Sony Interactive Entertainment has filed a new patent (via SegmentNext) for a new disc drive, possibly alluding to our exclusive report in September 2022 that a new PlayStation 5 sporting a detachable disc drive will release later this year.
Although the patent does not mention hand-in-hand that the drive is for the PlayStation 5, the time at which the patent was made public (April 20, 2023) is interesting. According to Insider Gaming sources, the new PlayStation 5 model is expected to go into production this month, with the consoles hitting shelves in September.
The patent, which was first filed on March 25, 2021, officially describes the hardware as “an optical disc drive that can be mounted in electronic equipment such as a game machine, personal computer, or audio-visual (AV) equipment.”
The word “mounted” here, in my opinion at least, does not necessarily mean this is the detachable disc drive and is likely just referring to the mounting in a device. From what we can gather, the patent is in line with reducing production costs with far less more parts but ensuring the hardware is still reliable and working. This is something Sony has done with the PlayStation 5 since the beginning, with the C chassis (the third iteration of the PlayStation 5) currently in production and on shelves.
The patent could very well suggest that this is the new detachable disc drive for the PlayStation 5 and its publication date is interesting, but I don’t think we’ll have long to wait for an announced, or at least a see leak of the console.
What do you think of the disc drive patent?
For more Insider Gaming news, check out our coverage of the PS Plus games revealed for May.
