During their next-gen reveal event earlier this week, Sony revealed the new PS5 console and its accessories as well as a slew of next-generation video games.
Many gamers were already anticipating Sony would reveal details about the PS5’s mechanisms and hardware, along with some titles which will be available to play on the next-gen console. One surprise that many didn’t see coming, however, was the reveal of the PS5 Digital Edition, which has only helped to ramp up excitement for the release of the PS5 by this year’s holiday season.
Granted, not all of the details about the Digital Edition have been made public, as Sony plans to hold several reveal events over the course of the summer. But what is known about the differences between the two PS5s is proof that the Digital Edition will provide players with a very specific gameplay experience, one which does not require the use of game discs at all.
What’s So Special About the PS5 Digital Edition?
PS5 Digital Edition is a special version of the standard PS5, and the main difference between the two is that the former has no disc drive. Both the PlayStation 4 and PS3 featured a drive that allowed gamers to play DVDs or Blu-Ray discs in addition to physical copies of their favorite video game titles. While players will still have this in the standard PS5, as it includes a 4K UHG Blu-Ray disc drive, this feature will not be offered in its Digital Edition counterpart. Rather, gamers will only be able to play titles that they ed directly from the PlayStation store. Getting rid of the disc drive allowed Sony to give the PS5 Digital Edition a cleaner look than the standard PS5 design. It is much more symmetrical, since the disc drive isn’t taking up valuable space on the left-hand side of the console. Not only does this offer a sleeker aesthetic, but it may also make the PS5 Digital Edition easier to transport, as it will be less clunky.
Of course, the most important difference between the two models is the price. Consumers can expect the PS5 Digital Edition to be cheaper than the standard model, as the Digital Edition requires less hardware to go into its production since it forgoes the disc drive, and with less valuable material being utilized, it means Sony will be able to lower its market price in comparison to the standard PS5.
As of now, however, Sony has not released the official PS5 price anywhere between $400-500. Gamers can expect the PS5 Digital Edition to be sold for slightly less.
Sony’s new PS5 Digital Edition has several important differences from the standard PlayStation 5, which means consumers have an important decision to make before the models go on the market later this year.
