Topic: Does the PS5 Digital really look better then the disk model?

@Th3solution To be honest I have no experience of the other options with extra ports or fans included as they weren't available when I bought mine - literally within the first 3-6 months of the PS5 release. I will say though that they didn't clip on as securely to 3rd Party covers so I had to buy the official Sony Black side covers for the perfect fit.

However, the fact that it is supported along both sides so you have support at each corner does make it a lot more secure and stable than balancing on the small area of the supplied stand. It's certainly got a bigger gap underneath too so whether that does 'help' with airflow, I don't know but all I can say is that I don't regret purchasing the Stand I did as its infinitely more stable and they don't slip off either making them feel more securely attached too - despite just clipping on.

As more time has passed, I have seen more options released, but I have not felt I needed extra ports/fans or that the OG stands required upgrading so I have kept with these. In theory, USB ports shouldn't cause an issue as its not trying to put things on to the PS5 but rather get any power from the PS5 (to power fans, charge items etc) which the PS5 was designed to do. Of course being a 3rd Party product with no-name brand, you can't guarantee they haven't built it properly or not used the quality parts/materials etc that fail - cheap wiring not designed for the amount of current so burn-out - haven't designed it properly to ensure its 'safe' as Sony would need to do. I don't see any 'standards' they have met - like British Standards for 'low voltage' equipment for example.

Unless you feel you need extra USB ports or an additional fan for cooling, I don't see the point in buying them. I just wanted something that felt much more stable and secure for using my PS5 in its Horizontal position and wouldn't have bought those others if they had been available but at least with Amazon, they do have decent reviews and a good returns policy too...

My solution to my disc version horizontally, was to cut a piece of material in a circle and put it under the stand. I hated the incredibly effective rubber grip that meant if you touched it, the stand would probably just fall off as the ps5 moved independently of the stand. Now I can slide that one around in the cabinet, which helps in the hot months as I can slide it out and angle it to get better air flow too.

I think I'm going to give them both a good vacuum at the weekend too, which is always fun, snapping the plates off and hoping to get them back on again 👀

@nomither6 I’ll give you that, the OG PS3 Fat launch edition looked like an exquisite piece of Hindi kit! Shame it was plastic lol, but felt as heavy as granite. My Brother in Law still has his although it’s broken. I had a 40GB model when they removed the SD cards but kept the silver trim, traded it in for a slim model though which I still have.

@S1ayeR74 I still have my OG 60GB Phat Launch model - although it ended up with YLOD so I had to get a Slim too. That certainly was quite a beast and barely fit on the shelf either, but I still have it - along with my Slim, my PS4 and PS4 Pro and all the games I bought.

@BAMozzy those might actually convince me to place it horizontally. Cool find!

I also would just prefer a simple box over something more eye catching precisely because the eye catching iteration is likely to have some weird quirk that drives me nuts, when really I just want a console to play games and not a conversation piece. No one comes to my house anyway lol.

My PS5 disk model has been ordered, John Lewis are selling the console with a copy of EA Sports FC 24 for £430, with a discount my sister gets it was £380. Bargain. May unbox it when it arrives just to test it works and maybe grab The Callisto Protocol from PSN Plus.

No, this new slimmer disk model looks really ugly to me! In Sonys press release video it does anyway.

Glad I got an OG model.

The disc drive now looks massive its a right mess i am also glad i got the original, more room inside less heat.

@Max_Headroom Yeap, the new digital one looks nice standing up, but that’s it. Shame about its price increase.

Really unfortunate that the leaked images a little while back were real, as like others have said, I think this looks worse. The bulge for the disc drive is also massive now.

The biggest load of crap with this though is the fact that the vertical stand is now sold separately. Pay $30 to display your system the exact way Sony presents it. It'd be different if you were meant to display it horizontally, but that's clearly not the case. Another disappointing and frankly greedy move on Sony's part this gen. I still love my PS5, but there's no way in hell I'm buying this unless I have to.

Also, but our new line of faceplates... that are useless on the new model...

@KilloWertz Not only are the faceplates useless on the new model, once the 'old' models have sold, these will be the only PS5 models available to buy new. its replacing the old design completely.

All those who bought the Original Digital too can't just plug in this Disc Drive later either so are 'locked' to Digital.

I'm sure that some will prefer this 'smaller' design, even though it still costs just as much (if not more because the old designs will and have been sold cheaper) and will still be popular regardless of what I think but I don't like it either.

At least now its official, people can choose to get the OG design now while they can or wait for the 'slim' with that tiny extra bit of Storage...

Not sure what I think. I'll have to see the new model next to an original model to see the size difference. IGN have a presumed comparison up but I need to see the real thing.

I don't really have the space for an original model in my TV unit so if the difference is vast then I would consider it. Otherwise I will pick up an OG model when it gets a lot cheaper on clearance and try and get some dark face plates as I will probably have to shift my Tele over to fit it vertical next to it and I won't want the image to reflect (albeit against a Matte surface) off the white face plates. Either that or I will buy a can of spray paint.

The saddest thing about all this is now we'll never get any cool plates for the og model. Apparently Spider-Man was it. Feel like buying some off d brand just to spite Sony at this point. Ugh.

I just don't get it. TLou plates? Take my money. Horizon plates? Take my money. Even some cool designs not specific to their IPs. But nah. Just nah.

Anyway other than that I don't love this redesign but I don't hate it either. As @ralphdibny said, I need to see the two side by side to really have an informed opinion. Cool that it has more storage but I already have two digital consoles so really not looking for a third or a replacement. I know I don't need a drive.

