Home Gaming Here’s why the PS5 console is an absolute unit

Here’s why the PS5 console is an absolute unit

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PS5-Impact

Love it or hate it, Sony’s reveal of the PlayStation 5 last week was that of a console whose design nobody could have imagined. After decades of black boxes, the PS5 was admittedly a breath of fresh air in the design space even if it did leave itself open to many many memetic interpretations. Here’s something that you need to prepare yourself for though: Whether you prop it vertically or horizontally, the PS5 is bloody massive.

Scale comparisons began circulating around the web straight after the reveal, with the PS5 easily being the tallest console ever made and a prime candidate for being sued by the architects of the Burj Khalifa skyscraper for infringing on their copyright:

That’s a big-ass console. So why is it so chuffing massive? That’s a question that the vice president of UX Design at PlayStation, Matt MacLaurin, had the answer to when he spoke about the fancy new hardware on LinkedIn (Cheers, VG247). “I’m really impressed by this design – however, in today’s times, people seek portability and convenience,” one commenter asked about the design. “The performance in the PS4 was amazing. Why make the new product bigger and bulkier?” To which MacLaurin wrote back:

Thermals. This gen is little supercomputers. While the 7nm process delivers amazing heat performance for the power, the power is very extreme. This tech is still so fresh it throws a lot of heat so we need room to dissipate. As we say in the industry, ‘this design has a strong opinion,’ so it’s okay if not everyone loves it. Customisation with special editions will be beyond anything seen before. Someone mocked up a wooden one on Reddit and it look[ed] crazy good.

According to MacLaurin, the PS5 is also inspired by “thermal data + data of the soul”, which is making me wonder if Shang Tsung had a hand in its design. I still don’t like the look of the machine, but considering that the games announced for it so far look amazing I’m willing to at least give it achance. By making sure it’s properly ventilated and left outside while I hook it up to the TV with an extension cord. This plan cannot possibly come back to bite me in the ass.

Last Updated: June 17, 2020

25 Comments

  1. With the gravity field it’s sure to have, will you eventually have rings around the console, like Saturn, made up of chip and cake crumbs?

    Reply

    • Pariah

      June 17, 2020 at 10:18

      Come on, everyone knows that cake is a lie!

      Reply

  2. CodeDisQus

    June 17, 2020 at 11:10

    1st Priority: make it run well, cool and quiet

    2nd Priority: Make it look good.

    Reply

  3. OddSockZA

    June 17, 2020 at 11:15

    the design on this thing is starting to grow on me – but I dont really like the cool retro future two tone jobbie. In plain black, I think it’s sexy as heck

    Reply

    • Son of Banana Jim

      June 17, 2020 at 12:24

      I’d like a plain black version too, but there’s still a part of me that’s wishing for a return to the classic PSOne grey…

      Reply

  4. BradeLunner

    June 17, 2020 at 11:37

    Oh man this console is just begging toddlers to push it over

    Reply

    • Arsh

      June 17, 2020 at 15:02

      When you have toddlers you skip a generation as I did with the 4….

      Reply

      • BradeLunner

        June 17, 2020 at 16:19

        Expecting my first kid round about when the ps5 is due..already had the conversation with the wife to agree that I’ll still need the console, will see how that plays out!

        Reply

        • Arsh

          June 17, 2020 at 17:08

          I am your biggest fan. Please do keep me informed as to how that one goes. Just wait till he/she grows up and starts grabbing at the controller. Also congratulations on your first one. I have two. I wish you many wonderful years ahead. They’re soft stinky gaming machines 😉

          Reply

          • BradeLunner

            June 17, 2020 at 17:54

            Thanks man! Biggest challenge yet

  5. WickedMONK3Y

    June 17, 2020 at 12:28

    XBOX really need to hire the team at Sony or outsource their designers. The PS5 may be a bit big but it is sexy. In all black it will be even sexier. The Series X just looks like a Corsair One with no shape to it.

    Reply

  6. Pieter Kruger

    June 17, 2020 at 13:11

  7. Pieter Kruger

    June 17, 2020 at 13:12

  8. Pariah

    June 17, 2020 at 09:16

    I personally love the design. It’s the cost that gives me pause.

    Reply

    • SagatatiaRZA

      June 17, 2020 at 09:37

      I love it too. Seems like it genuinely had practicality in mind in addition to being bold. I’m on no side of this arguments but I really do think bold is better than n console that is just built like an normal pc tower.

      Reply

  9. Iskape

    June 17, 2020 at 09:58

    I personally don’t mind the design. It’s neither here nor there for me! The question for me is do I want that ugly bulge on the side if I choose the disc drive version, or do I want to keep the sleek shape by going for the purely digital version?

    Reply

  10. Llama In The Rift

    June 17, 2020 at 10:32

    I might be wrong anybody welcome to correct me but i recall somewhere someone confirmed the PS5 to be as powerful as 2 x PS4 Pro’s….so what will it cost to buy 2 PS4 Pro’s? might factor to the price.

    Reply

  11. Son of Banana Jim

    June 17, 2020 at 12:07

    I like that it looks like something you could launch into space, and serve as a monument to your nation’s technological supremacy.

    At least, it tries to be a looker, whereas the new xbox looks like an ugly black box. Something, you’d try to hide from people when they come over for dinner…. i.e. to be ashamed off…

    Whereas the PS5, it’s a conversation starter and something that’ll make your dad proud of you.

    “Hey buddy, what’s that next to your TV?”
    “That’s my PS5, dad…”
    “Damn son… I always knew you were going to make me proud”
    “Thanks dad…”

    Reply

  12. HairyEwok

    June 18, 2020 at 08:53

    So it’s size is due to thermals….. with AMD in it XD… So you’re actually buying home theatre heater?
    All jokes aside, this iteration of the PS is actually looking good. Both in spec and design.

    Reply

  13. HairyEwok

    June 18, 2020 at 08:53

    So it’s size is due to thermals….. with AMD in it XD… So you’re actually buying home theatre heater?
    All jokes aside, this iteration of the PS is actually looking good. Both in spec and design.

    Reply

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