Sony PlayStation 5 Slim
The newer, slimmer PS5 will very soon be the default choice if you want a brand-new console, with a bit more storage and a less bulky design - but it will likely stay pricier for longer.
Sony PlayStation 5
The original PS5 is still fantastic, although it’s bigger and heavier - and now that it’s being phased out you might start to find it available at lower prices, which would offer some great value.
We had a strong sense that it was on the way, but Sony has now finally taken the wraps off thePS5 Slim- a new version of the PlayStation 5 with a different design.
It’s smaller and has some nice hidden features, but how different is it from the base version of the PS5 that we’ve all been using for the last few years? We’ve got all the details you need right here.
Price, specs & availability
Although its launch was a bit of a disaster in terms of availability and shortages, the standard PS5 is now available really widely and rarely gets completely sold out, especially online.
The new PS5 Slim, by contrast, isn’t quite out yet - it’s scheduled to hit stores sometime in November 2023, and Sony says that both versions will probably be available while stock of the original sells out. If you’re looking at the version of the console with a disc drive, there’s no change in price - it’s still going to be $500 or £480, but the digital-only edition will now cost $450 or £390, which is a price increase.
PS5 Slim vs PS5: Design
The standard launch version of the PS5 has a design that immediately got people talking when it was first unveiled, with white wings on its side that head up into points and give it an almost jacketed look.
It’s seriously chunky and tall, and while it launched in white, you can now buy it in multiple colours and get replacement side plates to change the colour of your existing machine.
It also came with a stand that could be switched between vertical and horizontal orientation depending on your space and needs, making either arrangement possible.
The PS5 Slim clearly comes from the same design language, and, in some ways, it’s basically just a slightly shrunken version of the same design.
The key difference is that the PS5 Slim has a dividing line in the middle of it, though, making for four panels instead of two, with the upper two panels being glossier and the lower two matte.
This allows it to be a bit modular, with the disc drive able to be added to the Digital Edition retrospectively, and it also changes how the console stands.
You can now only stand it horizontally out of the box, with a small metal arm that flips out to support the end of the console - if you want a vertical stand, you’ll have to buy it separately.
For now, we’ve also only seen a white version of the PS5 Slim, although we’re sure it’ll be followed up by colour versions pretty quickly.
From a design standpoint, then, they’re actually pretty similar consoles. Still, that size difference means that the PS5 Slim will be an easier fit in the vast majority of TV setups, making it a no-brainer of an upgrade.
PS5 Slim vs PS5: Specs
There is very little under the hood that’s different about the PS5 Slim compared to its bigger brother, with one key exception - storage. The launch PS5 comes with an 825GB SSD that’s incredibly fast but not particularly massive, with over 100GB taken up by system software.
The PS5 Slim, by contrast, has been upgraded slightly to hold a 1TB SSD, giving you a bit more space. In actual fact, it probably means you’ll have roughly the storage that an 825GB SSDsounds likeit’ll give you, with system software accounted for.
This isn’t a huge change, but it’s nonetheless extremely welcome in the era of extremely chunky games that take up 100GB apiece.
Aside from that, you should get identical performance in games designed for PS5 or PS4 when you play them on each console, especially if you have a launch PS5 that’s in good nick and isn’t full of dust.
One area we haven’t heard explicitly about yet is theexpandable storage slot on the launch PS5, but we would very much assume that this is still on the PS5 Slim for those who want more storage.
The front of the PS5 Slim will now have two USB-C ports on it, too, whereas the older console has one USB-C and one USB-A, but there will still be a USB-A port on the back of the console since a whole heap of accessories still use that format.
PS5 Slim vs PS5: Price
Pricing is obviously a key concern where console refreshes happen, and Sony has played the PS5 Slim reveal quite interestingly. The headline is that if you’re buying the standard disc version of the PS5, there’s no change in price from the old version to the new one.
Things are more complicated with the Digital Edition, though - it’s now $50 more expensive than before at $450, but if you want to later, you can buy a separate disc drive to add on to the console to make it the standard version, for $80 (making it a more expensive way to do things overall).
That means even more than before, we’d really recommend that people opt for the standard edition, opening up the used game market and trade-ins as a way to save money in the long run.
However, the used market is also another complication - once the PS5 Slim is widely available and becomes the default model of the PS5, expect to see used launch versions of the console start to slip down in prices. They’ve remained pretty expensive for a well-looked-after console, but we’re hoping that some value could start to creep in as more PS5 Slims hit the shelves.
PS5 Slim vs PS5: Games
This is a quick one for you, but it’s worth reiterating - the PS5 Slim and launched PS5 have access to the exact same library of games, and there isn’t a single title that will work on one but not the other.
So, if you’ve been browsing ourlist of the very best games on PS5and making some grand plans in your head, don’t worry about buying a PS5 Slim since it won’t limit you in any way.
Which is right for you?
There are two answers here for you - until it becomes available sometime in November, you’re not going to be able to pick up a PS5 Slim yet, so you can only get a launch version. We’d recommend waiting a few weeks for that launch, though, since the PS5 Slim will look like the more sensible choice once we’re past that point.
With more storage and a smaller design for the same price if you’re buying it new, there’s no real reason not to go for the PS5 Slim - it’s got all the same games and the same price, after all.
However, as we’ve mentioned, you won’t get any performance bonus from the newer version of the PS5, so if you absolutely need one today, or if you can find one at a nice discount, the launch PS5 is still a fantastic bit of kit that plays some of the best modern games around and does it all without breaking much of a sweat.
The launch PS5 is still a total beast of a console, and we’ll happily be using it for years to come, so if you can snag any sort of discount, it could still absolutely be a great choice.
