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
David Scott Duncan
June 17, 2020 at 10:13
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?
Pariah
June 17, 2020 at 10:18
Come on, everyone knows that cake is a lie!
CodeDisQus
June 17, 2020 at 11:10
1st Priority: make it run well, cool and quiet
2nd Priority: Make it look good.
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
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…
BradeLunner
June 17, 2020 at 11:37
Oh man this console is just begging toddlers to push it over
Arsh
June 17, 2020 at 15:02
When you have toddlers you skip a generation as I did with the 4….
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!
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 😉
BradeLunner
June 17, 2020 at 17:54
Thanks man! Biggest challenge yet
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.
Pieter Kruger
June 17, 2020 at 13:11
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Mark Treloar
June 17, 2020 at 15:26
I would say something about size envy, but I wouldn’t want to feel small
Son of Banana Jim
June 17, 2020 at 18:23
And when you zoom out, you’ll discover that the whole room is inside the new yet extremely black ugly xbox box / suburban housing.
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/d42aad876ad50f5b885b4a71057b0b65234e041b00cbc309647aaa983e071bb0.jpg
Stoompot
June 19, 2020 at 04:04
Oh jeez, how compelling of you. Guess I’ll simp to Xbox now.
Pieter Kruger
June 19, 2020 at 09:57
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/e495a99f08331cde0729d6512528a2419175bdc29edd62fb7f95b4c595077a58.jpg
Pieter Kruger
June 17, 2020 at 13:12
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Pariah
June 17, 2020 at 09:16
I personally love the design. It’s the cost that gives me pause.
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.
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?
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.
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…”
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.
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.