Rumours surrounding an apparent slim revision of the PS5 have been circulating for quite some time now, but more fuel has been added to the fire with a video showing off a leaked physical unit.
Posted to X (formerly known as Twitter,) the footage shown off by user “@BwE_Dev” has quickly been making the rounds.
A not so slim, slim revision
The video in question shows the unit being held in the hands of someone, presumably BwE:
Why has this particular post gotten so much attention, especially in the age of easily-created 3D printed mock-ups? BwE’s bio describes them as being a “PhD Candidate in Cyber Security. Independent PS4 & PS5 Software Developer & Reverse Engineer.” So, it seems at least somewhat likely that the unit shown off, potentially taken from a production facility, is perhaps genuine.
Popular gaming news YouTuber “Spawn Wave” also shared a seemingly official-looking render photo of the alleged PS5 Slim that sports a very similar look to the unit in the video:
Reactions to the design have been mixed, to say the least. While some folks are unbothered by it, others have been mocking it due to it appearing not that much smaller than the existing PlayStation 5 model.
Of course, until an official announcement is posted by Sony, the jury is still out as to what the PS5 Slim, should it exist, will actually look like.
Even if it’s real, what’s the point?
Considering that the now nearly three year-old PlayStation 5 has only just become easy to find within the last few months, some are wondering what releasing a slim revision would even accomplish.
Rewinding back to the pre-release days of the PS5, one might recall how Sony kept the physical design of the console under wraps for a while.
Unlike Microsoft which didn’t wait too long to reveal the look of the Series X after its initial announcement, Sony drip-fed details about the PS5 across several months. When the console was finally unveiled, the reactions to its monolithic-size were almost unanimously on the side of bewilderment.
While opinions have tempered since, the PlayStation 5 is still considered by many to be an awkward console to make space for. Thus, a slim revision would certainly appeal to those who have setups that can’t easily accommodate the existing PlayStation 5 models. Should history prove to repeat itself, this slim revision will likely be cheaper for Sony to produce, and therefore may very well launch at a lower MSRP than the existing PlayStation 5 SKUs.
Even if it’s priced the same, however, its release may very well drive some retailers to run sales on the ‘older’ models to make space for new stock.
Time will certainly tell if the leaked PS5 Slim system comes about. This is joined by rumours of a Pro revision, but the only official new piece of PS5 tech that’s been announced thus far is the confusing Project Q. If the PS5 Slim is real, Sony will likely release it ahead of the holiday shopping season.
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