Hardware | PlayStation 5 'Slim' versus PlayStation 5: the differences
As expected, Sony has unveiled a smaller variant of the PlayStation 5, popularly called the PlayStation 5 'Slim'. Here are the main differences between the Slim and the launch model, including price, size and SSD storage.
The PlayStation 5 Slim will already be on shelves in America this November. There is a good chance that other countries will have to wait a little longer for this version of the PlayStation 5, although Sony indicates that it wants to market the model alongside the current model. When stock of the current model is sold out, the Slim will be the only model available on the market.
The main difference between the current model and the new model is the detachable disk drive. If you choose to buy the digital version of the PlayStation 5 Slim, you now have the option to purchase a separately available disk drive that you can easily put on and take off yourself. By detaching one of the side panels you click it into your console. The console now has four separate panels: the two above are shiny, the bottom ones are matte white.
The PlayStation 5 Slim is available with a disk drive attached, but the latter is also available separately for 119.99 euros. You can also buy the PlayStation 5 Slim including a disc drive, then the price of the entire console is 549.99 euros, about 100 euros more expensive than the all-digital version, which costs 449.99 euros. The suggested retail prices of the console have not changed.
Finally, the disk drive eject button has been moved to the drive itself, instead of on the console.
PlayStation 5 Slim with disk drive – 549.99 euros
PlayStation 5 Slim All-Digital – 449.99 euros
The original PlayStation 5 has 825 GB of storage space. The storage of the Slim has been upgraded to 175 gigabytes, which ensures that the entire storage is 1 terabyte. In practice, due to the operating system, this will leave around 800 GB for games and other media.
Just like the current PlayStation 5, it is possible to expand the storage space with a compatible SSD.
Size and weight PlayStation 5 Slim
The name already gives it away a bit, but the PlayStation 5 Slim is smaller and lighter than its predecessor. We have listed the different versions:
PlayStation 5 (original) with disc drive: 4.5 kilograms with dimensions of 39 x 10.4 x 26 centimeters
Playstation 5 without disc drive (original): 3.9 kilograms with dimensions of 39 x 9.2 x 26 centimeters
Playstation 5 Slim with disc drive: 3.2 kilograms with dimensions of 35.8 x 9.6 x 21.6 centimeters
Playstation 5 Slim without disc drive: 2.6 kilograms with dimensions of 35.8 x 8 x 21.6 centimeters
Standard PlayStation 5 Slim
Something that is missing from the PlayStation 5 Slim is the multifunctional stand – this was included with the original PlayStation 5. The console only comes with a horizontal stand to place the console. If you want to place your PlayStation 5 Slim upright, it costs 29.99 euros.
USB connections
Another difference that may not be noticeable is that PlayStation 5 Slim now has two USB-C inputs on the front, and only one USB-A input on the back of the console. The original PlayStation 5 has one USB-C input and one USB-A input on the front, with two USB-A inputs on the back. It is still unclear what kind of charging cable comes with the console.
All PlayStation 5 Slim prices at a glance
PlayStation 5 with disk drive: 549.99 euros
PlayStation 5 without disk drive: 449.99 euros
Separate disk drive: 119.99 euros
Stand to put upright: 30 euros
In addition to these changes, the PlayStation 5 Slim remains graphically identical to its predecessor. According to Sony’s information, the CPU, GPU and RAM remain the same, although there are rumors of a Playstation 5 Pro for the fourth quarter of 2024.
Hardware | Seagate Unveils Star Wars SSDs with Lightsaber Heat Spreaders
Storage manufacturer Seagate now also offers Star Wars variants of FirceCuda SSDs, including three lightsaber-themed heat spreaders.
The SSD in question is the same FireCuda PCIe 4.0 gaming model that the manufacturer has been betting on for some time; an M.2 drive with maximum read speeds of up to 7,300 MB/s. In the Star Wars theme, the SSD comes in volumes of 1 TB and 2 TB, where previous FireCuda models also came in 500 GB versions.
As a unique addendum, the so-called ‘Lightsaber Collection’ edition invariably comes with three unique heat spreaders, respectively in Obi-Wan Kenobi, Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker themes. Each heatsink places its iconic lightsaber right on top of the SSD, with a strip of freely adjustable RGB diodes for lighting.
Seagate seems to offer the world’s first official Star Wars-themed SSDs with the unique collaboration. Incidentally, this novelty does not characterize the first Star Wars hardware in general: at the end of 2017, for example, Nvidia launched two more Star Wars-style Titan Xp video cards, with a green-lit Jedi Order and a red-hot Galactic Empire version, respectively.
