Sony has now explained why the PS5 is so large. Because especially a potential overheating problem can be managed with the size of the PS5. The 7nm manufacturing of the PS5 is immensely powerful, but it also leads to significant heat generation.
Where does the information come from? The PS5 design appears to be very large. Many fans noticed this quite early in comparison to other consoles. Now, Matt MacLaurin, Vice President of User Experience Design at PlayStation, has spoken out about it.
What does he say? When he was asked why the PlayStation 5 is much larger and bulkier than the PS4, he explained that there is a very specific reason for it:
Heat generation. This Gen[eration] are small supercomputers. The 7nm processor provides amazing thermal performance for its power, but this performance is very extreme.
Matt MacLaurin, Vice President of User Experience Design, via Gamesradar.com
Why is heat a problem? Some users complained about the heat issues of the PlayStation 4 Pro. For instance, Ryan Schott from the English-speaking YouTube channel Cinemassacre’s explained in his video about the PlayStation 4: “I want to mention that this thing runs hot. Which is something crazy… we had it running for several hours today and it [the console] was really hot.”
The high heat generation in the PS4 Pro is partly due to the console’s processor: here, Sony had installed an overclocked Jaguar CPU from AMD.
Pictures of a melted PS4 Pro, which circulated on Twitter via #meltgate, turned out to be false (via thegg.net).
The PlayStation 4 always becomes very loud and hot, which bothers many users. The size of the PlayStation 5 is supposed to help significantly reduce heat generation. If your PS4 is too loud – we have 6 tips on what you can do against a loud and hot PS4.
If you’re wondering whether the new PS5 design fits in your apartment: With this trick, it’s possible to place the PS5 in your living room right now:
MacLaurin: Not everyone may like the design, but the cooling is good
MacLaurin explains in another comment that he can understand that some people do not like the PS5 design. However, it effectively addresses the heat problem that plagued the PS4:
I understand that this is not for everyone – but that is not good art. Still, I think it is designed enough to handle it [the heat] quietly.
Matt MacLaurin, Vice President of User Experience Design, via Gamesradar.com
The design has caused a lot of attention, even though the PS5 controller had already indirectly announced the design. If you do not like the PS5 controller: It is very likely that the best PS4 controllers of 2020 will continue to work on the PS5.
Where does the heat actually come from? Today, technical components can be made smaller and smaller. This offers manufacturers the advantage that they can fit more parts onto the same surface that provide more performance. However, with performance also comes heat.
The use of 7nm processors from AMD delivers a lot of performance but also dissipates heat accordingly. With a large case, the heat can be dissipated better.
Do you want to learn more about the PlayStation 5? We have compiled the most important information about the PS5 for you and will keep you updated on MeinMMO about what’s new regarding the PS5.
