The launch of the PlayStation 5 Slim appears again in the FTC lawsuits filed by Microsoft.
DualSense, the PS5 controller
The litigation between the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) and Microsoft has unearthed a number of gaming industry secrets, but the launch of a PS5 Slim is certainly not one of them.
The news is going around the web and has something to seduce: would Microsoft have announced in advance the launch of its competitor’s next console and even the price? We have to take a step back.
Microsoft reads the news like we do
All of this is in a legal document dated June 22, 2023, tasked with consolidating the arguments of Microsoft’s attorneys in the case to refute the FTC’s opinion. This 74-page document therefore goes very far, explaining how the games console market integrates Nintendo well, how the acquisition would make the market more competitive, why it would be better for the consumer, etc.
Two mentions of future Sony products caught the attention of some trade press. First, a footnote says: “Sony is expected to launch a portable version of the PlayStation 5 for less than $300 before the end of the year.” The company is referring to the Project Q already presented by Sony, in which it however, it is far from being a portable PlayStation.
What’s even more exciting is that Microsoft also points out that Sony is “a [PS5] The Digital Edition costs $399.99 and a PlayStation 5 Slim is expected to come out later this year for the same price. So here is a legal document where Microsoft could disclose not only the launch of a competing console, but also the price.
In reality, Microsoft is just spreading rumors on this topic here. Sony is rumored to be launching a new version of the PS5 later this year with an optional Blu-ray disc player and a slimmed-down design, and we expect it to cost the same price as the digital version of their current console .
The American giant is very careful in the document to never be positive and to be content to speak in the conditional. At no point does Microsoft come around to providing any new information or credit for the rumored PS5 Slim. In addition, it is unlikely that Sony will give the console this name. The “Slim” PlayStation 4 replaced the first PS4 model without ever adopting the adjective. This again shows that Microsoft is only citing PS5 Slim rumors here without having knowledge of Sony’s confidential strategy.
Will a PS5 Slim appear at the end of the year?
It’s impossible to say for sure before Sony’s announcement. However, we can recall that the source predicting the launch of this PS5 Slim is the same as that predicted by Project Q, which has since been confirmed by Sony. The track is therefore of good quality. This could also explain why Sony is currently reducing the price of the PS5 in the sale.
What is certain, however, is that Microsoft has not revealed anything to the FTC with this document. It doesn’t matter if the PS5 Slim does well at the end of the year or not.
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