It's fair to say that the design of the PS5 has proven divisive. The console was mercilessly mocked upon launch last summer, with the white and black (or as we like to call it, reverse Oreo) colour scheme proving controversial. But gamers might soon have more options when it comes to the look of the gargantuan machine.
Sony has been granted a patent for the console's faceplates, which suggests it could be planning to sell official replacements in the near future. Could the army of fans waiting for a black PS5 soon have their wish granted? (Here's where to buy a PS5 and get one of the best monitors for PS5.)
Those definitely look like PS5 faceplates to us (Image credit: United States Patent and Trademark Office)
Titled 'Cover for electronic device' (catchy name), the filing unmistakably shows illustrations of PS5 faceplates from various angles. There's no information on colours at present, but if Sony is indeed planning to sell replacement skins, we'd at least hope to see versions to match those black and red DualSense controllers.
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But while coloured faceplates could be music to the ears (and eyes) of plenty of PS5 fans, we can think of a few people who might not be so chuffed. Sony has aggressively pursued unofficial mod companies – to the point where one such group, dbrand, even taunted Sony, encouraging it to "sue us" over its own black replacement faceplates.
Black PS5 mods like this offering from SUP3R5 proved popular, but Sony has often come down on them hard (Image credit: SUP3R5)
And perhaps now we know why Sony has been so anti-mods – the company could have been planning to release its own 'custom' faceplates all along. In fact, who knows which other fan-made edits Sony might be planning to co-opt. Is an official water-cooled PS5 on the horizon? (Somehow, we doubt it.)
Of course, for replacement faceplates to be of any use, you'll need an actual PS5 console – and getting hold of one is no mean feat right now. Don't fancy your chances? Check out today's best games console deals below.
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Daniel John is Design Editor at Creative Bloq. He reports on the worlds of design, branding and lifestyle tech, and has covered several industry events including Milan Design Week, OFFF Barcelona and Adobe Max in Los Angeles. He has interviewed leaders and designers at brands including Apple, Microsoft and Adobe. Daniel's debut book of short stories and poems was published in 2018, and his comedy newsletter is a Substack Bestseller.
