PS5 redesign reportedly coming next year, but the console will still look the same

A PS5 redesign is coming next year, but before you start hoping for it to be a slimmer or even better, BIGGER, model, cool your jets. Only the internals will be changing. According to a report from DigiTimes, suppliers in the PS5 manufacturing chain will apparently begin production on the rejiggered console from early 2020, with the console now including a semi-customised 6nm CPU created by AMD.

Current PS5 models use a 5nm CPU, and tweaks to the hardware of a console are nothing new. Pretty much every Sony console has gone through this phase, with the PS2 famously having multiple incarnations back when its parts were still housed in a stunning piece of chunky plastic architecture. Sony has pretty much confirmed this redesign as well, as it mentioned in its earnings report (via VGC) that it was seeking to alleviate supply chain issues caused by the global semiconductor shortage.

When Sony’s CFO was asked about meeting second-year sales goals, they responded by saying “For example, we could find maybe a secondary resource, or by changing the design.”

As for a more external change to the appearance of the PS5? Don’t expect to see that for a few more years. If Sony stays true to history, it’ll be around three to four years before a less bulky design hits the market. It took five years for the original PlayStation to get the slim PS One model, the PS2 slim arrived four years after the original sequel console, the hideous PS3 slim and its even fuglier inbred cousin came about soon after the PS3 launched as an absolute unit, and the PS4 received less dangerous edges in a trimmed down package three years after launch.

I’m in no rush to get a PS5 slim though, as after initially hating on the weird IP router design, I’ve slowly grown fond of it. It looks futuristic, it stands out from the pack, and the two points on its vertical orientation can be used to perform an instant lobotomy on anyone who admires it too closely. Agent 47 would be proud of my ingenuity.

Image credit: This dude’s fantastic photography.

Last Updated: May 7, 2021