This picture shows the slimmer version is also shorter is it a fake?

@Max_Headroom I've just looked at dimensions for both, and the new model is 8mm shorter than the old one.

There will be also console covers for the new model available next year, as stated in the blog post. For those concerned about that... 🤷

The video focuses on the blue lights, the blue lights that actually look good and that are "on brand"... the blue lights that only stay on for a few seconds as you turn it on... I've mentioned it a few times recently, weirdly, about how they should use the blue light as the main in-use light, But they won't, and this will be more misleading sales dressing, like the vertical placement that you can't use out of the box.

Look how good it looks vertical and all lit up blue. **nothing like how it will actually look in your home**

On the off chance they do use a blue light when it's in use, I'd be almost tempted to sell my digital and replace it 😅

@Max_Headroom I don't think it is fake - both look 'dimensionally' correct and comparing the disc drive slot - which is the only thing they both share in common and would be the same size as discs are uniform, I would say that is a decent mock up for illustrative purposes.

To be honest, I never liked the Original design either and this is very much in keeping with a similar aesthetic - the 'size' was just another aspect that wasn't great. Of course if it 'fits' better in your environment as a result of the size difference, that is an 'improvement' - although considering they are able to manufacture and distribute more efficiently, the price point doesn't show that.

As for buying a 'Pro' to never have to choose between 'Performance' or 'Quality' modes, I doubt that will ever happen. You may get more 120fps or even 60fps modes at the same Quality as PS5's 60fps or even 30fps modes, but you'll probably get some even higher Quality modes with 'higher' resolution, visual settings (inc perhaps higher RT options) that are not so 'reliant' on FSR or some TAA solution to deliver a '4k' image.

So far I’m happy with my original disc drive PS5. The size is off-putting, and I do wish it were smaller, but the overall design has grown on me and I like the uniqueness of it.

As for the stand being sold separately in the new slim model, I think previous generations have always sold the stand separately, if I’m not mistaken. I have always had my consoles horizontal, so I can’t recall for sure but I don’t remember having a stand included for the PS2, PS3, or PS4. (PS1 couldn’t be placed vertical, but I do remember having to run it upside-down 😂… ah, memories…). The PS5 is a whole different animal, I realize, because even horizontal placement requires a stand, but Sony have always considered placing your unit vertically as a upgraded ‘privilege’. 😄( At least we don’t have to buy memory cards anymore to save our games.) And honestly, the PS5 is fairly stable when placed vertically, even without a stand. I know it’s not recommended, but it would take significant force to knock it over. Not that I’d trust it, but I’ve stored it vertically temporarily without the stand attached.

@Kidfried Considering some games are 1080p and under with FSR upscaling used and still can't deliver a 'locked' 60fps (Jedi Survivor) on PS5 now, games that certainly aren't at the same Visual Quality settings as the best PC's with much higher RT settings for example that rely on DLSS to upscale to 4k to achieve a 60fps (Cyberpunk) I doubt a 'Pro' would offer that much of an upgrade.

Take the PS4 Pro (or XB1X that had a much bigger upgrade over its base hardware) - you got more performance/Quality options but ultimately you still had 'higher' Graphical settings or higher frame rate modes that still weren't able to offer 'both'.

I know you think that 4k/30 or say 1080-1440/60 is what you get so a pro would do 4k/60 or 1080-1440/120, but you'd probably 4k/60 (at the same visual Quality as PS5 performance mode) and a 4k/30 mode with higher Visual settings (including 'better' RT) and less DRS/FSR upscaling artefacts and maybe a 1080-1440/120 fps mode.

Also, if a PS5 'slim' with all the reductions in manufacturing and distribution costs is still around £500, how much do you think a PS5 Pro would cost with any 'meaningful' upgrades would be on the market for? The PS4 Pro and XB1X were both £200+ more than the Base hardware - which at the time were both 'Slim' designs (PS4 Slim and XB1S). £500 is a 'premium' price point for Console hardware - it was around the Price both Pro and XB1X launched at. £300 is the price of Switch, Series S and Steam Deck (entry tier) and was about the Price of Console launches - PS3 was 'ridiculed' for its price at launch - which was about the price we are paying today for PS5's/Series X hardware with £200-£300 being the 'ideal' price for a Console.

Much more than £500 and you are pushing into 'PC' type territory that doesn't have the same 'locked' ecosystem that commands at least a Sub service to access 'online' functionality and the Games are cheaper too despite the fact that you can get much better performance AND Visual Quality than Consoles and you are not 'limited' to just the Games that those Consoles can play - thanks to emulation, Back Compatibility and the 'open' nature of the PC platform. You can play many Nintendo, Sony and MS as well as Sega, NeoGeo etc console games as well as games that won't be playable on modern Consoles.

A modern console can run 'old' games at 4k/60 today - games that may have struggled to hit 1080/30 at the time. However, with 'better' hardware, Devs use that to push things further - more objects, better lighting (inc RT), less Pop-in, higher LoDs, better particles, higher Physics (less clipping) etc etc. With PC's leaping further and further ahead, Devs are pushing beyond what current hardware can deliver - hence DLSS/FSR aiming to upscale and even add artificial 'frames' to create the illusion of a 'native' high frame rate game when its running much worse in reality. If you get a 'Pro' Console, it won't guarantee you get every game at 4k/60 - considering the way games 'run' on PS5. UE5 isn't that 'performant' on PS5 so you'd need quite an upgrade for a PS5 to make that much difference...