Sony launches lighter PS5 model for second straight year

At its launch in 2020, the PlayStation 5 wasn't just one of the biggest game consoles ever made. It was also one of the heaviest, with the full-fledged Disc Drive Edition weighing in at 9.9 pounds (4.5 kg) and the Digital Edition hitting 8.6 lbs (3.9 kg). Today, though, the eagle-eyed reporters at Press Start have noted the release of a new set of PS5 models that weigh about 13 percent less than their launch counterparts.

The new PS5 models (CFI-1202A and B for the Disc and Digital versions, respectively) first showed up on some Japanese retail sites over the weekend with a planned September 15 launch date. But Press Start reports that the new models are on shelves in many Australian retailers right now, including manuals listing their official weights at 8.6 lbs (3.9 kg) for the Disc Drive Edition and 7.5 lbs (3.4 kg) for the Digital Edition. No other changes are apparent in either the size of the system's casing or the listed system specs, according to the report.

Those who follow the minutiae of game console hardware manufacturing might remember that this isn't the first internal revision to the PS5 hardware. The CFI-11XX models—which also hit Australia first in August 2021— came in at 9.25 lbs (4.2 kg) and 7.9 lbs (3.6 kg) for their Disc and Digital Editions, respectively. That effectively splits the weight difference between the launch model and the newest model hitting Australia today.