Sony's PlayStation 5 will come in two formats - one with a disc drive, and one without.
"As you saw, there is a small difference in the form factor of the two consoles," PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan told CNET. "I'm sure you also observed, the basic design aesthetic is consistent between them. So there is that and the fact that the digital edition does not have a disk drive. That is it. Other than that, they are identical products.
The digital version follows Sony's most recent financial reports which indicate that 66 per cent of PlayStation games sold last year were sold digitally. Whether this is a one-off increase owing to the lockdown or a general trend, Sony believes players are increasingly opting for digital version rather than physical ones (thanks, Gamespot).
Advert
"We're just acknowledging here that as time passes our community is becoming more digitally orientated. In the first quarter of this year, two-thirds of new games purchased were digitally downloaded. People increasingly, as they are with their music and their video, they prefer digital and we want to recognise that."
Don't forget that the version with the disc drive will also be backwards compatible with your PS4 discs, too.
"We said that the PS5 has been designed to play PS4 games. We're going through the process with the publishers and developers testing that rather exhaustive library of over 4,000 games. We're happy with the progress that's been made," Ryan added.
So when the console finally goes on sale later this year, make sure you choose wisely. Prices and release dates have yet to be confirmed, but it's fair to expect that the digital edition will likely cost less than the version with the disc drive. It's also fair to expect a good-sized hard-drive, especially as digital games are taking up more and more room, including Activision's recent Call of Duty: Modern Warfare update, which ranged from 32.5 GB to 45 GB, depending upon what platform you're playing it on.
Advert
As for the design that's already inspired some incredibly savage memes?
"We wanted to do something that was bold and daring almost," Ryan said. "We wanted something forward facing and future facing, something for the 2020s."
What do you think of Sony's disc-less console? We want to know - join our community and talk to us via Facebook and Twitter.
Featured Image Credit: The PlayStation 5 (Credit: Sony)Topics: PlayStation 5, PS5