C. Scott Brown / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Microsoft has revealed in court submissions that Sony is expected to release a PlayStation 5 Slim variant in 2023 for $400.
- Sony is also anticipated to launch a “PS5 handheld console” in 2023 for under $300.
- Further, Sony is also said to be working on a PS5 Pro for launch in the near future.
The Sony PlayStation 5 is the preferred gaming console by many. Even if you are a PC gamer or an Xbox Series X fan, you can’t deny that the PS5 looks good and works great. Sony appears to have more in store in this generation, as it itself confirmed the “Project Q” handheld console. Now Microsoft has revealed that Sony is working on a PlayStation 5 Slim and a PlayStation 5 Pro. Wait, Microsoft?
Yes, Microsoft. Microsoft is facing a challenge from the US Federal Trade Commission on its proposed $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard. As part of the court case, Microsoft has recently submitted documents that detail a lot of facts about the gaming industry.
In one of the documents that have recently surfaced (via IGN India), Microsoft asserts that Sony is working on a PS5 Slim, and it is expected to release later this year with a $400 price tag.
Page 48 of Microsoft’s submission mentions that Sony will release a PS5 Slim in 2023 for $400.
The subscript “4,” as mentioned in the footnote, talks about a handheld version of the PS5.
Page 48 of Microsoft’s submission mentions that Sony will release a handheld version of the PS5 in 2023 for less than $300.
Microsoft’s assertion appears to be slightly misplaced if it is referring to the Project Q handheld console as the “handheld version of PlayStation 5.” The Project Q console will stream games from an existing PS5 through Wi-Fi rather than running them on the handheld locally. This fundamentally makes it different from a “handheld version of PlayStation 5.”
Microsoft does mention that the handheld console will launch later this year, which aligns with what Sony has revealed about Project Q. Microsoft also mentions the price to be under $300, though Sony has not revealed anything on that end.
In the same document, Microsoft also mentions that Sony is working on a PS5 Pro.
Page 48 of Microsoft’s submission mentions that Sony is anticipated to release Pro and Slim models of the PS5 in the near future.
Further parts of the submitted document as redacted, so we are missing some context. Nonetheless, Microsoft anticipates that Sony will release PS5 Pro and PS5 Slim versions in the near future, and the company believes it strongly enough to put it on record to a court.
What can you expect out of a PlayStation Slim and PlayStation Pro?
Sony released Slim and Pro variants of the predecessor, PlayStation 4, and that gives us a fair idea of what to look forward to for this generation.
The PS4 Slim was very close in specs and performance to the regular PS4 but obviously slimmer. It also added support for 5GHz Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, and USB 3.1.
The PS4 Pro, on the other hand, featured better performance. It was also bigger and heavier than the regular PS4 and slightly more expensive.
