Microsoft expects Sony to release PS5 Slim in 2023

Another day, another juicy court document

The ongoing court battle between Microsoft and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has been an unending source of internal information from both Microsoft and Sony the public would usually never be privy to. A new document released as part of the trial contains Microsoft’s thoughts on console prices, which argue that the Nintendo Switch should be regarded as being in the same market category as the Xbox Series X|S and the PS5. This, in turn, is supposed to strengthen a few other arguments made by the company previously.

The juicy bit is that Microsoft stated in the document that it fully expects Sony to release a PS5 Slim in 2023 at a price of $399.99. The Xbox maker further estimates that the recently revealed Project Q, Sony’s handheld PS5 streaming device, will be available for under $300.

The traditional release window for alternate versions of the current console gen is approaching, so Microsoft’s guess definitely isn’t far off when basing it on historical data. Sony usually brings Slim and Pro versions of its consoles on the market, with the Slim being a slightly cheaper and the Pro being a bit of a beefier variant of the standard console.

Microsoft had the same strategy in the previous generation, releasing the Xbox One S and Xbox One X to keep things fresh. This time around, the company seems to have other plans and may not offer an upgraded version of its hardware.

Sony recently reduced the price for PS5 in some regions, possibly indicating the release of new hardware, so Microsoft’s analysts may not be far off from the truth here.

This is only the latest piece of information coming from the ongoing court case and we expect more to follow as the trial drags on. Sony in particular suffered from internal info getting public, though Microsoft also had to deal with emails and other documents coming to light. PlayStation boss Jim Ryan used the trial to verbally attack Microsoft, especially Xbox Game Pass.