The Feedback on PlayStation 5
Why are there two console designs?
One is a “regular” and the other is “digital”. Doesn’t these terms sound a bit dated and unfamiliar to the average buyer? Are we not in the 2020s or stuck in the 1980s? Regular, as in non-constipated version? Digital, as in non-analog version? Have the people at Sony not heard of the “cloud” for the past decade? We’ve just begun the “plus” era in the video streaming. I think this was a missed opportunity for Sony to set itself as a leader in the industry by not focusing primarily on the “cloud” (digital) version. Take a page out of the Apple Inc. playbook and provide a disk-drive as an attachment accessory for those who want it. This would free up vital resources to focus on only one primary console design. The disk-drive in the regular version looks like an afterthought, rather than a well integrated cohesive design.
Let talk about the design
First impression, it looks like a router wrapped in a cheap white melting plastic from the 1990s. The inner texture looks like popcorn ceilings from the 1970s. The roundness on the back doesn’t flow well with the sharp popped-collar from the 1980s, made famous by Diane Keaton, of the front. It’s like a melting pot of the previous decades without a cohesive vision of the future. I think they missed the point of harnessing the design language of simplicity for the past few years and strive to push the boundaries for the new decade. Keeping the theme of going primarily towards cloud design, I would have kept the face clean off of any ports. I can see the face being more of an information center with lit iconography or text. Think of the status bar on your phone or the Touch Bar on your Apple MacBook. Perhaps show your active friends similar to Facebook or Instagram.
Vertical versus Horizontal
With over 30 years of experience, couldn’t this 8th generation catch up with the statistics? Most users place their console horizontally, especially when there’s been a disk-drive in place since the original PlayStation. While advocating for complete removal of a disk-drive in PS5, I would still argue for the horizontal format as the default orientation. The horizontal design also works well with the Touch Bar facial concept.
What happened to the branding?
There’s a “PS” icon cut into the white plastic to reveal the black router-like body on the left top rear of the console, which gets hidden when placed horizontally. Then there’s a “SONY” embossed in the inner right popped-collar. The corporate logo is smooth in texture and superimposed on the popcorn ceiling texture. I would have executively preferred the branding be more apparent on the fascia. I think the branding was implemented well in the PlayStation 4, be that it took few iterations to get to the preferred aesthetic on the slim version. Why not make the “PS” icon into a lit power button?
A square peg in a round hole
Microsoft has branded themselves as being the square and sharp-edged. While, Apple has branded themselves the opposite as being round around the edges and organic. I would argue for Sony to go in the Apple direction and embrace the roundness. As the direct competitor of Xbox, it would be beneficial to distinguish themselves in a consistent manner that’s persistent from generation to generation. Looking at the evolution of the PlayStation 4, you can see the design language going from sharpness of the original to the round corners of the slim. I think that was the right decision in moving towards the simplistic and round design language.
What do I mean by designing for 2020 and beyond?
Think about the living room where most users place their console. What kind of materials work and compliment the furniture? How significant is the appearance of the console juxtapose against other objects in the room? A few products come to mind that seems to understand this “next” generation design language.
Atari VCS
The Atari VCS (releasing 2020) has a good balance of materials while paying homage to their heritage of the original console. The face has a wood grained texture along with lit indicators. There’s a choice between three fascias to choose from; the default walnut wood grain, black onyx glass, and carbon fiber gold. The logo icon looks great in the front, which reminds me of the way logos are placed distinctively on the hood of automobiles. Atari decisively choose to omit a disk-drive and go all-in the cloud. The slat design is another reminiscent of the original console and resembles those aluminum heat-sinkers, which visually adapts it to the current times. The black body color is universal enough to blend in with most users’ black television and furniture. Even placed on a crisp white slab of marble, the contrast of the console, would look pleasing. All the ports are conveniently placed out of the way in the rear.
Alienware Gaming Desktop
The Alienware Gaming Desktop looks like a better execution of what PlayStation 5 could have been. The rounded shell beautifully follows the lines of the inner fascia, which gives it a substantial distinguished shape one can be proud of. The gap design camouflages the functional powerful cooling vents very well. The simple placement of the lit logo icon is all that’s needed for branding. Although, it makes sense to have ports in the front of a desktop computer, I think simplicity is more elegant when considering the living-room-first design strategy.
PlayStation 4 Slim
The PlayStation 4 Slim, as mentioned numerous times, is a great iteration towards good design. I would have had the design team use it as the foundation for the PS5 and evolve from there. The entire case in matte black with an isolated “PS” icon in glossy finish on the top gives it a luxurious appearance. The “SONY” and “PS4” logos on the fascia dictates the top-bottom orientation clearly. The layer design is a clever way to implement and hide the disk-drive within the case, while giving visual depth. The PS4 Slim is so simplistic and elegant in design that there’s even a white version that works seamlessly. This proves they have the creative potential, which makes the PS5 extra disappointing.
Final thoughts
For a 5th generation console, it’s very disappointing.