Sony has quietly rolled out a revised PlayStation 5 Slim Digital Edition in the United States that comes with less storage than before. The new model, part of the “CFI-2100 model group,” now features 825GB of internal SSD storage instead of the previous 1TB but still sells for the same $499.99 price.
This storage reduction follows a similar change that first appeared in European markets earlier this year. The storage downgrade means users effectively lose 175GB of space – a significant reduction for a digital-only console where all games must be downloaded rather than played from discs.
When looking at actual usable storage, the situation becomes even more concerning for gamers. After accounting for the operating system and required files, the usable space drops to approximately 667GB, compared to 848GB in the previous 1TB model – a 27% reduction in practical storage capacity.
YouTuber Austin Evans, who conducted a teardown of the European version, discovered several other changes beyond just storage. The entire console now features a matte finish instead of the previous glossy plastic on the central black portion and top panels. This change might actually be welcomed by some users, as the matte finish is less prone to showing fingerprints and scratches.
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The revised model is also over 100 grams lighter than the previous slim version, with internal changes including a lighter fan and a thinner, refined motherboard. Despite these modifications, Evans noted that the console maintains similar power consumption and thermal performance as the earlier model.
For PlayStation gamers who need more space, options are limited and potentially expensive. The disc-drive version of the same console series with a full 1TB still costs $549.99 – essentially charging $50 extra for both the drive and the additional 175GB of storage. Alternatively, players can purchase compatible NVMe SSDs vary widely in price depending on brand and capacity.
The timing of this change is particularly challenging for gamers as modern titles continue to grow in size. Popular games like Call of Duty can exceed 100GB, while Sony’s own titles like Spider-Man 2 require over 100GB. With the reduced storage, players may find themselves constantly managing their game library and deleting titles to make room for new ones.
This change follows Sony’s recent price adjustment when the company raised prices across all PS5 models by $50 earlier in August 2025, citing a “challenging economic environment.” The PS5 Pro, which costs $749.99, still comes with 2TB of storage – more than double the original 825GB.
The revised PS5 Slim Digital Edition is now available for purchase on the US PlayStation Direct website. For budget-conscious gamers, this change effectively means paying the same price for less storage capacity – a form of “shrinkflation” that has become increasingly common in consumer electronics.
Industry observers note that these changes reflect broader economic pressures and Sony’s efforts to maintain profit margins amid rising manufacturing costs. However, for consumers, it represents another example of getting less while paying the same – or in some cases, more than what the console cost when it originally launched in November 2020.