The PlayStation 5 slim, the mid-cycle refresh of Sony’s flagship PS5 game console, has finally made its way to India — nearly six months after launch in the US. That’s classic Sony, for those keeping track, but if you’re into gaming and have been eyeing the PS5, you have two options. You can consider the “slim” (or hurry up and get the gargantuan original before stocks run out) now or wait for Sony to release the highly anticipated PS5 Pro.
As you can probably tell by the name, the slim is technically a scaled down version of the original PS5, in terms of look and footprint. The design and internals have been fine-tuned further to make it “more than 30 per cent” smaller (and 24 per cent lighter). So it goes without saying that “this” version is no less than a feat of engineering, when you factor in that it’s technically still as powerful as its beefier sibling.
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But having said that, it’s still a “big” console and depending on where you stand, its overall design and especially some of Sony’s weird hardware choices, could be polarising. Like for instance, the vertical stand is sold separately now and the included horizontal stand is — for the lack of a better word — a joke (the original just had one stand for both orientations and came bundled in the box at no extra charge).
Or, even worse, you need an active Internet connection, to hook up the blue-ray disc drive (even if you buy the disc/non-digital version) for the first time, and also to unpair it properly at the time of factory resetting (which also raises further concerns when you’re planning to get a refurbished slim console somewhere down the line).
Still, Sony will be hoping that a refreshed design and a couple of more quality of life improvements like 1TB built-in storage (up from 825GB in the original) and two USB Type-C ports (the USB Type-A port is gone in this version) will sway gamers in its direction. But regardless, in a few days from now, the PS5 slim will be their only option, like it or not. Which makes the wait for the upcoming PS5 Pro even more taxing.
Anyhow, the PS5 Slim will cost Rs 44,990 for the digital version while a model with disc drive will set you back by Rs 54,990. Sony isn’t sharing the price of the disc accessory though if its US pricing is anything to go by, adding a disc drive to the digital edition could be a pricey affair. General availability for the console is pegged for April 5.