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Whenever a sparkly new gaming console is on its way, it's a safe bet that its predecessors will receive some tasty discounts. It's often why I don't instantly make the jump the second an upgraded version of a current-gen console is released, no matter how flashy it'll be. That can come with a wave of FOMO, but that's easy to shake off when you bask in the money you can save by just waiting for brands like Sony to announce the next big thing. With the PS5 Pro closer than ever, it's no wonder those of us looking to part from our beloved launch models have been keeping a watchful eye over the PS5 Slim.
Our waiting has paid off, as the disc edition PS5 Slim is available now for £424.99 at Amazon. It's not the cheapest the PS5 has ever been in the UK, as it hit a record low during the Amazon Spring Deal Days earlier this year. At that time, the PS5 Slim was £90 cheaper, costing only £389. However, even the current 11% discount is a great deal for a console that is just over a year old. With an original MSRP of £479.99, that's a whole saving of £55 which is about the amount you'd need to grab one of the best PS5 games you can get your hands on.
As expected, the digital version of the PS5 Slim has also got a price cut and is currently available for £339 at Amazon, while it still has an MSRP of £389.99. Again, this isn't the cheapest this edition of the console has ever been, but with 13% off it's not far off. Earlier this month the console was down to £330.41, but the current price is still £50 off its MSRP of £389.99.
The PS5 Pro is just days away from release, but as is always the case with new tech, it comes with a hefty price tag. Even with Black Friday later this month, the brand-new console likely won't be the center of any discounts. But if you aren't too fussed with the latest in Sony hardware, the PS5 Slim is there instead. Even better, instead of dealing with the digital-only Pro, or paying more to buy a PS5 disc drive, both the disc and digital versions of the Slim are at new low prices, so you have a choice in the matter.
Should you buy the PlayStation 5 Slim?
I was fortunate enough to grab the launch model PS5 when it was almost impossible to do so, and it's still running like a dream. However, for months now I've dreamed of picking up an additional console. Having one PS5 in a house of two Sony game fans is not only not enough, but my original machine is beginning to show its age. No matter how much I clean out the dust and cat hairs, the fans are louder than ever, and the 825GB SSD is not enough to cope with the larger-than-ever storage demands from modern games. That's where the PS5 Slim comes in.
Both the disc and digital editions of the Slim console come with a whole host of upgrades still worth the attention, even with the PS5 Pro on its way. For one, the Slim models have a 1TB SSD storage capacity, which can better deal with the onslaught of PS Plus Classics games I download and play on a weekly basis. Yes, the PS5 Pro has double that with 2TB. But like the original model, you can still grab a Black Friday PS5 SSD deal this month and upgrade your storage yourself on the cheap. If I were to add the newly discounted PS5 Slim to my gaming setup, that's exactly what I'd do so I no longer had to spend more time deleting old games and less time actually playing them.
The PS5 Slim is also considerably smaller than its beastly brethren. Before I got my original PS5, I actually had to buy an entire new TV unit so that it could fit in my living room. Meanwhile, the PS5 Pro is the same height as the original model, standing tall at 10.4 cm. If you want to preserve as much space as possible, the PS5 Slim is only 9.6cm. I mean it's in the name. The Slim model also has a width of 14.1 inches, a lot less than the 15.3 inches of the launch model, and weighs considerably less at 7.1 lbs, while my current PS5 is a whole 9.9 lbs.
If you aren't too fussed about missing out on the new GPU of the PS5 Pro, the PS5 Slim is enough. Its benefits mostly lie in that slightly improved storage capacity, and new slim design. However, it can still offer up flashy current-gen gaming experiences without the eye-watering price to match. Like the original PS5, its AMD Ryzen Zen 2 CPU, AMD Radeon RDNA GPU, and 16GB of GDDR6 RAM can make modern releases like Astro Bot look and play the part.
If I've learned anything from my more than 30 years playing game consoles it's that sometimes picking up the second-best thing is even better than the latest in new-fangled technology.
Check out our best PS5 accessories list if you're picking up a PS5 Slim for the first time and want to unlock the full potential of your new Sony beast. If it's just a pair of cans you're after, our list of the best PS5 headsets is filled to the brim with options. Don't forget, there are also Black Friday PS5 deals on their way later this month, which include some of the best games you should be playing on your new console.
