PS5 Slim’s Optional Disc Drive Needs to Connect to the Internet to Pair It to a Console

The upcoming PlayStation 5 Slim has popped up online, and with that comes fresh information about how the optional disc drive will work with the Digital Edition of the console.

The charlieINTEL Twitter account published images of the Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 PS5 Slim bundle, and eagle-eyed observers noticed a disclaimer that has set the cat among the pigeons within the video game community: “Internet connection required to pair disc drive and PS5 console upon setup.”

Wait…..are you actually trying to say to me that the PlayStation 5 Optional Disc Drive has ONLINE DRM??!!

I…I mean what??!!! pic.twitter.com/cYVGuPR16g

— TheStebe (@The_Stebe) October 25, 2023

The smaller PS5 design comes with 1TB storage for the PS5 and PS5 Digital Edition, up from 825GB in the original versions of the console, and the new model provides the option to add an Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc Drive to the PS5 Digital Edition.

If you buy the PS5 Digital Edition, you can add the Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc Drive for PS5 later, as it will also be sold separately for $79.99 | €119.99 | £99.99 | 11,980 JPY. Once inventory of the current PS5 model has sold out, the new PS5 will become the only model available.

Here are the recommended retail prices for the new PS5 model, beginning with the rollout in November at participating retailers:

• U.S.
  • PS5 with Ultra HD Blu-ray disc drive – $499.99
  • PS5 Digital Edition – $449.99
• Europe
  • PS5 with Ultra HD Blu-ray disc drive – 549.99 EUR
  • PS5 Digital Edition – 449.99 EUR
• UK
  • PS5 with Ultra HD Blu-ray disc drive – £479.99
  • PS5 Digital Edition – £389.99
• Japan
  • PS5 with Ultra HD Blu-ray disc drive – 66,980 JPY (includes tax)
  • PS5 Digital Edition – 59,980 JPY (includes tax)

It’s worth noting the PS5 Digital model has gone up in price with the introduction of the slim version. The original PS5 Digital Edition costs $399.99, whereas this slimmer PS5 Digital Edition costs $449.99. This means the slimmer PS5 with a disc drive costs $50 more than the slimmer PS5 Digital Edition.

A horizontal stand is included with the new PS5 model. A new vertical stand compatible with all PS5 models will be sold separately at $29.99 | €29.99 | £24.99 | 3,980 JPY.

Word that the optional disc drive requires an internet connection upon setup has raised game preservation fears. Digital Foundry’s John Linneman, a long-time proponent of physical game media, called the move “highly concerning and very strange”. “Hardware connectivity shouldn’t be determined by a server that may not always be available,” he said.

Uhhhh…if this is the case, that is highly concerning and very strange. Hardware connectivity shouldn’t be determined by a server that may not always be available. https://t.co/NT4KU6ShrN

— John Linneman @dark1x.bsky.social (@dark1x) October 25, 2023

The concern stems from a potential problem years down the line, at a time when Sony may have switched its authentication servers off. Perhaps Sony will issue an update at some point to remove the check, but as it stands now, a connection is required.

As video game downloads come to dominate game sales, concern over game preservation has risen. The big Xbox leak of September revealed Microsoft’s potential plan to release disc-less refreshes of the Xbox Series X and S, signalling a dramatic move from first-party.

Reliably leaker Billbil-kun, reporting on French website Dealabs, recently claimed the PS5 Slim standard edition bundled with Insomniac’s Spider-Man 2 launches in the U.S. on November 8, priced $559.99. That’s the same price as the current standard edition PS5 with Spider-Man 2.

Billbil-kun also mentioned a release date of November 10 for the standard and digital versions of the PS5 Slim in the U.S., so perhaps there will be a staggered release throughout that week, with the bundle going live ahead of the new console’s standalone launch.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.