According to industry insiders, Sony is allegedly preparing for a significant PlayStation State of Play event in September. The purported presentation is expected to provide an in-depth examination of the PlayStation Portal handheld device, alongside the highly anticipated Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 first-party game. Additionally, it is rumored that Sony will utilize the event to unveil the PS5 Slim, which is speculated to be released later this month.

Giant Bomb’s Jeff Grub’s Insight

Giant Bomb’s Jeff Grub believes the PlayStation Plus price increase is a “lead-in” for the upcoming State of Play.

He said: “I’ve heard a State of Play is coming, and this feels like a lead-in for that.”

On September 6, Sony will increase the prices of annual PlayStation Plus subscriptions. PlayStation Plus Essential subscriptions will go up from £49.99 to £59.99 per year, 12-month PS Plus Extra memberships will increase from £83.99 to £99.99, and annual PS Plus Premium subscriptions will increase from £99.99 to £119.99.

At the State of Play event, Sony may announce the launch of a PS5 Slim console. The new console is expected to be similar to the existing model, but with a thinner base and a removable side plate to add a detachable disc drive. It is rumored that Sony will cease production of the current PS5 models by the end of the year to reduce costs.

For those interested in a more powerful console, the PS5 Pro is expected to be launched in late 2024. The new console will be capable of running games in 8K with superior ray-tracing support.