PS5 Slim Rumour Boosted By New Sony Patent
Hard to believe, but by the end of 2023, the PS5 will have been on the market for three years. That means the new console is probably already closing in on being halfway through its life cycle which, in turn, means PlayStation is likely working on its mid-gen upgrade. As rumors of a slimmer or Pro version of the PS5 continue to swirl, Sony has filed a patent that looks and sounds a lot like the detachable disc drive we’ve heard a little bit about.
SegmentNext appears to have been the first site to spot the patent (thanks, Push Square), providing details and diagrams from the filing. While the PS5 is not mentioned by name, the filing describes the new piece of equipment as “an optical disc drive that can be mounted in electronic equipment such as a game machine, personal computer, or audio-visual (AV) equipment”. Nothing official, but certainly the next logical step towards PlayStation potentially announcing whatever’s next will come with a detachable disc drive.
Rumors that the mid-gen upgrade for the PS5 will come with a detachable disc drive have been swirling since 2022. It was also suggested the disc drive will be sold separately, but a more recent report claims the drive likely won’t be compatible with the original PS5 models. While one of the OG models already has a disc drive, the digital-only edition obviously does not. Nothing concrete yet, but for now, it still seems you won’t be able to play physical games on your digital-only consoles.
PlayStation’s new patent also further suggests its new PS5, if there is one, will be a slim version of the console. A listing on an Australian website spotted last month hinted that it already has a page prepped and ready to go for when PlayStation eventually announces its theoretical new console and pre-orders go live. A wise move, even if it doesn’t actually know something we don’t, considering the chaos that was the pre-order process when the PS5 first went on sale, and then the two years after that.
The hype and semiconductor shortages have eased off enough now that PS5s are pretty much readily available. So much so that scalpers who ruined it for everyone for so long are now selling their stock for a loss. A well-deserved win for everyone who bought their PS5 legitimately and didn’t buy ten so they could sell them all for double the price. Sadly, even though it won’t reach the same levels as it did for the original launch, scalpers will be present whenever PlayStation releases its updated PS5 and will probably make a lot of money to boot.