It comes as no real surprise, but the PlayStation 5's rather large size is at least partly down to the fact that it has to stay as cool as possible. And no, we don't mean cool cool, we're talking temperature here.
PlayStation UI design boss Matt MacLaurin has been answering questions about the newly revealed PS5 over on his LinkedIn page. When asked why the system is so big and bulky, MacLaurin simply answers: "Thermals."
He explains: "This gen is little supercomputers. While the 7nm process delivers amazing heat performance for the power, the power is very extreme." In other words, this tech needs to stay cool, so larger casing is a must.
For those out of the loop, the PS5 is indeed a very big console. Going by estimates, the next-gen system is taller than any PlayStation before it. The standard version, which includes a disc drive, is also wider than all of them, barring maybe the original PS3.
This news follows on from Sony Europe boss Simon Rutter's comments regarding fan noise. He said that a "great deal of effort" has gone into making sure that the PS5 is quieter than the PS4.
After hearing how loud the PS4 can get, we'd take a bigger PS5 over cooling issues every time. But do you agree? Clear some room in the comments section below.
[source linkedin.com, via gamesradar.com]
Comments 57
Other than the obvious upgrades, the two things I really want the PS5 to improve on is to no longer make me feel like I'm on a Boeing 747 as it takes off, and a longer battery life for the controller. I'd actually pay extra for a controller with a longer battery life.
No problems here. If it keeps the noise down I don't care how big it is.
I thought my PS4 Pro was going to take off last night when playing MGSV so I'm all for it. It looks beautiful as well. A majestic console.
I thought that was obvious lol. Surface area to heat transfer.... science. Ps5 teaching everybody and advancing gaming lol
Yep, perfectly happy with this.
I actually quite like the idea of it being something of a centerpiece in the room as well.
Hey man, some of us like'em dummthicc!
That's what she said.
@elvisfan1 I used to shrug when I'd hear this sort of criticism of PS4Pro then my starting sounding like that as well. I don't use discs so I'd expect it to be less noticeable but nope. Thing sounds like it's revving up.
@Matroska It wouldn’t matter if the battery life was the same as ds4 because of the usb-c, which means charge only for like 30 minutes.
@AhmadSumadi Me too! Only seems to happen with MGSV...
@Matroska Indeed, I'm a bit concerned that every Sony person is talking about all the new gadgets of the new controller, but no one has mentioned anything whatsoever (as far as I know) about battery life.
@Cutmastavictory Well at least with PCs it's more to so with airflow inside the case. When you make a PC you even have to pay attention to how you route the cables around between all the components so you don't restrict the airflow. The smaller the case, the less air, the less channels for heat to escape from.
@AhmadSumadi Discs and digital are the same, the disc is copied to the HDD then nothing is read from the disc. The only difference is you need the disc in so you don't just lend your disc to 100s of people.
The worst culprit for my PS4 Pro is Star Wars: Battlefront 2. Just when I think it can't get any loader, it does
Good.
I'll gladly take a bigger console if it means it'll have better air flow.
As I have read before me bigger i don't mind i just dont want a loud console. I hope its future proof and we don't have failing coolants in place over long periods of gameplay.
@Matroska this had me thinking about getting the digital-only PS5 but I quickly changed my mind seeing as how I like to have a choice between the two.
I don't give a damn abt size and shape over performance and games
This is what I've ever wanted. Cool and powerful.
I am not in the least concerned with size. If it doesn’t fit on the living room furniture, put it in the garage ...
😎 cool word up son
Looks cool. Is cool.
It was obvious Cooling was playing a major part in its design and Size. The OG XB1 went much bigger to avoid any repeat of the RROD and that also kept the power supply unit external too. There are numerous vents on both sides of the Black central part which is also an indication of its design to reduce heat - something that would obviously be an issue with running a 'relatively' small GPU at such high speeds.
