While we are some years away from a PlayStation 6, a revised version of the PS5 could be with us as soon as next year.
A redesigned PlayStation 5 with a detachable disc drive will arrive in September 2023, according to Insider Gaming, which says "sources familiar with Sony’s plans have shared details under the condition of anonymity".
The PS5s that have been in production since the console's launch in November 2020 have cycled through three slightly different bodies – 'chassis A', 'B' and 'C' – that have worked to improve things such as heatsink efficiency. The report suggests that this 2023 revision will sport a 'chassis D', with the detachable disc drive being the most significant design change. The rest of the hardware, it is understood, will be "almost identical".
This external, portable drive will supposedly connect to the console via an additional rear panel USB-C port and could therefore lead to the main body of the PS5 being slimmer and lighter. "It will not ruin the aesthetics of the console and will attach to it without looking external," the report reads, meaning that this new model could strongly resemble the current one when the drive is attached.
The site's anonymous sources have reportedly suggested that the console will be available both with or without the drive, presumably at different RRPs, though the drive will also be available to purchase separately in the event that it breaks and needs replacing.
This would mark the first true revision to the PS5 since its launch and could even be the answer to cries for a 'PS5 Slim', even if it will only be referred to that colloquially.
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