Sony Announces Slimmer PlayStation 4; Launches Next Week For $299

Sony just unveiled the PlayStation 4 which brings in some extra power for 4k and HDR gaming. The company also officially announced the PlayStation 4 Slim, which is scheduled to be released next week on Sept. 15 and will sell for $299.

When Sony announced the slimmer version of the PS4, the company actually didn’t call it the PlayStation 4 Slim. Instead, Sony refers to the console as the “new PlayStation 4,” according to Polygon. This just means that "PlayStation 4 Slim" isn't its official name. Taking a quick look at the PlayStation website, Sony is still calling it the PlayStation 4. But for the sake of avoiding any confusion, let’s just call it the PS4 Slim.

The new PS4 Slim is exactly what the name implies; it’s a slimmer and sleeker version of the original PlayStation 4 hardware. This is the first time that the original 2013 PS4 console has been given a redesign. The edges are rounder with its chassis squished down and squared-off making it 30 percent smaller and 25 percent lighter than the original.

Aside from the size difference, the PS4 Slim is pretty much the same. It comes with the exact same internal hardware found on the original PlayStation 4 which means it plays all of the same games similarly. This also means that there’s no 4K support. If gamers are looking for that, they should just wait for the PlayStation 4 Pro which will arrive on Nov. 10.

Despite all that, the PS4 Slim does come with some minor functional differences, as pointed out by CNET. The hard drive inside the PS4 slim for example is easier to swap out. Sony also introduced a new version of the DualShock 4 controller that has improved response times when connected to the PS4 Slim through a USB cable.

Speaking of the new controller, it actually looks the same with the original, but the face buttons are grayer in hue. The lightbar has also been directed toward the users' eye line, so they won’t have to tilt it upward to see connection notifications.

Additionally, Sony also announced that it would be releasing a firmware update for the original PlayStation 4 and the PS4 Slim next week which will add HDR gaming and video streaming support to the consoles.