Sony is Quietly Introducing an Updated PlayStation 5 Digital Edition Console With Smaller SSD

PlayStation fans are being advised to enactment present if they privation to bargain a PS5 Digital Edition 1TB console, arsenic caller banal softly filters into Europe with a smaller SSD, contempt the console being sold astatine the aforesaid price.

Sony has not trumpeted the change, though insider billbil-kun noted earlier this period that caller PS5 Digital Edition retail banal successful Europe would soon incorporate an 825GB SSD, down from the existent 1TB. (For now, the PS5 Slim Standard exemplary with a disc thrust appears to beryllium retaining its 1TB SSD.)

This week, 1 of the caller 825GB Digital Edition models was unboxed and shown disconnected successful a teardown video by YouTuber Austin Evans, revealing different changes apt intended to chopped the console's manufacturing costs — meaning amended margins for Sony, adjacent if these savings aren't being passed onto the consumer.

The caller PlayStation 5 Digital Edition, with 825GB SSD disposable connected the packaging. Image credit: Austin Evans.

The newer PS5 Digital Edition's smaller 825GB SSD is listed connected the console's outer packaging — though this is casual to miss, particularly erstwhile buying online. Again, Sony has not publically stated a crushed for the SSD downgrade, though the smaller SSD volition astir surely beryllium cheaper to produce.

Looking wrong the device, Evans noted that respective interior components person been physically reduced successful size, bringing the wide console value down by 100g — apt making the console cheaper to ship. Finally, the updated exemplary besides has a afloat matte finish, though this appears to beryllium much of an aesthetic choice.

IGN has contacted Sony for details connected the caller 825GB model's rollout worldwide, including successful the U.S. and Canada, though for present it's worthy noting that galore U.K. retailers are preparing for the alteration by selling disconnected banal of the existing 1TB exemplary astatine sizable discounts.

The newer exemplary arrives contempt repeated PS5 terms increases successful the U.S. and overseas implicit the past fewer years. The astir caller — a $50 terms hike for the PS5's Standard version, Digital Edition and PS5 Pro — deed the U.S. conscionable a period ago.

"Similar to galore planetary businesses, we proceed to navigate a challenging economical environment," Isabelle Tomatis, Sony Interactive Entertainment's Vice President, Global Marketing said successful a connection astatine the time. "As a result, we’ve made the hard determination to summation the recommended retail terms for PlayStation 5 consoles successful the U.S. starting connected August 21."

The terms rises travel amid a turbulent clip for planetary markets owed to U.S. tariffs, and akin increases from different video games companies specified arsenic Nintendo, which precocious accrued the terms of the archetypal Nintendo Switch. Sony antecedently raised the PS5's terms successful the UK and mainland Europe, Australia and New Zealand earlier this year, aft already expanding the console's outgo erstwhile before, backmost successful 2022.

Image credit: Austin Evans.

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You tin scope Tom astatine [email protected] oregon find him connected Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social