First look at the PS5

After months of speculation following the reveal of the Xbox Series X console, we’ve finally been given our first look at the upcoming PS5. As we predicted in our post covering the DualSense controller, the console is a radical departure from past PlayStation consoles, a move that is both exciting and daring from Sony.

First thing’s first, the console itself. It has been primarily designed to be stored vertically, similarly to the Xbox Series X. That, however, is where the similarities end with its generational competitor. The Xbox Series X is a sleek, relatively safe design, replicating a PC-style tower and coming in all black, with the only real colour coming from LEDs positioned beneath the power button and the top grill.

The PS5, meanwhile, is a two tone device. This was hinted at by the white and black colour scheme on the DualSense controller, but nobody would have predicted just how much the PS5 would mimic this bold new design – and go beyond it. We’d seen some pretty interesting mock ups of a supposed dev kit that had been doing the rounds, but the real thing is arguably even more out there than those.

A black inner body is encased by two undulating, shiny white plastic panels which extend above the core body and give the console the look a futuristic skyscraper – or, as some have less kindly pointed out, an internet router.

Sony have been remarkable consistent and conservative in their designs of past PlayStations. Dating back to the PS2, the same elements – tiered designs, all-black finishes – have been maintained. Perhaps there was a sense that to release yet another black, rectangular box just wasn’t going to cut through the noise and truly demonstrate the console’s improvements over its predecessors. Whatever the reason for Sony’s abrupt about-face in terms of the design, it certainly has got people talking.

That wasn’t all we got in last night’s PS5 reveal. In another departure from the norm, Sony will launch with two separate console SKUs. Manufacturers have been launching mid-generation hardware revisions for years now, but it’s unusual that a brand new console is launching with two versions. The core difference is the disc-drive. One console comes with one (and is quite significantly wider as a result), one does not, and will rely solely on digital downloads to play games. Microsoft have already launched a digital-only console, the Xbox One S All-Digital Edition, but this is the first time we’ve seen a digital-only console from Sony.

Unfortunately, we’re still awaiting two key pieces of information from both Sony and Microsoft; the release dates, and the release prices. Keep it with Consoles.com to get all the latest!