Microsoft believes Sony will launch a PlayStation 5 Slim later this 12 months priced $399.99, in line with a court docket doc.
The doc was launched as a part of the Federal Commerce Fee vs Microsoft trial to find out the destiny of a proposed preliminary injunction in opposition to the $69 billion buyout of Activision Blizzard.
It’s the ultimate sentence on this paragraph that’s positive to ruffle Sony boss Jim Ryan’s feathers, because it not solely outs the long-rumoured existence of a PlayStation 5 Slim, however its value too. IGN has requested Sony for remark.
“PlayStation likewise sells a inexpensive Digital Version for $399.99, and is predicted to launch a PlayStation 5 Slim later this 12 months on the similar decreased value level,” reads the doc.
The bombshells proceed, with Microsoft saying additional down “Sony can also be anticipated to launch a handheld model of PlayStation 5 later this 12 months for below $300”. That is in relation to Sony’s introduced Undertaking Q, a handheld sport streaming gadget that wirelessly connects to the PS5. Sony has but to announce a launch date or value.
The existence of a PS5 Slim wouldn’t come as a lot of a shock, given Sony has launched slim variations of its earlier consoles. It launched a PlayStation 4 Slim that changed the usual PS4 mannequin in 2016, in addition to a beefier PS4 Professional that launched shortly after. PS5 launched November 2020 in two types: with a disc drive for $499, and with no disc drive for $399.
Microsoft, nevertheless, might take a unique strategy. In June, Xbox boss Phil Spencer mentioned he “does not really feel an crucial” to launch a mid-cycle Xbox console improve, three years after the discharge of the Xbox Sequence X/S consoles.
Microsoft launched the Xbox One S three years after the Xbox One was launched. A extra highly effective console, the Xbox One X, was launched 4 years after the unique Xbox One got here out.
