As the climax of its special PlayStation 5 games presentation, Sony has finally revealed the design of the console itself.
The presentation model bears some similarity to the design of the new DualSense controller, as expected. Both sport a two-tone effect for the main body, with white over black, along with a feature LED lighting line in traditional Sony PlayStation blue. However where the controller is clearly an evolution on a theme, the console itself is considerably different from any PlayStation console we’ve ever seen.
While PlayStations have traditionally been relatively simple and rectangular — PS3 a mild exception with the convex upper surface — the new console has a more complex shape. The main body itself is a curved, piano black finish capsule, which sits inside a textured, white, wrap-around shell. This tapers in towards the base, and has the Sony branding stamped through it.
More interesting is where the inner and outer bodies meet. The clip shows a series of vanes, which hints towards the console’s cooling system. Lead architect Mark Cerny has spoken at length about the novel cooling employed for PS5 — to avoid the notorious hovercraft fan sounds of PS3 and PS4 — and it has yet to reveal what the solution is.
In addition to the unusual form, PS5 also comes in two different flavors. Sitting alongside the regular PS5 is the Digital Edition. This new version would be the first PlayStation console not to feature a disc drive of any kind, embodying the shift from disc-based media to downloads. Without the drive, the PS5DE is entirely symmetrical.
Although we haven’t seen the back of the console just yet, you can expect the usual array of ports. The front of the console features USB-A and USB-C ports, to support third-party peripherals like steering wheels and the USB-C DualSense controller. There’s also two buttons, likely for the power and — given that one is absent on the PS5DE — disc drive.
As well as the consoles, Sony revealed some further accessories, all in a similar theme. That includes a DualSense charging station, a dual-lense HD camera, a media remote control, and a new Pulse 3D wireless headset.
We await confirmation of the pricing of the two consoles and their launch bundles, though we’d expect the PS5DE to be marginally cheaper thanks to the elimination of the optical drive. In the meantime, you can watch the reveal video below:
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