A new PS5 model just dropped – but won’t solve the console’s biggest problem

It’ll still be tough to buy one

A lighter PS5 revision has just launched in Australia, shaving precious grams off of Sony’s weighty flagship console.

The PS5 is a notoriously heavy bit of kit, but these latest revisions have trimmed some of the fat. The new PS5 disc version weighs in at 3.9kg, weighing in at 300g lighter than 2021’s revised console. Meanwhile, the PS5 Digital Edition comes in at  3.4kg – that’s 200g lighter than the previous digital revision.

After two hardware iterations in as many years, Sony has managed to scale down the weight of its beast of a box. If you have the PS5 launch model, your console weighs 4.5kg by comparison. The initial PS5 Digital Edition wasn’t much lighter, at 3.9kg. Each model has had its weight cut by at least half a kilogram, which is pretty significant.

But what causes each revision of the PS5 to become lighter? 2021’s revisions featured a smaller heatsink to bring the console’s weight down ever so slightly. The tradeoff was that the console ran a little hotter as a result, which caused some speculation as to whether the revision performed worse than its predecessor. 

We expect this may also be the case with the latest revision. But there may also be changes to other internal components so as to not place as much of a burden on the heatsink.

New PS5, same old problems?

We don’t yet know how long it’ll take for this latest PS5 revision to roll out globally. But the fact that it’s only immediately available in Australia leads us to think that it won’t solve the console’s notorious scarcity.

While it’s possible that using lighter or cheaper components could mean that Sony is able to manufacture more units, it’s unlikely the difference will be all that significant. And there’s a number of reasons for that.

The global semiconductor shortage is still ongoing, and predicted to last beyond 2023. It also doesn’t help that supply chains are still scrambling thanks to both that and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The one silver lining in all this is that Sony has stated its intention to boost PS5 production for the holiday season. And this latest console revision may be a part of that plan.

Still, that doesn’t mean the PS5’s issues with availability have been solved. It doesn’t help that Sony has bumped up the price of the PS5 in territories that are in the vice grip of a cost of living crisis. So even if this lighter revision has a positive correlation on PS5 availability, the increased cost of the console has surely placed it out of reach of a significant number of consumers.

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By Rhys Wood