New PS5 Slim Is Cheaper in Every Way Except the Retail Price, New Teardown Video Reveals

Changes in hardware are highly prevalent throughout PlayStation’s timeline, and while some are more notable than others, they generally lead to consoles that are less expensive to produce, and therefore more affordable to purchase.

Nevertheless, due to worldwide circumstances beyond the firm’s influence, Sony’s fresh iteration of the standard PS5 (the “slim” variant) is one such modification that doesn’t extend the savings to consumers.

YouTuber Austin Evans obtained a new model, presently only on offer in Europe, and disassembled it to determine precisely what has changed:

In essence, the new PS5 model is a lighter device constructed from less expensive materials, yet still delivers the same performance and capability as its predecessor.

Certain internals have shifted slightly, not least of which is a metallic cover that has been lighter by half, and the exterior of the unit is now crafted from matte plastic all around.

As Evans notes, it’s all cleverly executed in nearly every aspect, but the single flaw is the diminished built-in SSD storage.

The original PS5 debuted with an 825 GB SSD, and with the launch of the first Slim model, this was escalated to 1 TB — but the new model reverts to the smaller capacity.

This likely was implemented to reduce production costs, yet it’s a cut of over 25 percent in the amount of (usable) storage you’d have compared to the prior PS5, which isn’t favorable.

The real kicker is that this PS5 maintains the price point, meaning you’re forking out the identical sum for a marginally inferior console, which seems rather unpleasant.

Anyway, it remains uncertain if this model will be introduced globally, and whether the PS5’s pricing will shift any further in the future. However, it seems the era of consoles becoming less expensive over time is behind us.