That’s it?
Reporting from Press Start, an Australian video game outlet, uncovered Sony’s stealth change to the PlayStation 5. If you were expecting a dramatic redesign, sorry to disappoint. The only change comes to the screw for the base stand, which can be installed or removed using just your fingers (new one on the left). The new consoles are also 300 grams lighter.
While no longer requiring a screwdriver to use the base stand is an improvement, the change is barely even worth mentioning, especially when there are bigger issues to address. Input’s Ryan Houlihan strongly believes the PlayStation 5 sucks, but here are some changes Sony could make to the console to improve it.
Simple SSD install
Support for M.2 NVMe SSDs is only available for beta users (here’s how to sign up), but it should be coming to everyone else soon. Expandable internal storage is a big win for all PS5 owners; installing it is not. Sony’s method for expanding your storage takes a page out of the PC building playbook and requires removing the cover plates to access the guts of the console to install the flash storage.
We’d like to see something similar to Microsoft and Seagate’s expansion card that simply plugs into a dedicated port. Sure, a proprietary SSD is expensive, but the plug-and-play design is worth it.
PS5 Slim
The sheer size of the PS5 has become such a talking point that Ikea provides a cardboard cutout replica to see whether the console will fit in media centers. Not to mention, its over-the-top design can clash with the aesthetic of your perfectly decorated room. A slim version would be a win for everyone.
Sony has always released a slim version of its home consoles so the PS5 should be no different. The gap between the standard and slim versions is typically three years, which is a long wait. Fingers crossed Sony releases a slimmer PS5 sooner rather than later.
Stable Wi-Fi
For PS5 owners, having a stable Wi-Fi connection has been a big issue since the console was released last year, according to Kotaku. It seems the problem is ongoing, which requires either restarting the console or turning Wi-Fi off and on again. Whether the issue is a faulty Wi-Fi module, interference, or something else, Sony needs to revise it ASAP. An unstable Wi-Fi connection stemming from a system issue is unacceptable.
Can’t stand it
If your own employees and commercials can’t figure out how to properly place a PlayStation 5 horizontally, then maybe it’s time to go back to the drawing board. A console shouldn’t need plastic stand to prop it up in horizontally. Vertically, sure, but horizontally? That’s just dumb.
Topside disc drive
It makes more sense that the disc drive would be on the top, which is why people place their consoles upside down. It’s not user error; it’s a design error. Placing the disc drive on the top not only looks better (it’s on the top on the PS2, PS3, and PS4), but it would stop users from inserting the disc facing the opposite way.
GIVE US FACEPLATES
When you have interchangeable faceplates, you expect to be able to customize it. Faceplates were a great feature on the Xbox 360, but Sony seems to be anti-fun. At least you can paint the plates, or buy from a third-party seller that Sony tried to shut down.
Scratch-resistant
This last one may sound like a minor gripe, but when you spend $500 on a console, it shouldn’t scratch when you so much as look at it. For some reason, the glossy center panel on the PS5 is a dust magnet and scratches all too easily.