Sony has seemingly referenced a new PS5 model in product registration documents

Sony is reportedly planning its first revision of the PlayStation 5 hardware.

As spotted by business analyst Roberto Serrano, Sony has registered a new wireless communication module and is seemingly applying it to a new PS5 model.

A confidential document referring to the model as CFI-1115A was uploaded to the Peruvian government’s Audits and Sanctions in Communications site, where users can view companies’ applications to have devices approved for use in Peru.

The document gives the specifications of the new wireless module, named AW-XM501, and states that it will be used in equipment model CFI-1115A.

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PlayStation 5 launch hardware uses a CFI-1XXX model numbering scheme. The product listed in Sony’s documentation is the first we’ve seen that uses a CFI-11XX scheme, suggesting the new CFI-1115A model could relate to the console’s first internal redesign.

The new wireless module replaces the J20H100 module used in launch PS5 hardware. There doesn’t appear to be a great deal of difference between the two, except when it comes to antenna gain.

When connecting to a router via 2.4GHz the new module will have a peak antenna gain of 4.0/3.5dBi compared to 6.0/6.0dBi in the launch model. If connecting via 5GHz the new module’s peak antenna gain will be 6.0/4.5dBi, as opposed to 5.0/3.5dBi. It’s not clear if this will make much of difference to connection speeds.

Earlier this month it was reported that Sony would start production on a PS5 redesign in 2022, which would feature a “new semi-customised” 6nm CPU from AMD. It’s not clear if this reported model is different to the CFI-1115A model.

During an investor call following the publication of record PlayStation financial results, Sony CFO Hiroki Totoki said the company was considering various solutions to help it cope with the global shortage of hardware components, including potentially altering hardware designs or sourcing secondary suppliers.

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“As I said earlier, we’re aiming for more sales volume than the PS4 [during year 2]. But can we drastically increase the supply? No, that’s not likely,” he said.

“The shortage of semiconductors is one factor, but there are other factors that will impact on the production volume. So, at present, we’d like to aim at [beating] second year sales of 14.8 million, which was the second year of PS4.”

Asked specifically about the shortage of semiconductors, which is affecting all consumer electronics industries from smartphones to automobiles, Totoki suggested Sony had means with which it could cope.

“For example, we could find maybe a secondary resource, or by changing the design we could cope,” the exec said.

Sony also claimed on Thursday that the standard PS5 model will break even beginning in June 2021. “And from then on, we project that it will gradually become increasingly profitable,” PlayStation boss Jim Ryan said during an investor relations event.