Rumors are circulating about new PlayStation 5 console models. It’s time to take stock of the possible PlayStation 5 Slim and PlayStation 5 Pro. Release date, performance, price: should we believe the rumours?
Since the launch of its first PlayStation, Sony has consistently revamped its mid-gen consoles. This led to a completely new design and a reduction in the volume of the machine. With the PS4 Pro, Sony had even attempted to create a more powerful mid-gen console that could handle 4K screens.
So what does the manufacturer have in store for the PS5 generation? There are many rumors on the subject, but the reality of the market could limit Sony’s options.
A PlayStation 5 Slim: a new model, not so slim
The first idea is that of a new design for the PlayStation 5. This would respect Sony’s tradition. The rumors here are mostly coming from leaker and journalist Tom Handerson, who has broken his teeth on Battlefield and Call of Duty game leaks. According to its sources, Sony is preparing to launch a new model of the PlayStation 5 that will replace the two currently marketed models.
The PS5 DE can lie down // Source: FRANDROID
In fact, this new model of PlayStation 5 would no longer have an integrated disc player, but Sony would offer an optional external Blu-ray player. Enough to allow traders to store a single mass console reference, thus streamlining the delivery of machines. Sony could take the opportunity to change the design of its console and offer something more compact.
No discount
However, back in 2020, Xbox engineers warned of hopes for slim consoles that would bring prices down for this generation. Previously, slim consoles actually went hand in hand with a significant drop in the price of the console. From now on, the technological developments that make it possible to reduce the size of the machines no longer lead to a reduction in the manufacturing costs. But on the contrary.
So if the idea of a new PlayStation 5 has its fair share of credibility, it’s too early to really envision a major design change. Above all, the price should remain very close to the median price of 500 euros today (450 euros digital model, 550 euros standard model).
No name change
As for the PlayStation 4 of its time, Sony shouldn’t give this model a specific name. In fact, if we often see “PS4 Slim” in stores to denote the second generation of PlayStation 4 consoles, Sony never officially adopted that name. For Sony, there were only two consoles in the previous generation: the PlayStation 4 and the PlayStation 4 Pro.
So Sony should be content with bringing a new PlayStation 5 onto the market.
PlayStation 5 Pro: Are we to believe it?
AMD, which supplies the chips for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, continues to work to offer increasingly powerful components. Since the Zen 2 / RDNA 2 chip that gaming consoles are currently equipped with, AMD has released two generations of CPU architectures (Zen 3 and Zen 4) and one generation of GPUs (RDNA 3). We can therefore wonder when the consoles will be able to take advantage of these new features.
A job posting opened by AMD back in May 2022 suggests that development of next-gen SoCs for consoles is in full swing.
When will the PS5 Pro be released?
According to website Phonandroid, which cites a “close” source, a PS5 Pro would be planned as early as April 2023. However, the media warns that their claims must be taken “with enormous forceps”.
What would the design of the PS5 Pro look like?
This name suggests that it would be a new PlayStation 5 console that would be more efficient than previous models. In particular, the site points out that this model could have the right to a liquid cooling system, that is, water cooling. This type of cooling is already used on desktop PCs, but has never been seen on a device that sells in volume like a gaming console.
At what price ?
At what price could Sony market this PlayStation 5 Pro? The item is not brought forward to a sale price. If Sony doesn’t change the price of the PlayStation 5, we can imagine a PlayStation 5 Pro whose price would take off at least 600 or 650 euros in France. A price rarely reached for a game console on our market. With this, the manufacturer would even exceed the psychological limit of 600 euros, which had so damaged the PS3 at the start.
PS5 Pro: Why we don’t believe it
Sony hasn’t given any indication of the launch of a possible new gaming console, much less a model that would be more efficient.
We have to admit that we have a hard time believing the PS5 Pro theory. Indeed, what would such a console be for Sony in today’s market? Instead, the giant is trying to sell as much of the PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 5 Digital Edition as possible, and is on the verge of completing the transition by dropping PS4 support for its new games.
Adding a PlayStation 5 Pro to the catalog would again mean cutting the installed base while it’s still nascent, and would further complicate the developers’ work. The latter can simply do without the PlayStation 4 and thus make optimal use of the capabilities of the PlayStation 5.
What needs?
The PlayStation 5 Pro in particular would no longer meet any demand today. Sony’s current console, like Microsoft’s, can run games in 4K thanks to a dynamic image definition system, mostly with a 60 FPS mode available.
The PlayStation 4 Pro was launched because the installed base of 4K displays was growing rapidly. The same is not true for 8K TVs.
What is Sony’s strategy?
For all these reasons, the idea of a new discless PlayStation 5, which would allow Sony to streamline its production and inventories, seems more credible to us. Above all, the goal of the giant is to successfully increase the installed base of PS5 and supply the markets correctly.
Producing PS5 for a market that doesn’t seem to have a clear need to segment a bit more and make life more difficult for developers seems to go against the company’s strategy. We can even estimate that neither Sony nor Microsoft will launch intermediate models on this generation of consoles with such a complex launch.
Would you like to join a community of enthusiasts? Our discord welcomes you, it’s a place of mutual help and passion for technology.