A lot of things have come out during the FTC v. Microsoft trial over the Microsoft aquisition of Activision-Blizzard, and Microsoft seems to suspect a Slim version of Sony’s PlayStation 5 to be released, along side Sony’s handheld cloud streaming device for the PlayStation, the Q-Lite.

Coming from Tom Warren, who links a Verge article on Twitter and TCMFGames, suggest that Microsoft is expecting Sony to release a Slim version of thier PlayStation 5 console somtime in September.  According to the Verge who quotes Microsoft, “PlayStation likewise sells a less expensive Digital Edition for $399.99, and is expected to release a PlayStation 5 Slim later this year at the same reduced price point.”   This is not the first time that we are hearing about a Slim or a Pro version of the PlayStaion 5.

Insider Gaming reported on a new PlayStation 5 with a detachable disc-drive last year that would be launching sometime in September 2023, as well as some other devices being made in the tech pipeline.  With this detachable disc drive, Sony would allow consumers to pick and choose if they would want to bundle a disc drive or purchase at a later date.  The only current options that Sony offers for the PlayStation 5 are a digitial, non disc drive option set at $399 and a dics counterpart set at $499.

Some users, like in TCMFGames twitter comments wonder if the slim version would replace the current PlayStation 5 models, to which TCMF replies to one user, Ryan GoFett, “In the past the slim models took over to become the standard. Cheaper to produce and cheaper to sell,” when asked if the Slim models ever replaced the standard models.  Another user, fperezroa asked Warren in his post if they would discontinue the digital model, to which Warren replies, “perhaps both will be, and they’ll sell an optional drive,” speculating that both the digital and physical versions would be replaced. 

Whether the option to phase out the current PlayStation models is all up to Sony, but based on the PlayStation 4 Slim release, the slim version replaced the original.