Top choice

This version of the PS5 has a disc drive, so you can watch UHD Blu-ray movies and play new or used PS5 and PS4 game discs. The rest of the features and hardware are the same.

Second place

The Digital Edition doesn’t include a disc drive, so you won’t be able to watch Blu-rays or take advantage of new or used games or old PS4 discs. But if you’re comfortable going all-digital, it has the same graphics card, CPU, memory and storage hardware as the standard PS5.

If you’re not sure which of these two PlayStations is right for you, our journalists have taken an in-depth look at the difference between the two PlayStation 5 models. Simply put, the PS5 Slim has a disc drive and the Slim Digital Edition does not.

That means the PS5 Slim is the better option for gamers who enjoy physical media and own an assortment of PS4 games, as the PS5 is compatible with most of the PS4’s game library. And because the PS5 Slim can produce 4K UHD video, it’s also ideal for movie buffs with a large Blu-ray collection. (We also noticed that there are some good PS5 games on sale right now, including Resident Evil 4, Gran Turismo 7And Final Fantasy XVI-if you prefer to collect physical media.)

The PS5 Slim Digital Edition doesn’t have a disc drive, but it’s slightly cheaper, so going all-digital can save you even more money.

Since neither model is significantly different from the original PS5, there’s no reason to upgrade if you already have one, even though they are both shorter and slimmer than the original version. (Our testers noted the impressive size of the original PS5 and the difficulty of finding room for it on the media console, so getting a Slim version is a possible solution.)

However, if you’re starting your gaming setup from scratch and aren’t tied to a disc drive, you can pick up a discounted Sony PlayStation 5 Slim Digital Edition bundle that includes a second controller, making it an ideal starter package. .

The last time we saw the slim PS5 models on sale was Prime Day, when both versions were $50 off. So we’re not surprised that these PlayStations are on sale again, but we haven’t seen the price drop any lower. That means there’s no reason to wait for something better, so go ahead and beat the Black Friday rush. (And if you open the box and start playing games before Thanksgiving, we won’t tell anyone.)

This article was edited by Maxine Builder.