drive attachment. That rumored disc drive apparently isn’t compatible with current PS5 Digital systems. The cost of the separate disc drive is unknown, assuming it’s even true.