The PlayStation 5 is the largest next-gen console. Now Sony has stated that it basically comes down to a single component. This is the large fan built into the PS5. And if the console had been smaller, it would have also cost more.
Where does the information come from? In the official PS5 teardown, Japanese engineer Yasuhiro Ootori demonstrated how the PS5 is constructed. He fully disassembled the console into its individual parts.
Who is speaking? Ootori is the General Manager of the Mechanical Design Department at Sony. He has been with the company since 1998 and is now responsible for the Hardware Design Department.
In an interview with the Japanese tech site Nikkei Xtech, the engineer explained that the PS5 is only so large due to a single component. We are talking about the large fan built into the PS5.
Sony had already stated earlier that the size of the console is related to the fact that the PS5 generates a lot of heat and energy.
That is why the console is so big: The thickness of the fan also determines the thickness of the console. The dual-sided air intake fan that Sony chose for the PS5 has a diameter of 120 millimeters and a width of 45 millimeters. This makes the PS5 larger than the PS4 Pro.
| PS5 | PS4 Pro |
|---|---|
| 390 mm x 260 mm x 104 mm | 327 mm x 295 mm x 55 mm |
PS5 Size: A smaller PS5 would have been more expensive
Yasuhiro Ootori also explained that there were indeed options to make the PS5 smaller: Instead of a large fan, they would have had to install two small fans.
However, this would have also been more expensive, as it is more difficult to control two fans and expel the heat than it is to manage a single large fan.
When opening the PS5, there were also several other interesting things to see. We now know what Sony came up with to combat dust issues inside the PS5.
