Will PS5 Slim replace PS5 Digital Edition?

The PS5 Slim is rumored to launch later this year. Sony has previously acknowledged that they are planning to launch it for $400, which makes it cheaper than the PS5 disc edition that debuted back in 2020. These details were unveiled earlier this summer during the FTC vs. Microsoft court trials in which Sony played an important part.

It is important to note that the PS5 digital edition debuted for the same price tag the upcoming Slim model is targeting. If we go by previous launch trends from the company, a mid-cycle refresh generally means discontinuing models originally launched.

This raises a question: Will the Japanese tech juggernaut discontinue the PS5 digital edition? Nothing on this topic is known yet, but we will speculate what could happen once the console debuts later this year. None of the info shared in this article is official and will merely be educated guesses.

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The PS5 Digital might not be discontinued after the PS5 Slim launches

We don't expect Sony to discontinue the PS5 Digital once the slimline revision launches. Instead, the console maker might discontinue the costlier PS5 Disc edition. There are a few reasons behind this.

Firstly, the Disc edition console costs more to manufacture. With the improved PS5 Slim formula, Sony will come up with a more cost-effective design that could be more profitable. Thus, it would make more sense to discontinue the Disc edition than the Digital.

Secondly, most video games are now being bought online, and the demand for the Blu-Ray drive bundled with the $500 model is at an all-time low. However, some still prefer to buy DVDs, and they form a significant chunk of the market for Sony to ignore.

This brings us to our third point: a detachable disc drive for the PlayStation 5 has been in the rumor mill for quite some time. If Sony launches it alongside the PS5 Slim as an accessory, discontinuing the PS5 Disc edition could make a lot of sense.

Digital gaming is the future, and some platforms like PC have already fully moved to buying virtual copies of the latest titles. PC gamers don't buy discs anymore, and game developers have stopped manufacturing them as well. Thus, it is only a matter of time before gaming consoles jump ship.

Leaked pictures of the PS5 Slim have already showcased a console void of any disc drive. Thus, Sony is already prepping for an all-digital future of video gaming. However, none of this is set in stone yet and is simply what we expect the next few years of the console to be. Only time will tell what the console maker comes up with.