Here's What The Inside Of The PS5 Looks Like
The PlayStation 5 is set to launch on Nov. 12, 2020. In anticipation of the new console's arrival, Sony has just given fans their first good look at the inside of the system. In a teardown video and accompanying blog post by Sony's Masayasu Ito, customers finally get to see the hard work that has gone into making the PS5 a reality.
According to Ito's blog post, the development team first started work on "conceptualizing" the new console way back in 2015. Knowing that information, this teardown video takes on an even more important tone. Ito is showing gamers the culmination of five long years of research and product development.
"Our team values a well thought out, beautifully designed architecture," wrote Ito. "Inside the console is an internal structure looking neat and tidy, which means that there aren't any unnecessary components and the design is efficient. As a result, we're able to achieve our goal of creating a product with a high degree of perfection and quality." In order to show off this level of quality, Sony has treated fans to a brand new video showcasing the inside of the system.
Before dismantling the outside of the console, Ito pointed out the various ports on the outside. These include two USB ports, a USB type-A port, and a USB type-C port on the front, as well as LAN and HDMI ports on the back of the console. Also of note is that the system has two air vents in the front, and that the entire back panel of the console acts as an exhaust port, which means that air should properly circulate regardless of whether the system is upright or on its side.
The outside panels of the system are easy enough to remove, as they apparently just slide up and off. Inside, you can see a massive cooling fan that Ito says is "capable of drawing in a lot of air from both sides." The PS5 also has two separate dust catchers, which appear pretty easy to clean out. This is another sign that Sony went into designing this console with a plan to cut down on the excess heat and noise of its previous gaming systems.
After removing the casing from the PS5, Ito demonstrated that the console's Ultra HD Blu-ray drive pops out easily, as well. This allowed him to show viewers an up-close look at the Blu-ray drive. Inside the drive are two layers of insulators that are meant to reduce the amount of vibrational noise that gamers have heard in previous consoles.
Perhaps the most exciting moment came when Ito showed off the console's 825GB SDD and custom SSD controller. Because of the high performance of the SSD, Ito explained that the system would normally give off a lot of heat. However, strategically-placed fans and a thermal conductor that utilizes liquid metal should help to cool down the console internally.
It certainly seems as though the timing of this video couldn't have been more perfect for Sony. Not only does it allow gamers to get a better look at the new system in the month before its release, but it also helps consumers to see the vast structural differences between the PS5 and the Xbox Series X. This gulf of difference may turn out to be most evident when comparing the cooling features of the two consoles.
Critics have been reviewing the Xbox Series X in recent days, with many of the responses being quite positive. Despite these high marks, there's one issue that seems to keep coming up for many journalists and testers: the Series X seems to run a lot hotter than it should. Even though the console is covered in vents, one journalist suggested that it got hot enough to cool down an apartment building. This was a complaint formerly leveled at the PS4 Pro, so it looks like Sony's victory here may be two-fold: the PS5 appears to be designed to run quieter and cooler than both the PS4 Pro and it's direct competition, the Xbox Series X.
One of the most encouraging things about this teardown presentation is just how easy it appears to be for any user to follow its example — to a certain extent. This means that regular maintenance on the system should be pretty easy to do, without having to worry about damaging the console in any way. However, it should be noted that customers are warned in the description of the video against dismantling their PS5 to the extent seen in It's demonstration. Doing so will not only void a customer's warranty, but it could also expose them to unnecessary risks, like possible electrical shock.
In the teardown video's accompanying PlayStation blog post, Masayasu Ito reiterated how excited he and his team were for people to finally get their hands on the PS5. He wrote, "Although we have faced unprecedented challenges this year with many of us working remotely from home throughout the world, we are pleased to be able to deliver a new transformative experience to you with PS5 this November."