PlayStation 5: Thread 04

[Deuteros]

Norco is coming to PS4 and PS5. It's been one of my favourite games this year, and it comes strongly recommended!

https://blog.playstation.com/2022/09...on-october-20/

Coming to Xbox One and Series X|S too, plus Xbox Game Pass.

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[Neon Ignition]

https://insider-gaming.com/new-playstation-5/

Speculation that next year Sony will launch a new version of the PS5. It's not a Pro though and not really a Slim. Think a tweaked version of the PS5 Digital Edition becoming the single standard model with an USB connecting disc drive sold separately or available as part of a bundle. Basically, it's up to you if you have the disc drive but Sony only has to manufacture a single SKU moving forward.

[nonny]

I guess it's cheaper to manufacture just one model but it just sounds a bit weird to me. Though given how ugly the current model is in interested to see what this redesign looks like as hopefully it's an improvement.

[fishbowlhead]

Will only work if the disk drive is cheap enough, £20-30 max.

[nonny]

I'd assume they'd sell it at whatever the price difference is between the digital and disc versions now? Or we can at least hope in doing this the packaging size can be reduced for cheaper shipping and manufacturing costs are also reduced so that some of those savings can bring the console price back down...

[MartyG]

Sony will price it so that it discourages people from buying it so that they can make more from the software sales given the margins are better.

[nonny]

I'm surprised it's only been out two years and already there's a planned major revision. That is really quick... I know there's been a few tweaks under the hood but this sounds like a substantial change.

[Cassius_Smoke]

PS4 slim came out 3 years after the original. If this is out next year it pretty much lines up with what they did before.

[briareos_kerensky]

If that's the plan, I truly hope they'll let you use any USB BR drive as long as it fullfils minimum read speed requirements.

[nonny]

[fishbowlhead]

I'm surprised it's only been out two years and already there's a planned major revision. That is really quick... I know there's been a few tweaks under the hood but this sounds like a substantial change.

Long term cost cutting and planning, has to be kept on top of this day and age as anything and everything is fluctuating all the time.

[wakka]

I think one year from now sounds about typical for a 'slim' hardware revision. The separate disc drive element sounds unusual but not illogical considering it will help to cut core hardware bill-of-material costs, reduce SKUs they have to make, and push customers towards more lucrative digital purchases.

And I had one of those HD-DVD add-on drives! They were pretty cool

[MartyG]

It's the push towards digital-only consoles



And more profit (same with One S).

I'd say it's a pretty safe bet that the next-gen consoles will be disc-driveless.

[fishbowlhead]

I think the next gen will be the very last gen of consoles with any disks at all, with a very heavy bias towards digital, and the disk editions will probably be phased out quite quickly.

Retail outlets will have to brace themselves whatever happens as physical is definitely on its way out sadly.

[nonny]

If they want to drive digital sales they could do with pricing the games lower than the disc equivalent...

Xbox is just as bad at this but it's offset by being easier to buy from multiple regions on a single account, ms rewards, game pass and the fact MS still allows you to buy games via digital codes sold at places like cdkeys.

The PlayStation store is much more closed off in that regard but the recent changes to PS+ and the PS Stars rewards are a good start. I know a load of people are buying digitally from Turkey on second accounts as well.