New Sony patent suggests a PS5 redesign could be on the cards
The patent adds weight to a previous rumor about a PlayStation 5 redesign
A new patent has been spotted that adds fire to an earlier PS5 redesign rumor that’s yet to come to fruition.
As spotted by Push Square, Sony Interactive Entertainment filed a new patent in March 2021 for a detachable optical disk drive. We first heard that Sony was working on a modular PS5 earlier this year, and the announcement was supposed to take place at CES 2023.
That never happened, however, but this patent does at least suggest something might be in the works. It’s worth noting that patents are filed for all sorts of reasons, and don’t necessarily mean that they’ll ever see the light of day.
➡️ The Shortcut Skinny: PS5 redesign
🆕 A new patent has been filed by Sony
💿 It shows a mountable optical disc drive
🤔 A PS5 redesign that included a detachable disc drive was mentioned earlier this year
🤷♂️ However, nothing has come of that initial rumor so far
In fact, the patent itself doesn’t specifically mention PS5, but as it’s filed by Sony Interactive Entertainment it isn’t too much of a leap to suggest it would relate to the PlayStation 5 in some shape or form.
The patent is described as “an optical disc drive that can be mounted in electronic equipment such as a game machine, personal computer, or audio-visual (AV) equipment.” The suggestion is, then, that if you picked up a PS5 Digital Edition, you could pick up a disc drive later down the line and attach it.
As I’ve mentioned in our PS5 Disc vs Digital comparison, it’s worth paying the extra $100 for the disc model of Sony’s console. You’ll make that saving back in spades over time, as physical games remain cheaper than their digital counterparts. You also get the added value bonus of being able to play any disc-based PS4 games you might have and 4K HD Blu-ray discs.
While I’d much rather see Sony focusing on designing a PS5 Slim – the PlayStation 5 is an absolute unit and the biggest console Sony has ever made – it’s at least encouraging to see the Japanese company experimenting with new, though admittedly niche, ideas.