We now have an update on the rumored slim PlayStation 5 that is apparently set to be announced and even released very shortly.
Tom Henderson of Inside Gaming shared this update on the state of the console revision:
“Small update on the PlayStation 5 that has a detachable disc drive – I’ve heard from two people now that the test kit is in people’s hands and it “works flawlessly”. We should hear more about it officially soon.”
For the moment, we can only take Tom’s word that this whole rumor is true, but he has had a good record when it comes to game industry rumors.
It is interesting that Sony does not seem to be interested in dissuading Tom from spreading this information. Of course, that may be partly because it isn’t true at all. It may also be a consequence of Sony being preoccupied with other matters, such as supplying the stocks of the PlayStation 5 consoles that they have already manufactured, or the ongoing regulatory action around the world for Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard King.
To be clear, Tom’s information is for a PlayStation that has a removable disc drive. While his sources indicate there has been a redesign, his information hints at one that still looks like the PlayStation 5 as we know it, odd curves and all.
Another source we reported on deliberately referred to a slim PlayStation 5 in the works. This new rumor is actually more credible than the one Tom has been sharing in my estimation, because a physically smaller incarnation of the PlayStation 5 would clearly differentiate itself from the older models. That would mean there would be less confusion on a model that had a detachable disc drive.
In the past, Sony had been good in making clearly differentiated models of their PlayStation consoles. This also proved as visual shorthand for consumers, since they can tell from how the console looked what potential features it had or didn’t have. This was certainly the case with the PlayStation 3, a console that has three distinct models.
With the PlayStation 5, there really is very little to let consumers know which versions can play discs or not, save the opening for the disc drive itself. This has still not been a problem for Sony up until now since most consumers struggled to just get a console.
If this console is real and it’s coming, Sony is going to have to put the work in to make sure consumers aren’t confused. It will be interesting to see how the detachable disc drive plays out for consumers (so to speak).
Source: Twitter via Pledge Times
