PS5 vs PS5 Slim: What are the differences?

Sony’s new PS5 Slim model has some key differences from the original.

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How does PS5 Slim differ from the original PS5?
Credit: Bob Al-Greene / Mashable

The world is full of rivalries, each side convinced that theirs is the best. In this semi-regular series, we pit two competitors against each other to see how they stack up.

“PS5 vs PS5 Slim” is a face-off you’ll want to spectate to get a better understanding as to how the skinner model differs from the original variant.

For years, many complained about PS5’s bulky, unwieldy body — and Sony finally addressed that with the new PS5 Slim.

Sony announced the brand spankin’ new slim PS5 model in October 2024. This follows the game giant’s decades-long tradition of each PlayStation console getting a smaller counterpart midway through its generation. As you can probably tell, the PS5 Slim is meant to be smaller gaming system compared to the original 2020 model — but that’s not all.

Here are all the ways in which the new PS5 Slim is different from its predecessor.

PS5 vs PS5 Slim: Price

For context, the original PS5 has two versions: a digital one (no disc drive) and one with a disc drive. The same can be said for the PS5 Slim.

For whatever reason, Sony has elected to not drop the prices of the new PS5 models. The PS5 Slim with a disc drive is still $499, while the PS5 Slim without a disc drive is, maddeningly, $449 — or a $50 increase over the original digital-only console.

PS5 Slim (no disc drive) – $449

PS5 Slim (with disc drive) – $499

Original PS5 (no disc drive) – $399

Original PS5 (disc drive) – $499

With that in mind, yes, the digital-only PS5 Slim is a money-saver in comparison to the one with a disc drive, but not in comparison to the digital-only model that launched three years ago.

The new price also means that buying a digital model before purchasing the additional disc drive would cost more than just snagging the version with a built-in drive. I don’t really have a good explanation for any of that.

My only advice is this: If you want a PS5 that only costs $399, you better get one now. Once the existing stock of both original models sells out, the new slim models will replace them on store shelves.

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PS5 vs PS5 Slim: Size

Obviously, size is what many gamers are most concerned about here, so let’s get right to it. Looking at Sony’s stated dimensions, you can see that the new PS5 is indeed smaller than the original:

Original PS5 (disc version): 104mm (height) x 390mm (width) x 260mm (depth)

PS5 Slim (disc version): 96mm x 358mm x 216mm

Original PS5 (digital version): 92mm x 390mm x 260mm

PS5 Slim (digital version): 80mm x 358mm x 216mm

PS5 Slim models
Credit: Sony

In other words, per Sony’s announcement blog post, that’s about a 30 percent reduction in total volume. That’s definitely an improvement, but there’s some important context missing in just those raw numbers. The Verge ran a digital size comparison and discovered that both new models are still substantially larger than the Xbox Series X.

In other words, this “slim” console is still pretty dang big.

For a visual comparison, check out this awesome PS5 Slim vs. Regular Reddit post.

PS5 vs PS5 Slim: Horsepower and storage

Another important aspect of the new PS5 models to get out of the way is that they have the exact same internal capabilities as the originals. This isn’t a PS4 vs. PS4 Pro situation. Games will run exactly the same across the spectrum of PS5 consoles.

PS5 Slim
Credit: Sony

One little internal bonus that owners of the new PS5s get, however, comes in the form of expanded storage. For some reason, the original PS5 only had 825GB of onboard storage, with the option to expand via external SSDs. The new ones have a full 1TB of built-in space, so you can install a few extra games depending on how big they are.

PS5 vs PS5 Slim: Disc drive

Just like at the PS5’s launch in late 2020, there are two PS5 Slim models. One of them has a built-in disc drive and the other one is digital-only.

PS5 Slim
Credit: Sony

Well, sort of, anyway. There’s an optional detachable disc drive you can buy for $79.99. This was actually rumored more than a year ago, but the PS5 models were expected to launch next year — not 2023.

PlayStation deals

PlayStation game deals

A Plague Tale: Requiem — $29.99 $59.99 (save $30)

Atomic Heart — $34.99 $69.99 (save $35)

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III + Limited Collector’s Box — $129 $149 (save $20)

Call of Duty: Vanguard — $15 $59.99 (save $44.99)

Need For Speed Unbound — $49.99 $79.99 (save $30)

NHL 23 — $24.99 $69.99 (save $45)

The Quarry — $9.99 $69.99 (save $60)

PlayStation console deals

PlayStation 5 + Modern Warfare III Bundle — $539.99 $569.99 (save $30)

PlayStation 5 + Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Bundle — $499 $559.99 (save $60.99)

PlayStation 5 Slim (non-bundle) — $499.99

PlayStation 5 Slim + Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Bundle — $499.99 $559.99 (save $60)

PlayStation 5 Slim + Call of Duty Modern Warfare III Bundle — $499.99

PlayStation controller deals

PlayStation 5 DualSense controller — $39.99 $69.99 (save $30)

PlayStation 5 DualSense controller (Midnight Black) — $65.99 $69.99 (save $4)

PlayStation 5 DualSense controller (Gray Camouflage) — $68.85 $74.99 (save $9)

PlayStation 5 DualSense controller (Galactic Purple) — $72.75 $74.99 (save $25.99)

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