Microsoft seems convinced that Sony has plans for a PlayStation 5 Slim model to release soon, according to court documents from the FTC’s ongoing trial against the company.
The document in question was submitted pretrial by the defendants, Microsoft and Activision Blizzard, and includes numerous arguments by their legal team.
The relevant portion on the PlayStation 5 Slim is found in a section where Microsoft’s counsel is arguing that the FTC should include the Nintendo Switch when sizing up Xbox’s share in the console market. Specifically, in a subsection on console pricing, the document casually references the supposedly upcoming PS5 Slim.
“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.
According to this line, Microsoft’s counsel not only believe that a PlayStation 5 Slim is in the works, but seem reasonably confident predicting both its release window and its price point. Additionally, a footnote on this line adds another prediction.
“Sony is also anticipated to release a handheld version of PlayStation 5 later this year for under $300,” the footnote reads.
Presumably, this is referring to Project Q, recently unveiled at Sony’s PlayStation Showcase in May. Sony has yet to officially announce a release date or price for the device, making these details surprising coming from Microsoft.
The documents cited no sources for this information, leaving it unclear whether it is accurate or how Microsoft was made aware of it if so. However, it does seem to align with claims reported by Insider Gaming last year that a lighter PlayStation model with a detachable disc drive was in development behind the scenes for a release this year, though these claims have also remained unconfirmed. Still, Insider Gaming remains confident that the console is in development, reporting as recently as this May that it is planned to release in September and to phase out the original PS5 model within a year.
This marks the latest in a string of unexpected reveals from documents in the FTC trial, which have included unfinished plans for mergers and acquisitions by Microsoft and tacit confirmations of unreleased projects from studios such as Bungie and IO Interactive. With the trial still ongoing, we can likely expect more information to flow out as internal documents continue to be brought to public light.