Hardware | Phison's PCIe 5.0 SSD reaches 12.5 GB/s on X670 chipset
Storage manufacturer Phison has demonstrated a new SSD controller over PCIe 5.0 interface, with read speeds of up to 12.5 GB/s on AMD's new motherboard chipset.
Phison’s new SSD card is the PS5025-E26, a first token of the E26 platform on PCIe 5.0 (x4) interface. On paper, the total bandwidth of that interface is 15.8 GB/s which is double that of PCIe 4.0 (x4).
For now, Phison achieves a read speed of 12,457 MB/s and a write speed of 10,023 MB/s, using an early sample SSD. The SSD in question uses an on-board Phison E26 controller and 3D TLC NAND flash storage from Micron.
Phison’s demonstration shows the controller paired with Asus’ X670 Crosshair Hero motherboard, featuring AMD’s new X670 chipset. The motherboard will most likely run on an early sample of a Ryzen 7000 CPU. AMD had previously indicated that it already wants to use PCIe 5.0 storage with the first Zen 4 CPUs and motherboards.
It’s still unclear when Phison’s new PCIe 5.0 products should hit the market, let alone when alternatives will be rolled out to consumers — or at what prices. The company had previously indicated that it plans PCIe 5.0 products for “the second half of 2022”, although “end of 2022” now seems plausible.
The demonstration on an X670 platform is especially relevant, now that AMD is publicly betting on Zen 4 as the first chip generation to embrace the new storage generation, with a generous 24 lanes on PCIe 5.0. According to AMD, the first PCIe 5.0 SSDs should launch simultaneously with Zen 4, later this year.
Guide | Connecting a hard drive to your PlayStation 4: this is how it works
Whichever model you have, the PlayStation 4's internal storage memory isn't quite up to par for games that keep getting bigger. In this article we explain how to connect and use an external hard drive in combination with a PS4 (Pro).
It has been possible for a while to connect external hard drives to a PlayStation 4 , the regular model, the Slim model and the Pro version. These consoles come with 500GB or 1TB of storage space. That is a lot more than we encountered in consoles of the previous generation, it’s often not enough to store many games on it. You may be able to install dozens of smaller titles on it, but now we come across games of around 80GB more often than we would like. Not only does it take a long time for that content to be downloaded, it’s also the case that the content must be able to be installed. Add to that the fact that you usually spend more than 100 GB on all sorts of things before you set up the console, and you quickly come to the conclusion that you need an external drive to keep your collection complete. You can also install another, bigger internal HDD or SSD drive in the PS4 for more space, but we will not discuss that option here. We are looking purely at connecting external hard drives.
Before we can start, it is useful to know a number of things. You can use any hard disk with a USB 3.0 connection in combination with the PlayStation 4. It also doesn’t matter which USB connection you use. The hard drive must have at least 250 GB of storage space. Furthermore, the PS4 supports up to 8 TB of space. Keep in mind that the PlayStation 4 already takes up some space for preparing the disk, so you have already lost some space , this varies per disk. Also, the PS4 can only recognize one external drive at a time. You should also remember that the PS4 will format the drive before use.
That means that you cannot use that disc for other things or transfer files from PC to PS4 with it. You can only use it in combination with the PS4. In addition, the hard drive must be connected directly to the USB port of the PlayStation 4. You cannot connect it via a USB hub, because then it will not work. One last point: it doesn’t matter whether the hard drive has its own power cable or not. Mine, for example, gets its power from the console.
Selected hard drive? Good, then we can start. You connect the drive to one of the USB ports on the console. The regular PS4 has two on the front, while the Pro has one on the front and two on the back. When you mount the drive, you will immediately receive a message from your PlayStation 4 that the drive is not recognized. Don’t panic, that’s normal. Because we still have to format it. That is simpler than you think, because in principle it goes without saying. Below a short step-by-step plan:
- On the home screen, go to Settings
- Then go to Devices and press USB storage devices.
- In the next screen, indicate that you want to format the attached drive.
And that’s it. It takes about a minute to get everything ready, but it works immediately after that. Now you can find the external drive under the Storage heading in Settings. The drive is also automatically set as the place where new games and apps are installed. You don’t have to look far for a reason to keep it that way: games on an external hard drive are loaded faster due to the better connection between both devices than the connection between the game console and the internal hard drive.
If you prefer to set the internal hard drive as the default storage location, select the internal drive with the Options button on your controller and then press the cross on your controller. The same applies if you want to set the external disk as the default location: press Options on the disk and press the cross again. By the way, do not disconnect the hard drive when the PlayStation 4 is on, as this may cause data loss.