Microsoft Thinks Sony Will Release a PS5 Slim Later This Year 6m3o1j Priced at $399.99: Report

Reports from last year claimed that the PlayStation 5 Slim will bear the same hardware, albeit with a new chassis and a detachable disc drive. 17dx

Written by Rahul Chettiyar, Edited by Manas Mitul | Updated: 5 July 2023 11:50 IST

Microsoft Thinks Sony Will Release a PS5 Slim Later This Year, Priced at $399.99: Report

Photo Credit: Aneesh Arora 1a5p2t

The PlayStation 5 and its DualSense controller

Highlights

So far, Sony has only confirmed the handheld Project Q for release
Microsoft is trying to portray Xbox as the underdog in the console market
Xbox CEO Phil Spencer doesn’t feel the need for a mid-gen console upgrade

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PlayStation and Xbox, when it boils down to price. The idea is to present itself as the underdog in the console market, so it successfully acquires Activision Blizzard without posing a threat to the game industry.

“In fact, the entry-level versions of the current PS5 console, poised to come with identical hardware as the existing models, albeit with a new chassis and a detachable disc drive. It's understood that the Sony-approved external drive will be available to purchase separately, so if it malfunctions, you don't have to buy an entirely new unit. Even if you send the drive for RMA, you should be able to play games digitally.

As mentioned before, Microsoft is trying to portray itself as the underdog here, having previously claimed that it's been Xbox Series S/X consoles have sold 21.3 million units since launch. In contrast, the PS5 and Nintendo Switch have sold 35.8 million and 36.2 million units, respectively, during that period — as of April 2023. These statistics align in favour of Microsoft, though further down the document, it goes on to highlight another major PlayStation console release.

“Sony is also anticipated to release a handheld version of PlayStation 5 later this year for under $300,” the document reads. This is, of course, in reference to PlayStation Showcase event, a handheld gaming device that lets you stream games from your PS5 console via Remote Play or Wi-Fi. The device comes equipped with an 8-inch 1080p LCD screen in the centre, ed on either side by a button layout and analogue sticks that are reminiscent of the PS5 DualSense controller.

Circling back to the PS5 Slim debate, it doesn't come as a surprise for Sony to plan one model since the company has released slim versions for its previous consoles. Meanwhile, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer claimed last month that he “doesn't feel an imperative” to release a mid-generation Xbox upgrade three years into its launch cycle. “That's not the we're getting right now. Right now, we're pretty set on the hardware we have,” he said in the interview.

What are the most exciting titles that gamers can look forward to in 2023? We discuss some of our favourites on the latest episode of Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

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