I would be thoroughly impressed if you haven’t yet heard about Sony’s revised PlayStation 5 model that rolled out in November. Though not slim in name, it’s slim in nature albeit not as small as what one YouTuber has homebrewed. Posted on Nov. 28, Not From Concentrate’s 11-minute masterclass demonstrates just how tiny a PS5 could conceivably get. This viral video has racked up 150,000 views in 24 hours and is pure bliss for PC builders as the entire process is laid bare for anybody brave enough to replicate it.
“When I first heard rumors…earlier this year, I hoped that Sony would make the disc drive external and design the case to be smaller,” host Erick explained. “I’m disappointed that Sony didn’t live up to my expectations so I decided to do it myself.” Referenced here specifically is the refreshed Digital version of the PS5—it can be upgraded to house a disc drive at a later point.
Now, not everything could be directly translated from the comparative behemoth to its new, 3D-printed casing. Ignoring the totally external (but completely optional) disc drive, cooling required a complete overhaul alongside the power solution. A new SSD was also necessary. The end result is a very efficient and quite elegant design complete with status LEDs and a built-in charging dock for controllers.
If there are any comparisons to be made, the recent generations of Xbox systems come to mind. Beginning with the Xbox One, every new console has been decidedly boxy in nature allowing for easy storage in any setup. This dubbed “PS5 Tiny” is a step up on these in my personal opinion. Coming in at even smaller than the Xbox Series S, it fits into even more cubby holes without losing any of the flashy bonuses that its original form boasted.
So why doesn’t Sony go to this extreme? Or Microsoft for that matter?
There is something to be said for consumer satisfaction. Technically astute buyers may well not care about the size of a purchase if they feel that the internal components are worth the price. As for the regular consumer, however, to see something that small might dissuade them from investing hundreds of dollars in it.
Mid-generation console downsizes are nothing new, after all. The original PlayStation was redesigned into the PSOne in 2000—a cheap alternative to tide players over if they couldn’t purchase the PlayStation 2 on launch. It has become a generational tradition ever since, witnessing swathes of new owners pick up a smaller box for a smaller price.
