While it’s unlikely the PS5 dev kit will look like the final retail model, a recently published PS5 dev kit patent is giving us a look at the unique V-shaped console revealed through previous leaks. Most notably, the exploded view of the console in the patent images shows us how its cooling system works, pulling air in through those enormous vents on the V-shaped upper portion of the console.
Another top-down image shows how the airflow works through the system, entering through the front center and venting out the back and sides.
Whether not the PS5 dev kit’s cooling solution is similar to the expensive cooling system said to be in the retail console remains to be seen. Sony hasn’t shown off the final design just yet, but we do know from Mark Cerny himself that the company is excited about the unique cooling for the PlayStation 5. Cerny teased that it would be seen in a console teardown at some point, though it’s still unknown when that’s coming.
The patent has a number of other images in it, giving a better look at the front, back, and sides of the console. The text of the patent goes on to describe and explain the images, detailing cooling over the heatsink and power supply. In fact, the entire patent itself is not for the PS5 dev kit console as a whole, but for the design that allows for cooling. The translated abstract reads “The present disclosure relates to techniques for improving cooling performance of electronic devices.”
Generally, when the performance of an electronic device is improved, the heat generation amount of a microprocessor or the like is increased, or the heat generation amount of a power supply unit is increased, so that higher cooling performance is required.
The abstract says that, due to the PS5’s improved performance, heat generation is increased and cooling performance also needs to improve over previous consoles. Again, that’s no guarantee that the final retail PS5 model will match with what we’re seeing here, but it is possible Sony could pull in some of the same design sensibilities. After all, Sony had to design the dev kit model too, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see that continue to be iterated into a retail design.
