Microsoft expects PS5 Slim later this year, lawsuit documents say – That’s Gaming

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The verdict in Microsoft’s lawsuit with the Federal Trade Commission over its acquisition of Activision Blizzard will be handed down in the coming weeks. There have been several revelations so far, such as MachineGames’ Indiana Jones and IO Interactive’s Project Dragon being exclusive to Xbox Series X/S, and the budgets for Horizon Forbidden West and The Last of Us Part 2.

That’s not all, however, as court documents (page 48) reveal that Microsoft claims a PlayStation 5 Slim will launch this year. It says: “PlayStation is also selling a cheaper Digital Edition for $399.99 and is expected to release a PlayStation Slim later this year for the same lower price.”

Sony has not indicated that a new PS5 model is in development, but there have been rumors of a PS5 with a removable drive unit. Tom Henderson of Insider Gaming reported that it could be connected via a USB-C port. In addition to standalone consoles without a disk drive, a bundle would also reportedly appear with the disk drive.

However, there will be no major hardware changes and it is unknown if this is the PS5 Slim that Microsoft is referring to. The new model reportedly went into production in April 2023 and is currently scheduled for release in September. Production of the current models will reportedly stop by the 2023 holiday season. As always, stay tuned for more updates.