The PS5 Slim is officially out in the wild, but while the new console is nicely timed for holiday shoppers its release so close to Black Friday PS5 deals means we're more excited about the chunky console this year.
Yes, the two devices come in at a similar price. The PS5 with the disk drive already attached is available for $499.99 / £479.99, the same price as the standard chunky model, though without the stand (that's an extra $29.99 / £24.99). The Digital Edition hits at $449.99 / £389.99 - $50 more than the chunky model in the US.
Being so close to release, though, we're not expecting Black Friday to have much in store for us on the Slim model. A token bundle or two could head our way, but with a new model creeping onto the shelves, a $50 / £80 discount already under its belt this year, and plenty of early offers already landing it's going to be all about the original device this year.
A new challenger approaches
The key here is that the PS5 Slim will eventually replace the old model on the shelves, with Sony stating that the console's rollout will be measured inline with stock levels of the previous device. That means as soon as a retailer runs out of chunky consoles it's switching over to Slim mode. Not only does this mean a race to be rid of 2020's stock, and hopefully therefore plenty of discounts over Black Friday, but the Slim's availability might not be strong enough for savings of its own.
There's also the price problem. On paper, the Slim doesn't match the original device's value for money. Yes, the standard model holds the same MSRP, but that's without the stand - add the extra $30 on top and you're spending bundle prices on the console by itself. Then we get to the Digital Edition, already $50 more expensive than its predecessor without a boost in performance. Should you decide to add a disk drive and stand further down the line that's going to cost you an extra $109.98 - $558 all in.
Considering Black Friday could well offer an original disk drive console with the stand included for its previous $449 sales price, the odds aren't in the Slim's favor this season.
Should Black Friday gaming deals be particularly kind to us, we could see that $449 / £399 sales price back on the shelves, with a free game included. We've already seen a Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 bundle do just that in the UK - the package is available for £399 at Very.
What's the difference?
The main difference between the original PS5 console and the new PS5 Slim is in that design. A disk edition Slim model measures in at 96 x 358 x 216mm, a considerable decrease from the original version's 104 x 390 x 260mm footprint. While the Slim runs the exact same internals as the previous model, though, it also tops up your storage from the original 825GB to a full 1TB. It's a small boost, especially considering the overall power remains the same, but that's enough for a couple of extra games at least.
Of course, if you're going down the all-digital route you've got some number crunching to do. As mentioned above, the disk-less console is $50 more expensive in the US with an additional $79.99 cost for the disk drive further down the line if you realize you need it.
Are there any PS5 Slim deals already available?
If you're looking to get ahead of this year's offers you can already pick up a Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 bundle in the US. A range of retailers are offering the new console at its standard $499.99 MSRP with a free copy of the latest Call of Duty thrown in for free.
We're also rounding up everything we can expect to see from Black Friday Xbox deals and Black Friday gaming laptop deals as well. For a more sizeable investment check out our predictions for this year's Black Friday gaming PC deals.