Before anyone gets offended that I say its a 'small' GPU, remember its a 36 CU GPU, the same CU count as a PS4 Pro but the Pro runs at 911Mhz, this is running at up to 2230Mhz (or 0.911GHz compared to 2.23GHz). The CPU may be a similarly 8core running at up to 3.5Ghz (compared to the Pro's 2.1GHz and PS4's 1.6GHz) so more than 2x the PS4's frequency. As well as extra heat from the RAM and SSD and all the extra processors on the APU for asset management, Audio etc, heat is certainly going to be an issue unless the Console design and cooling system is built to handle that most efficiently.
One of the goals was also to reduce noise from the console - predominantly Fan noise from cooling and one way is to make the system much more efficient at venting heat - stopping it from building up in a small and confined area so having a lot of 'room' for air to circulate will help.
It was obvious, to me at least, that the design would need to allow for the heat to be extracted quickly and efficiently. It would need to either have very quiet and yet very powerful fans that operate almost consistently to extract the heat immediately or have much more space for a lot of the heat to dissipate naturally meaning you can also use less powerful fans which are naturally quieter anyway...
Quieter than PS4 douesn't comfort me. Everything is quieter than PS4.
I reapplied the thermal paste on my 2017 PS4 Pro a month ago and since I did that it's been much, much quieter.
All for the PS5 being designed to be quieter as prior to that it was unbearably loud.
The noise is not a massive issue for me as I tend to wear headphones but I admit during quieter game sequences I did still notice mainly with games such as God of War and the recent DOOM Eternal even though I am on a Pro (albeit the original one which isn't as quiet as the latest version). Looks kool and is cool 😎
PS4 loud... annoying... sound like gonna essplode... PS5... quiet? Nice!
So no slim version then??
@SamwiseTargee Yes! I downloaded as one if the PS+ games and ive never heard ny Pro make so much noise, I promptly uninstalled it
I was born in the '80s so I've lived through needing two people to carry a VCR. I think I can handle this small fry.
I have a ps4 slim and I have never had any issues with noise. With the PS5, I would expect that it would be quieter. My other hopes are that the Dualsense battery life is much better than DS4 and that the PS5 itself consumes less power.
I'm okay with the design as long as I can put it horizontally, I'll put it vertically if I have new tv cabinet though.
@gmxs if it's not too much of a deal-breaker I would recommend putting some headphones on and sticking with it as a really enjoyable game
Shouldn't that be 'big and beauti-cool'?
Thank you, I'll let myself out.
It’s not only noise that’s an issue, my two previous gen Pro’s both pumped out a massive amount of heat... the latest one is hardly noticeable.
But the launch Pro heated the room up massively
The size doesn't bother me if it stays cool and quiet. However what is bothering me is getting used to the shape. All those curves and uneven angles , I don't think will do My ocd any good 😂 I lm looking forward to see the breakdown of the hardware and see it from different angles.
@SamwiseTargee PS5 3D headphones are a must purchase! The sound will be amazing and fully optimized for the system!
I would love to put my PS4 Pro in a mid tower case with better air flow and larger heatsink! I don't care how big the PS5 is long as it reduces noise.
Consoles are getting more and more like PCs, including the size This is a really good thing, I can't stand that steroid filled mosquito that is my PS4 pro, especially when it goes berserk when I go back to the home menu on some games, like a plague tale.
When my PS4 and later Pro got loud, I opened them up and cleaned out all the dust. Then they were quiet again. If your console is loud, it’s telling you you need to clean it.
Fan noise has never bothered me on PS4, either with the original or the Pro. It's certainly never been loud enough to distract from the game I'm playing, even at night on lower volumes.
@BAMozzy Yeah 2.2ghz is extremely high clocks for a GPU... especially an AMD GPU. The CPU being an actual high end part this time as opposed to a mobile chipset is also great for consumers, but with both those things in mind it is no wonder both MS and Sony had to go much bigger this gen. Neither want a RROD/YLOD situation again.
I personally think the PS5 looks really good and can't wait to get it into my living room.
