LEAKED: PS5 Slim likely to launch in September this year, alleged photos surface online

There’s been talk going around that Sony is tinkering with a new version of the PlayStation 5, often nicknamed the PS5 Slim, and this one might come with a removable disc drive. Well, now we’ve got some pictures and even a sneaky video that’s made its way out. So, picture this: a slimmer and slightly shorter PS5 model. It also might just have that removable disc drive everyone’s been buzzing about.

The scoop started with an image that popped up on a Chinese forum earlier last night, giving us a first glimpse of what they’re calling the PS5 Slim. A video has also sneaked out, courtesy of Better Way Electronics, an Australian bunch who are into fixing PlayStations. This video gives us a closer look at this potentially new PS5 version. So, what do we see? The plastic shell of this maybe-future PS5 model. There’s a noticeable bump where the disc drive would sit, a smooth curve in the middle with smaller spaces for vents, and a couple of vents on each side. It’s also got two USB-C ports at the front, instead of the usual mix of USB-C and USB-A ports we see on the current PS5 models. Quite the interesting makeover, if you ask us! Insider Gaming spilt the beans last year, mentioning that Sony had some plans brewing for a PS5 with a detachable disc drive. Whispers along the grapevine back then suggested this could be happening around September 2023. The word on the street is that the upcoming PS5 version might be available either on its own, without the disc drive, or as part of a bundle. This could mean that the sleeker model could soon become the standard PS5 option, and if you want to add a disc drive later, you’ll have to purchase it additionally. Right now, you’ve got a choice between shelling out $399 or Rs 45,000 in India,for the PS5 Digital Edition or a tad more, $499 or Rs 55,000 for the PS5 with the built-in disc drive. Now, interestingly, Microsoft seems to have caught wind of the whispers too. They’ve mentioned these rumours in some documents filed during the FTC vs Microsoft hearing last month when they were arguing why acquiring Blizzard Activision wouldn’t be catastrophic for gamers and the industry. According to Microsoft, they reckon the price tag for the potential PS5 Slim might hit $399.99, which just so happens to be the same cost as the PS5 Digital Edition. Sony kicked off its first round of PS5 sales in various places like the UK, Germany, India, and other parts of Europe just recently. These sales came with some price cuts, just as Sony proudly announced that they’ve managed to sell a whopping 40 million PS5 units since the console’s launch last month. Now, if those initial whispers are anything to go by, we’re just a few weeks away from getting the scoop on whether the PS5 Slim is actually happening. And yep, that means finding out whether those sneakily leaked photos and videos were the real McCoy. Stay tuned!