A few months ago a leak emerged that claimed that Sony was working on an improved version of PS5. There was no talk of a PS5 Slimbut for dates it is clear that this new model should fit with everything that could be expected from a Slim version of said console: a reduced size, more efficient operation and minor changes at the hardware level that would reduce costs without sacrificing performance.
However, that new version of PS5 would have an important novelty, a change that we had never seen on a console, and that is that it could have a removable optical drive. It may not make much sense at first glance, but in reality the opposite is true. Releasing a console with a removable optical drive would allow Sony to no longer have to offer two versions of PS5, one with an optical drive and one without.
In this way, the Japanese company could reduce its offer to a single PS5 console, and already it would be the user who would decide whether or not to purchase the removable optical drive. For Sony, this change would be a master move because it would allow it to simplify the production of its console, and this could influence the final costs and help it maximize the profit obtained from each unit sold.
According to Tom Henderson, a very reliable source within the video game industry, that new console is already finished and has reached the hands of the developers. The presence of this removable optical drive is unofficially confirmed, and it is said that it works perfectly. This same source says that Sony could end production of the two current PS5 models in 2023, and that from then on it will only produce that new console with a removable optical drive.
We still do not have details about other possible changes at the hardware level, but as I said at the beginning of this article we can wait minor adjustments to reduce size, consumption and costs. Keep in mind that a new cost reduction would not by itself imply a drop in the sale price, in fact with PS5 the opposite has happened. Sony managed to reduce production costs on several occasions and yet decided raise the price of your console by 50 euros.
As long as demand remains high and production remains at such low levels Sony will be able to keep the price of PS5 at the level it deems appropriate. Luckily we have alternatives, Xbox Series X is easier to get at its recommended price, and Xbox Series S is a very interesting option if we are going to play in 1080p, especially now that its price has dropped on occasion to 250 euros.
