We already know that the PS5 will be a behemoth of a console that will run next-gen 4K games at high frame rates with zippy loading speeds. But a new teardown video from Sony gives us a better idea of how the new console will handle all of these demanding tasks, while also revealing some neat design quirks.
Presented by Yasuhiro Ootori, VP of PlayStation's mechanical design department, the 7-minute video goes through every component of the PS5 and how they work together to deliver powerful, cool and quiet next-gen gaming.
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The first thing Ootori goes over is the absolutely gargantuan size of Sony's console (roughly 15.3 x 10 x 4 inches). Seeing the system next to an actual person drives home just how massive it is, though Ootori says the extra bulk allows for a "dramatic improvement in performance."
We get a close-up look at the PS5's ports, which include a USB Type-C SuperSpeed port and a Hi-Speed USB Type-A port up front. In the back, you'll find two SuperSpeed USB-A ports as well as connections for Ethernet, HDMI and power. Ootori also shows off the console's circular plastic base, which can be easily screwed off with a tool for when you want to switch between vertical and horizontal orientations.
Here's where things get interesting: The PS5's white side panels can be popped off without the need for any tools, allowing you to get a good look at the cooling fans underneath. Not only should this make it easy for users to manually clean the PS5's fans, but it could open the doors up to a slew of custom faceplates similar to what the Xbox 360 offered. Sony has previously stated that the PS5 will be very customizable, after all.
Ootori goes on to remove the PS5's large, 120mm double-sided air intake fan, which is designed to keep the system cool under pressure. The fans are flanked by dust-catching slots, which are designed to vacuum any errant dust out of the system. We also get a good look at the 4K Blu-ray drive, which is covered in metal with layers of insulators to keep things from getting noisy when a disc is spinning.
The clip eventually gives us a good look at the PS5's motherboard, fully revealing the system's 8-core AMD Ryzen 2 CPU with 10.3 teraflops of power, 8GB of GDDR6 RAM and onboard 825GB SSD — the latter of which looks surprisingly tiny. If you run out of space quickly, fret not; there's also an M.2 interface with PCIe 4.0 support for adding your own storage.
The last key feature Ootori goes over is cooling. The PS5 uses a custom liquid metal thermal conductor, which is designed to keep the system from overheating while allowing it to run optimally. We also see the PS5's giant copper heat sink, which Ootori says was designed to "achieve the same performance as a vapor chamber." Vapor chambers are built to spread heat in multiple directions for more effective cooling, so a PS5 cooling system that works similarly bodes well for the console's performance.
Early PS5 hands-ons have suggested that the system runs very quiet during gameplay, and having seen the console's advanced internal design, it's easy to see why. We're eager to see all of these components work together to deliver immersive next-gen gaming (and possibly some new customization options) when the PS5 hits the U.S. on November 12.
