A court document reveals that Microsoft thinks Sony is “expected to release” Slim and handheld flavours of the PlayStation 5 this year.
Is the PlayStation 5 Slim coming out before Christmas 2023? Microsoft certainly thinks so, according to a court document spotted by IGN. Once again, it’s information made public as part of the FTC v Microsoft court case that led to all kinds of other revelations last week.
This latest document is all about Xbox’s position in the market, and attempts to lay out, once again, that “Xbox has lost the console war” to Nintendo and Sony (there’s even a section with this actual heading).
The juiciest section, of course, relates to Sony, and a line that discusses its consoles’ price points. “PlayStation likewise sells a less expensive Digital Edition for $399.99, and is expected to release a PlayStation 5 Slim later this year at the same reduced price point,” the document reads.
In a footnote on the same page, Microsoft potentially gives away the launch window of Project Q, the handheld device Sony teased earlier this year.
“Sony is also anticipated to release a handheld version of PlayStation 5 later this year for under $300,” reads the footnote.
Project Q was, of course announced during May’s PlayStation Showcase, and is a streaming device rather than a true dedicated handheld like the Switch or Sony’s own PS Vita. Essentially a DualSense controller cut in half and glued to each side of an 8-inch screen, it’ll allow users to stream games from the PS5 via Wi-Fi and PS Remote Play.
Rumours about Project Q first began circling in April, at around the same time that reports suggested that Sony was quietly working on a PS5 Pro behind the scenes, as well as a modular PS5 with a detachable disc drive.
It’s currently unclear how accurate Microsoft’s information about the PlayStation 5 Slim and Project Q actually are. If the details are correct, then we’d hazard a guess that Sony won’t be too happy about having it made public quite so soon.
