Sony has tip-toed its way into making its PS5 console more customizable. First, there was a batch of DualSense controllers in red and black, and more recently, it released a variety of vibrant color options that I really dug. At last, after threatening legal action against Dbrand, which beat Sony to the punch with PS5 console covers of its own, Sony has launched its own swappable console covers in midnight black and cosmic red, with more colors on the way.
I got to slap some of these new console covers on my PS5, helping me to see the console in a different light and giving me some much-needed practice at removing the covers (it still feels less intuitive than it should). There isn’t much to say about the console covers; they’re color-swaps of the ones that come pre-installed on the PS5, complete with microscopic face button symbols. Oh, and they’re $54.99 per set (it’s just two pieces of plastic in a box), so your journey for a PS5 that better reflects your taste costs nearly as much as a game.
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Photo by Cameron Faulkner / The Verge
And yet, getting at least one set might be something that many PS5 owners will want to do. If you’re like me, the PS5 wasn’t, let’s say, the most natural addition to your entertainment center. New colors don’t necessarily fix everything about the PS5’s divisive, obtuse design, but an all-black PS5 is a lot easier on the eyes than the bright white plates.
And even though the black and red options debuting first are limited (purple, pink, and blue will be added later on), the permutations of expression expand if you mix and match the colors.
It’d be cool if Sony eventually released the PS5 with some of these fresh colors pre-installed, as opposed to offering only a console that’s clad in white. But I’m glad that these exist after feeling burnt by Sony never bringing its bold swappable hard drive covers for the original PS4 to the US. So long as the company keeps releasing interesting colors for the PS5, I may find myself tempted to invest in a new one every so often.
