PS5 news: Console is customizable and will have special editions; smart 3D model shows how being big keeps it cool; PlayStation 5 price speculation targets US$499

PS5 news keeps rolling in now the hardware has been revealed, and it seems like mostly good news for PlayStation fans. First up, the VP of UX Design at PlayStation, Matt MacLaurin, has been sharing some exciting tidbits about the next-gen console. Not only is the PS5 getting an overhauled user interface, but the hardware itself will also be customizable and there will be special editions of the console down the road. Fans have already started offering up their own take on customized PS5 consoles (see images below). When asked if it would come in black, MacLaurin reportedly said “maybe”.

Whether this means the white panels of the PS5 are removable or not has yet to be confirmed, or if removing them would affect heat dissipation. MacLaurin offered a simple answer when asked why the next-gen console was so bulky in comparison to previous PlayStation consoles: “Thermals”. He goes on to remind people that the PS5 is basically a “little supercomputer” so its hefty size is required for an appropriate cooling system. A 3D 360-degree rendered model of the PS5 gives viewers a good look at the vents that surround the key components of the interior. Unfortunately, the secret of what ports are on the rear side of the console remains a secret.

With retailer PS5 price placeholders seeming to appear almost daily, a video-game industry analyst has offered up his proposal for the likely prices: @BenjiSales expects the regular PS5 to be priced at US$499 and the Digital Edition to cost US$450. These figures tie in with the more sober guesses and estimates that we have reported on in the past. While some of the comments he has received state the belief that the regular PS5 will actually cost around US$599, the analyst himself has his fingers crossed for an unlikely but optimistic price range of US$399-US$425 for the digital variant.