I'm a huge fan of the PlayStation 5 and in my original PS5 review for T3.com I concluded that it was "an awe-inspiring slab of shock and awe technology".
Despite that, though, the recent unveiling of a custom slim-line PS5 console by a talented modder got me thinking about what I would want from an official PS5 Slim.
As such, right here are the 3 key upgrades I'd like to see Sony make when introducing a PS5 Slim console, which if the firm follows the same update cycle as last generation, should be incoming in late 2023.
1. A more power efficient console
I don't know about you, but right now the cost of the living crisis has me running around my home turning off plug sockets left, right and centre. But when it comes round to my PS5, I have it permanently powered so that I can make use of its Rest Mode features like instant on and background downloads. Regardless of if the PS5 Slim was on or in Rest Mode, though, I like the idea of a system that doesn't cost me as much to run and game on. Over a year's worth of gaming even modest energy savings could really add up, so it would be good to see the console's energy footprint shrink along with its dimensions.
2. A compact design that retains style
I was one of the few people who actually really liked the OG PS5's design and size – it communicated futuristic awesome to me like the Xbox Series X's design does not. As such, while I feel the PS5 Slim would obviously have to be smaller than the standard PS5, I'd really want it to retain some sense of flare in terms of design. There's no doubting that the PS4 Slim looked dowdier than the OG PS4, so I feel Sony shouldn't throw away its style lead over Microsoft when it slim-lines the PlayStation 5. I'm not saying keep the same design, mind, and that leads me on to my final must-have PS5 Slim upgrade.
3. Easier and cheaper console customisation
Finally, I feel the PS5 Slim would be a great opportunity for Sony to rethink its console customisation options and how much they cost. Right now PS5 side plates cost too much money by far to make them an easy buy for most gamers in my opinion, so if Sony's smaller PS5 can have easier to swap and buy plates then more gamers would be able to customise their console as they wish. Making a console personal to you is still really important in my opinion to many gamers, so Sony could hit a home run here quite easily. Hot-swap, affordable PS5 Slim console customisation could really highlight the big black box aesthetic weakness of the Xbox Series X more than ever and help Sony foster a culture of creativity and uniqueness among the PlayStation community.
