A New PS5 Model Has Shadow-dropped

Various sources reported last month, that a revised model of the PlayStation 5 was in development. This initial leak regarding this new PS5 model was based on documentation that was uploaded to Sony Entertainment’s Japanese website.

It now looks like this new iteration of the console has actually gone on sale, with little to no fan-fare. It has been spotted for sale from various retailers from Australian territory, with the same version of the machine appearing on various UK-based sites shortly after, such as Smyth’s Toys.

This new version of the console doesn’t differ greatly from the launch units on a surface level. That said, there are a fair few changes under the hood of the console which are notable. To start with, the model number on the new version is different to the OG one. The original version carried the CFI-1XXX naming convention, however this new PS5 model carries the naming convention of CFI-11XX.

The next major difference is in the screw that is used to attach the console to its stand, if the player wants their machine to sit in the vertical position. This was previously a standard black Phillips head screw, however it is now instead a thumb screw. This is more convenient as it allows for quicker set up out of the box since you will no longer need to look out a screwdriver to attach your console to its stand.

The new iteration is also a good bit lighter, 3.6kg lighter to be exact. At the time of writing, it is still unclear what other changes are present in this new version, but presumably there will be some additional minor differences that we have yet to find out about.

Sony putting out a revised version of their hardware is not unheard of, as they also dropped an updated version of the PS4 shortly after its launch. This iteration reduced the power draw of the launch PS4 and swapped out the console’s HDD bay cover with a matte plastic panel as opposed to the glossy black flap present in the launch consoles.

However, it should also be noted that the PS5’s launch is a totally different ballgame to the PS4’s. This time around, it is primarily about meeting the astronomical demand that there currently is and has been since launch for PS5 consoles. To this day, almost a full year later, the console is still selling out as soon as it appears on sale anywhere that you look.

Sony did recently put out a statement saying that they plan to get better at fulfilling their production targets in the short-term. Hopefully, this new iteration of the insanely popular console is one of the first major steps on the way to achieving that goal.