Sony is reportedly planning to launch a new PlayStation 5 model with a detachable disc drive next year. According to a report from Insider Gaming citing sources familiar with Sony’s plans, this new console could launch in September 2023 and replace the existing PS5 and the disc-less Digital edition models.

The report says that the detachable disc drive will be available to purchase separately, but it will also be available in PlayStation 5 bundles. “The detachable disc drive will be connected to the PlayStation 5 using an extra USB-C port on the back of the console,” the report reads.

Since the PlayStation 5 launched back in November 2020, Sony has already updated the internal design of its consoles multiple times to reduce manufacturing costs. Even though the company doesn’t communicate about this, the latest revision that started shipping in select countries earlier this month is slightly lighter and more power efficient. By adopting a detachable disc drive, the redesigned PS5 that’s reportedly launching next year could be slightly slimmer than current PS5 models, though the overall design may not change much.

“Sources have implied that although the new detachable disc drive is portable, it will not ruin the aesthetics of the console and will attach to it without looking external, presumably meaning the new PlayStation 5 will look similar to the existing model. However, the new detachable disc drive could entail that the new iteration of the PlayStation 5 will be slimmer and lighter, which is something Sony has been trying to implement effectively with its latest PS5 models,” the report explained.

It’s become a tradition for console manufacturers to release a “slim” version of their console in the middle of a generation. For 8th gen consoles, Microsoft and Sony released the Xbox One S and the PlayStation 4 Slim just 3 years after the launch of the original Xbox One and PS4. However, things could be different for Microsoft during this new generation: The company already has a “slim” console with the Xbox Series S, which also costs $200 less than the Xbox Series X and the PlayStation 5 in the US.

Tagged with Gaming, Playstation, PlayStation 5, Sony