Sony announces thinner PlayStation 5 with separate drive that can be built in
Sony confirms that the PlayStation 5 will only be released without a built-in disk drive in the future. The company is showing a new generation of the console with a narrower design, with the option to connect a separate disk drive. This will then be integrated into the device.
Sony will release a new PlayStation 5 at the end of this year. It is the first time since the release of the console that a new version has been released. The new device is a lot thinner than the original model. Sony is talking about a volume reduction of 30 percent. The device weighs 18 or 24 percent less than the previous model, depending on whether that was a digital model or the model with a disk drive.
The biggest change is the lack of a physical disk drive. The new PS5 no longer has this built-in and is primarily only available as a digital version. The model comes with 1TB of storage. However, it is possible to add a separate disk drive. This can then be built into the device so that it still has the same form factor as the previous model. The new PS5 does have two USB-C ports on the front; the only USB-A port has been moved to the back.
Installation is possible partly because Sony changes the cover plates. The new PS5 has four of those plates, two on both sides of the device. One of them can be removed and replaced by a disk drive with accompanying cover plate. The upper plates have a glossy appearance, the lower models have a matte appearance.
Sony is therefore choosing a different side than seemed based on previous rumors. Insider Gaming sources said last year that the PS5 would be sold with a standalone drive that could be connected via USB-C. Sony says that the current stock of PS5s with an integrated disk drive will still be sold, but that after that only models without a built-in disk drive will be released.
The new model will be released in November in the United States, followed ‘in the following months’ by other countries, including Europe. The model costs 449.99 euros without disk drive. There is also a bundle that includes the disk drive, which is a hundred euros more expensive. Later, the disk drive will also be available separately in stores for 119.99 euros.
Sony also sells a new stand to place the model vertically for 29.99 euros. New cover plates will also be released early next year in matte black, red, blue and silver. They cost at least 54.99 euros.
Update: the piece clarifies that Sony is not only releasing ‘digital models’, but ‘models without a built-in disk drive’.