Hasn't every other generation come with a price decrease and a bigger size reduction? This seems like it's really just a new model.
The biggest upgrade is the SSD size. But digital is getting more expensive (but also has the disc drive option). Seems like it's just not enough upside for anyone to get excited over compared to previous generations.
I don't understand why anyone would buy the $450 digital version plus a $70 Bluray disc drive add-on rather than just paying $500 for a disc model capable of playing blurays and games. Very strange on Sony's part.
Having a digital only version of a console is very concerning from an e-waste point of view. It'll be an odd-shaped brick years later when the digital store front is long gone and the old SSD gets corrupted.
I don't think it's for people planning on buying the disc drive. But it's a nice way to avoid FOMO for anyone that doesn't want to get locked out of discs forever (without buying a whole new console).
Plus, for people looking to save some money, it could be an opportunistic purchase if they find it for cheap later.