Maybe we were wrong about the new PS5 design

After months of rumours, Sony finally revealed the design of its new and improved PS5 console last month. Pointedly not called the PS5 Slim (instead it's just the, er, 'New look PS5'), the machine was widely mocked for looking very similar to its predecessor. But new images that purportedly show the old and new PS5 side-by-side suggest the two are more different than we thought. 

A leaked photo was shared to Twitter (sorry, X) showing 2020's original PS5 (the disk model) alongside the new slimmer version. It's clear looking at the the two that the new version is significantly more svelte.

It's notable that the two look pretty different even with the optional disk drive attached to the new model. Remove that, and it would become even slimmer, making the difference even more stark. And the new model is clearly a fair bit shorter than the older one. Overall, it seems Sony has been more successful in creating a smaller PS5 than we first thought – and it's curious that the company didn't opt to show us its own, more professional comparison shots in the first place.

Sony announced the console in a new blog post last month. The design features four panels, one of which can be replaced by the attachable disk drive. This results in a much more prominent sideways bulge than before, although the digital edition looks pretty slick and symmetrical without it. 

Time will tell whether the new PS5 will prove as big a hit as the current model – and indeed whether it'll prove as tricky to get hold of. Sony says that once stock of the previous model runs out, the new PS5 "will become the only model available". The new console starts at $449/£389 for the digital only version.