PlayStation 5 Dev Kits Are More Interesting Than The Final Design

Back in the early days of gaming consoles, each box, if you could really call them a box, exuded some personality with a unique and almost eccentric design. Perhaps due to the changing aesthetic tastes of the gaming market, that design trend stopped after the first Xbox and PlayStation consoles. Leaked patents almost suggested that the PlayStation 5 could once again sport a rather unorthodox form, something confirmed by this latest leaked photo. Sadly, the photo is reportedly that of a dev kit, which doesn't bode well for what the PS5 will actual actually look like.

Pre-production consoles sent to game developers and publishers are, of course, never representative of the box's final design. They're often made to be more conducive to, well, developing games rather than being pleasing to look at. Plus, it also keeps the final design away from unauthorized eyes who might leak the console, exactly like what happened now.

Previous patent reports revealed an unusual PS5 design that wasn't a straight-out box. It had a large V-shaped "valley" that some have theorized was related to the Roman numeral for five. As a dev kit, it is also theorized to make it easier for developers to stack multiple consoles on top of each other.

Also shown in the leak is a controller, probably the DUALSHOCK5. Its similarity to the PS4 controller is no accident but the absence of a light strip suggests it isn't the same controller. Of course, one can't tell by pictures alone whether it will have those rumored adaptive triggers.

It will definitely be a shame if the PS5 won't look as unique as this but, given the bulk, it definitely doesn't fit modern styles. Consoles these days are designed to blend into the background or at least with other parts of a home entertainment system rather than standing out to shout a certain brand or model.