Sony is about to introduce a new revision of the PlayStation 5 Digital Edition in Europe, and the change is not one fans are likely to celebrate. The updated model, internally referred to as CFI-2100 and first spotted in Japanese certification documents earlier this year, will launch on September 13, 2025, priced at €499. On paper, the price is unchanged from the existing console, but the hardware inside tells a different story. 
The revision reduces the SSD capacity from 1 TB to just 825 GB – a significant downgrade for a machine that cannot use physical discs.
For a Digital Edition console, storage is not just a nice-to-have; it is the backbone of the experience. Every title, from blockbuster exclusives to indie downloads, requires digital installation. With modern games often pushing 100 GB or more per release, that missing 175 GB makes a noticeable difference. Effectively, players will pay the same amount for less space, which many feel is no different from a hidden price increase. The packaging will clearly display the 825 GB capacity, making it easy to identify, but also underscoring the sense of loss.
Interestingly, Sony’s standard PlayStation 5 revision will retain the full 1 TB SSD when it launches later, meaning only the Digital Edition gets hit with this reduction. This distinction suggests that the cost-cutting measure is targeted, perhaps because Sony knows Digital Edition buyers are fully locked into its ecosystem – where every purchase flows through the PlayStation Store. For critics, this makes the change feel less like optimization and more like exploitation.
The timing only fuels frustration. Both Sony and Microsoft already raised console prices worldwide in recent months, citing global inflation, tariffs, and increased production costs. For many players, this has created the most expensive console generation yet – the first time in gaming history that prices actually went up after launch rather than down. Publishers like Capcom have publicly warned that high hardware costs are dampening software sales, and industry watchers worry that another squeeze on value will worsen the problem.
Reactions from the community have been heated. Some call the move a “kick in the teeth” for loyal customers, pointing out that even the original 1 TB was already tight given the ballooning size of modern titles. Others mockingly dub it the “ShrinkStation” or “Milking Edition,” reflecting the feeling that Sony is taking more while giving less. A portion of the fanbase insists they buy consoles only for exclusives and ease of use, but even they admit the SSD downgrade stings in a market where PC gaming continues to offer greater flexibility. As one sarcastic remark put it: raising prices, removing discs, and now cutting storage – what’s left to take away?
In the end, this revision embodies the tension of modern gaming. On one side, companies juggle rising costs and supply challenges. On the other, consumers expect progress, not regression. Whether this compromise will be accepted by players or remembered as a turning point in how Sony treats its audience remains to be seen. But one thing is certain: for digital-first gamers, space just got smaller while the bill stayed the same.
4 comments
Raise prices, shrink SSD, then prob raise again… Sony milking hard
Shrinkstation lmao 🤣 less space for same cash, what a joke
All consoles trash anyway, build a PC and stop crying 🤷
Epic fail move tbh. 1TB was already tiny with 100GB+ games, now even worse