If Sony’s PS5 hardware pics are final, it’s going to be massive

(Image credit: Sony)

While we continue to wait on the final PS5 price, we can at least say something for certain: you’re getting a lot for your money. And it turns out that’s in both the figurative and literal sense.

Yes, if the hardware Sony showed off during last week’s big reveal is completely to scale, then the PS5 is going to be quite the chonker. Given DVDs and Blu-rays are of a uniform size, Redditor GREBO7 was able to compare the drive size on the upcoming PS5 to other consoles and it’s absolutely enormous – unless Sony is going to surprise us by using GameCube-sized disks.

PS5 size compared to other consoles — (Image credit: GREBO7 / Reddit)

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As you can see, it’s chunkier than every recent console, including the hefty OG PS3. And while you can lose a bit of girth by buying the discless version, it’s really not that much of a difference overall.

I've done this about 4 times and I'm getting similar results. pic.twitter.com/4lWxdhaoKqJune 11, 2020

Does it matter? Well, people certainly like slim designs for their phones and tablets, but then they’re supposed to be portable. While sleek design is certainly nice in consoles and set-top boxes, it’s hardly a deal breaker – after all, these machines are designed to live under your TV. Provided your TV stand has enough space and can hold the weight, it may be a non issue.

On top of that, there’s something else to be said for larger consoles: heat reduction. While you might not care too much about how hot your console runs as long as it’s under warranty, a smaller body with the same specs might well end up being noisier, as the fans do double time trying to keep the internals cool. Anybody who has endured a PS4 Pro going flat out will know just how annoying this can be.

And if it really bothers you, then you can be pretty confident that Sony will come up with something smaller in the long run. Every PlayStation since the original PSOne has had a smaller version developed eventually – but given they arrived six (PSOne), four (PS2) and three years (PS3 and PS4) after the original hardware, you’ll probably be waiting until 2023 for Sony to make a PS5 on a dinky scale.

Still, you have to worry for the backs of the postal workers who’ll be shifting all these early Xbox Series X and PS5 units to eager punters. Be sure to thank them for their service, day one buyers.

Freelance contributor Alan has been writing about tech for over a decade, covering phones, drones and everything in between. Previously Deputy Editor of tech site Alphr, his words are found all over the web and in the occasional magazine too. When not weighing up the pros and cons of the latest smartwatch, you'll probably find him tackling his ever-growing games backlog. Or, more likely, playing Spelunky for the millionth time.