Some video game consoles are going to be considerably heavier than others. For example, the Xbox Series X is a heavier console than the Nintendo Switch OLED, even if you count the dock with it. PlayStation consoles tend to have a wide variety of weights, but exactly how heavy is the PlayStation 5? And how much heavier is it than other current consoles?
The original PlayStation 5 weighs in at 8.8 pounds, while the digital-only edition weighs in at 7.9 pounds. By comparison, the PS5 is just ever so slightly heavier than the Xbox Series X, but the Xbox Series S is the smallest of both platforms’ revisions.
But why does the PS5 weigh as much as it does? And is it possible that the PS5 might get lighter in the future? Check out the article below to find out!
How Much Does the PS5 Weigh?
The PlayStation 5 has two different models, so the answer will come down to which one you are trying to weigh. The digital-only PS5 model weighs in at 7.9 pounds. Meanwhile, the disc-based model is 8.8 pounds. This is honestly somewhat surprising for a console as powerful as it is.
How heavy is the PS5 compared to its competitors?
The PS5 is no slouch when it comes to weight, with the disc-based console weighing in much less than the the Xbox Series X. The Series X weighs 9.8 pounds. The discless PS5 is much less heavy than both of the disc-based models, but if you’re looking for the most lightweight of the most powerful consoles on the market, the Xbox Series S has them all beat. The Xbox Series S is only 4.25 pounds, less than half of the total weight of the other three models.
The Nintendo Switch, by comparison, is significantly lighter, though that is to be expected. Not only is the Nintendo Switch designed to be used portably, but the console is considerably weaker than the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, so the console inevitably will require fewer parts as part of the design. Even if you factor in the weight of JoyCons and the Nintendo Switch Dock, the weight doesn’t even come close to the Xbox Series S. The Steam Deck, a Switch-like portable PC, is also considerably lighter than the Xbox Series S (and especially the PlayStation 5).
How heavy is the PS5 compared to past PlayStation consoles?
While the PlayStation 5 is not the heaviest console available on the market right now, it is still heavier than almost every major PlayStation console. The heaviest of these consoles is the original PlayStation 3, a veritable behemoth of a device at 11 pounds, with a design that earned it many a joke about it being a grill due to size and shape. Thankfully, Sony saw some sense, bringing out the PlayStation 3 Slim that made it more in line with the regular PlayStation 2 model (4.6 pounds and 4.8 pounds respectively). By comparison, the lightest PlayStation console (aside from handhelds) is the PS One revision, clocking in at only 1.32 pounds.
Will the PS5 ever get any lighter?
Sony is no stranger to revisions, with every single major PlayStation model having multiple versions. Even going all the way back to the original PlayStation, a version called the PS One (mentioned above) was released somewhat before the PlayStation 2’s release, which made it smaller and lighter. Each PlayStation home console afterward has a Slim version, up until the PS5. So will the PS5 ever get lighter? Considering the precedence of the various Slim models, it is highly likely that the PS5 will eventually get a Slim version of its own.
If the previous PlayStation Slim consoles are anything to go by, we should not expect a PS5 Slim any earlier than November 2023, if not even later than that. Thus, if you are really excited to buy a PlayStation 5 console, the best piece of advice we can offer is that you should not wait unless you have the patience to do so. Whether you do buy the current PS5 or you buy a future PS5 model, however, make sure that you get the best deal you can for the best product you can get.
Yet, while the PlayStation 3 is the heaviest mainstream Sony console out there, we used the word ‘mainstream’ for a very good reason. Sony actually has one other console that is considerably heavier than even the PS3, called the PlayStation X (not to be mistaken with the PS1, commonly abbreviated PSX). This device was an abject failure that saw then-CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment Ken Kutaragi step down (among other controversies he faced, like the PS3’s design and price point). The PSX weighs in at a staggering 13 pounds. What’s impressive is that it came out even before the PS3, sold as a digital video recorder (DVR) that has a built-in PlayStation 2 console.
Are consoles getting heavier in general?
In general, home consoles do trend towards the heavier side from what we have seen, but that is hardly a strict rule. After all, the PlayStation 3 was the peak of mainstream console weight, and some consoles in the 90s were truly pushing the envelope as far as weight was concerned.
Weight and size are typically determined by what the console needs, on top of what customers are willing to put up with. For example, no one is going to complain about the size of a TV being too big (unless they don’t have room for it, of course), but a smartphone being way too big may be unappealing to a lot of consumers.
Consoles tend to not be too shy as far as having a bigger/heavier console, mainly due to the fact that these consoles are stationary. Meanwhile, the Nintendo Switch cannot afford to be too heavy, as such a thing might discourage users from using handheld mode.
- How to Pair Meta Quest 3 Controllers with Your Quest 3 Headset: A Quick Guide
- How to Charge Meta Quest 3: A Guide to Powering Up Your VR Experience
- How to Cast Meta Quest 3 to Samsung TV: A Step-by-Step Guide
- How To Factory Reset Your Meta Quest 3: A Step-by-Step Guide
- How to Power On and Off the Meta Quest 3
