Recently, reports emerged from Europe indicating a significant alteration to the PlayStation 5 Digital Edition. The new CFI-2100 model, confirmed for the region, features a reduced SSD capacity, dropping from 1TB to 825GB. This change, alongside other cost-cutting modifications, aims to lower manufacturing expenses for Sony.
Despite these internal cost reductions, leading to a slightly lighter console that is presumably cheaper to produce and ship, consumers will not see any price decrease. The new PS5 Digital Edition will continue to retail at its current price of €500 (approximately $586 USD) once it replaces existing stock.
YouTuber Austin Evans provided an in-depth look at this revised model, showcasing its internal modifications. The downgraded SSD now offers 667.2GB of usable storage, a 27% reduction compared to the 848.0GB available on the previous 1TB model. Other components have also been made lighter, and the console`s central black casing now sports a matte rather than glossy finish.
Importantly, the console`s overall power and performance remain unchanged from earlier PS5 models. However, given the reduced internal storage, users will likely find it necessary to expand their capacity by adding a secondary NVMe SSD.
For gamers, the past year has been challenging, marked by continuous price hikes for console hardware across the entire industry. Sony itself raised the prices of both Digital and Standard Edition PS5 consoles in Europe, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand in April. This was followed by a $50 price increase for all PS5 models in the US in August, with Sony citing a `challenging` economic environment as the reason.
Microsoft has also implemented price increases for its Xbox Series X|S consoles twice this year. An initial hike occurred in May, with a second round announced in late September. As a result, the base 512GB Xbox Series S, originally launched at $300 in 2020, now retails for $400. Similarly, the 1TB Xbox Series X, initially priced at $500 in November 2020, now sells for $650, representing a significant jump.