Pre-order soon please
I can't wait for a PS5 console teardown to see how airflow is routed through such a unqiue shell design.
@shortmaneighty2 Have you actually seen the Series X? Its no bigger than the XB1X. Its like they cut the back end off and put it on the top so on its side it will be higher but not as deep. Its basically the same length. Point is, it seems to actually be around the size in essence - just a different shape.
Of course both MS and Sony had to address the massive imbalance between the CPU and GPU. To me it seems that this gen - at least back in 2012/3 coming out of a massive global crisis and with analysts predicting consoles were dead - that Sony and MS decided to go as cheap as possible on the CPU to keep the consoles cheap but with a 'reasonable' GPU, games at least would look better, look next gen.
No doubt this Gen consoles were planned when things weren't so economically unstable and therefore they went bigger, more balanced - especially with the Pro and X providing a graphical jump to 'beat'. They were able to use the latest developments, technology that isn't yet in the PC market. With gaming relatively strong - even if it was slowing down as the generation draws to its end - they could be more ambitious with the specs. It may seem a bit too ambitious for some as 2020 hasn't been a great year but Gaming itself will probably fair better than a lot of other leisure activities because its not socialising in person. But I still bet Sony and MS are not as 'comfortable' as they were 6months ago with their plans and hardware choices.
In any case, I can't wait for both consoles. I have been ready for them for a few years now and still can't believe they dragged this gen out as long as they have - especially with such mediocre CPU's....
I was hoping for something bigger.
just shut up and take my money already Sony... you know you already have
@PeakyBlinder Faster charging isn't the issue. My PS4 controller is the only controller that I own where I have to charge it every play session or two. Most other controllers last over a week, my Switch Pro controller only needs to be charged about once a month. Xbox Elite Series 2 controller, every two weeks. I'd be fine with it taking eight hours to charge a controller, as long as I don't have to do it often. Total hassle.
For around $15 you can get an extended PS4 controller battery, and I could probably get a wireless charger and put it on my coffee table so it's more convenient. Still one of my top three biggest issues with the PS4, along with bad back-compat and less exclusives I care about than all prior PS systems.
@BAMozzy I mean yes the Series X might be around the same size in volume as the One X but it's layout/fan design seems to be a direct result of efficient cooling.
I have no doubt that is exactly why we ended up with budget hardware in current gen consoles. Everyone thought gaming on your phone was the future. That couple with the economy at the time like you mentioned played a huge part in spec choice. I have seen comments even as recently as a couple of days ago stating it is too soon to release the PS5 as the PS4 is "Still fine". People don't realise how bad the Jaguar CPU was even at launch let alone 7 years later.
I keep reminding people to look at Horizon Zero Dawn and Uncharted 4 and remind yourself that it is running on what is essentially an HD 7850/70 and a mobile CPU! Now imagine those same developers creating a game for a 5700 and 8 core 16 thread high end CPU. Those are going to be some AMAZING games and I am all for it.
the only thing that bugs me about the PS4 is the fan noise.
@TurboTom Put. It. Vertically.
I'm OCD and I will put a PlayStation vertically standing for the first time ever. #PS5
@johncalmc oh man, my back still hurts from carrying all those CRT tv’s from that era.🤣
@TurboTom Vertical.
@MarcG420 Back in '93 had to take me mams living room window out just get her new telly into the living room.
@EternalOptimist1
I was actually thinking the same thing earlier before I read your message 👍someone did a 3D rotating render of it on ps5 reddit site, and it looks quite good to be honest.
@johncalmc I believe it some of those weighed as much as and were as big as small cows 🤣
It won't be the the only thing that will be a Large Size(I wished) when I buy this ;-o
List of things I need to know:
1) how long does the controller last on full charge, and how long it takes to charge from empty to full?
2) whare are the actual dimensions of the console (so I have enough room for it).
3) will the ps5 make more noise over time, just like the ps4.
4) how much?
5) when?
Everything else will be extra info that is welcome but not needed.
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