The PS5 Astro Bot Bundle lands at retailers, and it's surprisingly not a bad deal

Sony announced new PS5 bundles earlier this week, headlined by the critically acclaimed Astro Bot platformer. Now, the console is appearing at retailers in both digital and disc varieties. While the PS5 price still hasn't seen official cuts, the new bundles can save buyers some money. The PS5 Slim Digital Edition Astro Bot Bundle is listed at $399.99 at Best Buy, while the disc version checks in at $449.99. That's a notable discount of $50 off the MSRP of both consoles.

As is often the case with modern console bundles, buyers won't receive a game disc, even with the non-digital package. Instead, Sony opted for a voucher to download Astro Bot from the PlayStation store. Unlike Astro's Playroom, which is also included, Astro Bot is more than a tech demo. It still showcases the refined haptics of the DualSense controller but also offers cleverly designed levels.

With the industry moving toward an all-digital age, it's comforting to see Sony push out new variations of the disc-based PS5. However, the PS5 Slim Astro Bot Bundle is not a unique design and it doesn't even have the special edition Astro Bot controller. Buyers also won't receive a vertical stand after Sony decided to nix the accessory with the slimmer systems. Both the disc and digital consoles come with a single controller and 1 TB of storage.  

The PS5 Digital Edition was on sale for $379.99 in December, and a similar discount may be more appealing. Still, Astro Bot retails for $59.99, so the new PS5 bundle deal is worth considering. Also, with the struggling Xbox Series X not even available in some regions, Sony has little incentive to outprice its Microsoft rival.