The price of the PlayStation 5 rose in many countries a few days ago, to the frustration of potential buyers. But the consoles shipping after the price hike are not the same ones as before. Sony has quietly released a new, lighter revision of the console.
A new model of Sony's console has appeared on Australia's store shelves. The CFI-1202A revision of the disc-equipped PlayStation 5 weighs 8.6 pounds or 3.9 kg, which is a 7% reduction from the previous model, which weighed 9.2 pounds or 4.2 kg. This is also the second time Sony has reduced the weight of its console. The original model launched in 2020 weighed 9.9 pounds or 4.5 kg. If we take that into account, the console has seen a 13% reduction in weight since it was initially launched, without having launched a Slim model or anything similar.
The digital version with no disc reader has also seen a similar reduction. It now weighs 7.5 pounds, or 3.4 kg, down from its initial weight of 8.6 pounds or 3.9 kg.
This can be both good and bad news. On one hand, the PS5 is a big console, so any reduction in weight is appreciated. On the other hand, the last time the console lost weight, it was at the cost of taking out a considerable amount of the heatsink. Granted, back then, it didn't negatively impact the thermals of the console, and if anything, they improved. If Sony took out thermal mass again, we're hoping the same thing happens here.
The console is currently available on Australian store shelves, but it should be making its way around the world soon, if it hasn't already.
Source: The Verge