On Thursday, we finally got our first look at the PlayStation 5, and boy does it look weird. But what wasn’t immediately apparent during Sony’s digital press conference was just how big the next-gen console is. Sitting alone among digitally rendered graphics makes the console’s futuristic curves look sleek and slim, but if you put it next to the PS4, PS3, or the upcoming Xbox Series X , that illusion is shattered. This is a hefty chonker.
Using the disc drive as a point of reference, we estimated the PS5 to have the rough dimensions of 15.74″ x 8.79″ x 3.97″. For comparison, we’ve estimated the Xbox Series X size to be roughly 11.85″ x 6.03″ x 6.03″. The important number here is the height. Sony has displayed PlayStation hardware vertically going all the way back to the PS2, but I’d wager that in most homes, the console ended up sitting on its side in an entertainment center or on a shelf. The PS5, though, seems designed specifically to stand up, with side panels that curve upwards like a skyscraper in the Dubai skyline.
It can still be positioned on its side, of course, but it looks like it will take a small support stand to keep the system from tilting awkwardly. Either way, that nearly 16-inch height is by far the tallest PlayStation console to date – towering three inches over the next-tallest Sony console, the original-body full-fat PS3.
The Xbox Series X is obviously quite heftier in the mid-section, but I’m not bothered by that as much due to its overall smaller footprint. The thing that concerns me about the PS5’s massive height is that it will likely be too large for some shelving units and entertainment centers. The bold, futuristic PS5 design isn’t going to appeal to everyone, but those looking to hide it away out of sight might be out of luck. For example, the cubes in the popular Ikea Kallax shelving unit measure just over 13″ x 13″ – too small for the PS5 unless you plan on sticking it in diagonally (please don’t).
Regardless, I’m certain there’s good reason for all that extra heft – specifically in the name of cooling. The PS4 Pro is considerably smaller by comparison, but it also has notoriously loud cooling fans. Personally I’d rather have a little bit of heft in the console than have it sound like a jet engine is taking off every time I fire up the console.
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Bo Moore is IGN’s Executive Editor of Tech. Follow him on Twitter @usebomswisely where he frequently tweets about his cats. PlayStation vs Xbox Size Comparison graphic by Nicole Cagampan.
Source: IGN.com How big is the PS5?