Sony has confirmed the PS5 Slim release window, with an announcement sure to shake up millions of seasonal gifting lists later this year. The announcement came directly from the company in a fairly detailed post which explains a fair amount of what we need to know.
PS5 Slim release window
The PS5 Digital Edition, more generally referred to as the PS5 Slim has a confirmed release window of the 2023 “Holiday Season”, according to Sony’s own blog announcement. The new-look PS5 iteration will launch at what is traditionally the busiest time of the year for shoppers – providing pause for thought (and a lower price) for anyone considering treating themselves or a loved one.
As expected, the Slim is a cut-down version of the latest Sony console. Essentially, the Slim has no optical drive, designed as a ‘digital-only’ console for anyone not wanting shelves cluttered with PS5 game boxes. As such, Sony’s Sid Shuman states:
“The new PS5 has been reduced in volume by more than 30%, and weight by 18% and 24% compared to the previous models. There are four separate cover panels, with the top portion in a glossy look, while the bottom remains in matte.”
Shuman goes on to add that owners can add the Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc Drive for PS5 later if needed, as it will be available for $79.99. That’s good to know, but it’s also worth returning to the attachable/removable disc drive below. As far as more release info, we don’t have an exact Slim release date but we’ll be keeping tabs on that!
PS5 Slim specs
Apart from the size and weight differences (the PS5 Slim will be 0.6kg/1.3 lbs lighter), there appear to be no differences in spec. This is standard by now really, but it would be smart/fairly nice of Sony to include a larger SSD than the standard 1TB in the Slim ‘digital edition’. Of course that would add cost.
Yes, there are third-party options for a PS5 SSD upgrade, should you want to do that yourself at some point in the future. Again though, that adds to cost. And putting even an extra 500GB in the Digital Edition would be something for gamers. Per the Sony blog, the PS5 Slim will come with a horizontal stand, while a new vertical stand will be launched for all PS5 models. The pricing for the vertical stand is stated as: “29.99 USD, 29.99 EURO, 24.99 GBP, 3,980 JPY”.
Here is the full new console’s, sorry PS5 Slim’s, specs as provided in the official post:
| PS5 Slim Component | PS5 Slim Specifications |
|---|---|
| External Dimensions (excluding projecting parts) | Approx. 358 × 80 × 216 mm (width × height × depth) |
| Mass | Approx. 2.6 kg |
| CPU | x86-64-AMD Ryzen Zen 2 |
| 8 Cores / 16 Threads | |
| Variable frequency, up to 3.5 GHz | |
| GPU | AMD Radeon RDNA 2-based graphics engine |
| Ray Tracing Acceleration | |
| Variable frequency, up to 2.23 GHz (10.3 TFLOPS) | |
| System Memory | GDDR6 16GB |
| 448GB/s Bandwidth | |
| SSD | 1TB |
| 5.5GB/s Read Bandwidth (Raw) | |
| PS5 Game Disc | Ultra HD Blu-ray, up to 100GB/disc |
| BD/DVD Drive | Disc Drive port |
| Video Out | Support of 4K 120Hz TVs |
| 8K TVs | |
| VRR (specified by HDMI ver. 2.1) | |
| Audio | “Tempest” 3D AudioTech |
| Input/Output (Front of Console) | USB Type-C port (Super-Speed USB 10Gbps) |
| USB Type-C port (Hi-Speed USB) | |
| Input/Output (Back of Console) | USB Type-A port (Super-Speed USB 10Gbps) x2 |
| Networking | Ethernet (10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX, 1000BASE-T) |
| WiFi: IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax |
PS5 Slim Price
The new PS5 Slim will come with an MSRP of $449.99, some $50 below the regular PS5 price. However, as stated above a separate optical drive will cost $79.99. So being sure about the PS5 Slim is important because you’ll spend appx $30 more overall should you get the detachable disc drive on top – rather than just getting the regular PS5.
The slight difference in price makes more sense since Sony has stated that once supplies of the regular PS5 have run out, the Slim will be the only model available. So there are margins to be had still, but it does feel fairly ungenerous for another core reason. Here’s how the pricing shakes out for the PS5 and PS5 slim across markets:
US
- PS5 with Ultra HD Blu-ray disc drive – 499.99 USD
- PS5 Digital Edition – 449.99 USD
Europe
- PS5 with Ultra HD Blu-ray disc drive – 549.99 EUR
- PS5 Digital Edition – 449.99 EUR
UK
- PS5 with Ultra HD Blu-ray disc drive – 479.99 GBP
- PS5 Digital Edition – 389.99 GBP
Japan
- PS5 with Ultra HD Blu-ray disc drive – 66,980 JPY (includes tax)
- PS5 Digital Edition – 59,980 JPY (includes tax)
PS5 Slim cover colors
Sony states that a “variety of PS5 Console Cover colors” will be available for the new model. But these won’t arrive until early 2024, so everyone will have to keep with the standard white until they do. The colors will include, and perhaps won’t be limited to, an all-matte Black and ‘Deep Earth Collection’ colors in Volcanic Red, Cobalt Blue, and Sterling Silver.
Is there going to be a PS5 Slim?
Yes, the PS5 Slim or ‘PS5 Digital Edition’ will be available for “Holiday Season 2023”. Usually, that’s mid-November to incorporate Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Christmas. However, Sony has yet to confirm an exact date – only that it will be available in November via PlayStation Direct, before rolling out to other retailers. Read more on the PS5 slim announcement at Videogamer.
- Considering a PS5? Check out our selection of the best TVs for PS5.
