Sony Teases PlayStation 5 Design
by Andrei Frumusanu on June 11, 2020 5:45 PM ESTToday during Sony’s “The Future of Gaming” show where the company and its partners revealed a slew of next-generation game titles, we also had a first glimpse of the physical design of the new PlayStation 5.
The new console is a significant departure for Sony’s console hardware which has retained a standard black design aesthetic ever since the PlayStation 2 (Although different colour scheme variants have been available). The new PlayStation 5 immediately stands out with its white-black design, as well for the fact that Sony is seemingly presenting the new console in a primarily vertical standing position.
The looks of the console are defined by an enveloping white rounded body that envelops a central glossy black middle section like some sort of cape. The black middle section at the top emits a blue light, illuminating the white side panels as well as the ventilation grills.
Today’s teaser showcased the first time what the console’s cooling hardware might look like. The new design looks to have ventilation grills throughout the whole top of the console as well as the top half of the front of the device, curving along the top corner of the design, with the grills present on both lateral sides. We don’t know if this is an exhaust or intake, or maybe even both, as we haven’t yet seen the back side of the new unit.
Sony’s presentation only showed the console in an upright position, so the design was possibly designed to be used like this in its most optimal fashion.
Another hint that the console might not be designed to be used in a horizontal position is the odd “hump” that appears where the BluRay disc drive is located. It’s a pretty unusual asymmetric design choice that inarguably will spark a lot of discussions.
Edit: Sony also showcasd the console in a horizontal position for a split second in the outro section of the show. It looks like the console is sitting on the "foot" that's depicted in the vertical position shots. This explains why the two feet look different in the previous picture - they both serve as the stands for the console in vertical and horizontal positions, with the odd shape of the foot designed to cup the round side of the console in the horizontal position, with the Digital Edition console having a different curve to it.
Sony is also announcing a Digital Edition of the PlayStation 5 which doesn’t feature a disc drive, getting rid of the hump in the design. Digital distribution has gained a ton of popularity of the last few years and Sony now releasing a digital only console certainly points out that the company envisions this trend to continue and grow.
Both console variants feature a minimalistic front – we only find a single USB-A port and a single USB-C port, alongside a power button, and for the regular version the disc eject button.
Alongside the two new PS5 variants, Sony also announced several new accessories for the console: The new DualSense controller which we’ve known for some time now, a new DualSense charging station which charges up to two controllers at a time, a stereoscopic HD camera, a media remote, and a new headset dubbed the PULSE 3D Wireless Headset.
3D audio is meant to be a big part of the new PlayStation 5 experience thanks to the console’s new audio hardware capabilities – so Sony releasing a first-party headset tied in with the console release isn’t too big of a surprise.
The Sony PlayStation 5 is scheduled to be launched this holiday season at a yet undisclosed price. It is powered by a custom AMD SoC employing 8 Zen 2 cores up to 3.5GHz, a new customised RDNA 2-based GPU with 36 CUs and up to 2.23GHz frequency, and a new ultra-fast SSD and storage architecture that is said to be multiple times faster than the best PC storage devices on the market.
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Tams80 - Friday, June 12, 2020 - link
You know what the easy solution to that is?Get the version with the BD drive.
Icehawk - Saturday, June 13, 2020 - link
Huh? As a PC gamer I haven’t bought physical media in well over a decade, most AAA games download and install in an hour and I’ve only got a 75mb connect. The reason for a disc drive, IMO, would be IF it is backwards compatible and you still had discs lying around.a94 - Saturday, June 13, 2020 - link
In my country(Indonesia), 10mbps network speed subscription is most people got. Over 50mbps is a luxury. People who buy ps5 in my country will get the disc edition rather than digital onlyazfacea - Thursday, June 11, 2020 - link
consoles are a joke. they are basically removing any last remaining trace of user control. soon these companies will demand to put 1GB software inside our body, and have 24/7 remote updates available for sony.who thinks its a good idea to get rid of the competition of say epic store and steam, for one company to have exclusive control of the store. who thinks its a good idea to let sony decide what content is offensive and should be removed. how long before sony views GTA the same way ISIS does, cover up the ladies or you are out.
Gigaplex - Friday, June 12, 2020 - link
Consoles were a thing long before Steam et al. You do have the option to not buy one.Midwayman - Friday, June 12, 2020 - link
I'd mostly be concerned about game resale. They might be signaling that games will attach to your account with a code and the code is the game. The disc is just a distribution method. I know they have been salivating over killing the used market.Quantumz0d - Thursday, June 11, 2020 - link
Soystation 5, their new IP are a horrible disaster and pushing political garbage into games. The Last of Us 2 is a prim example of that. God of War 2018 reboot was a horrible game with ultra castrated Kratos. I don't know which game is worth to buy a PS4, Horizon Zero Dawn also screams agenda.Their GPU is max, 2060 Super and CPU will barely match the high performance Desktop CPUs because of it's limited clockspeed vs the Zen 2 parts with 4GHz boost clocks. Get a PC which can do more and enjoy GOG store as well.
Beaver M. - Friday, June 12, 2020 - link
Either learn to live with it, or start doing something against it. Its only getting worse when these extremists get their will and nobody says stop.jospoortvliet - Friday, June 12, 2020 - link
or maybe just get over it and accept you don't live in the 1600's and we have moved on from thinking like cave men?jospoortvliet - Friday, June 12, 2020 - link
I know it is a scary prospect and conservatism is all about fear, but the whining is really annoying... sometimes I wonder if force feeding you rednecks some kale like a 3 year old who refuses to eat his vegetables would be the best thing to do so you find out it isn't all that bad and worth trying to blow up all of society over by voting for megalomaniac, kleptocratic madmen...