Yesterday, after what felt like eons of waiting, Sony finally unveiled their PS5 hardware. It definitely…has a style to it. At the very least, you can’t say it is copying anything else, I guess. Besides the look, there was another unexpected surprise here, too. The system will apparently come in two varieties: with and without a disc drive. Sony CEO Jim Ryan explained why that was.
Speaking to the BBC, Ryan said that the explanation was as simple as you imagine. The digital edition of the system is because so many customers are digital-only nowadays, they figured it was worth creating an alternative for those players. “Many of our consumers are purchasing solely digitally these days. We thought that we would do what we typically try and do, and just offer choice.”
Ryan was also asked about whether this version would be cheaper than the disc version, as one would assume, but he dodged the question as has been the standard for the topic since apparently both Sony and Microsoft are terrified to reveal the cost of these machines. It does seem like that will be a safe bet, however.
What is interesting about this, is there’s been rumors of Microsoft planning a cheaper version of their next system, referred to as the codename Lockhart, which at one point was also rumored to have no disc drive. If that pans out, seems both companies are on the same mindset track. It’s also unclear at this point if both versions of the PS5 will be available at launch, or if the digital edition will come later down the line. Still a lot of questions floating around, and we’ll keep you updated as answers come.