PlayStation 5 is the biggest console in modern history, but should that turn you off from buying it?
There’s a moment you’ll have when unboxing your PS5 after removing the accessories box that you’ll never forget – it’s when you first pull the console out of the box. Emphasis on the word pull there.
In that moment you’ll understand how massive this console really is, and how fitting it into your media center, well, might be more of a challenge than you originally thought.
For some, the PS5 size is going to be a problem, potentially a big enough one that they might cancel their PS5 pre-orders. Others, like myself, won’t have a problem with it at all.
The largest console in modern history
So just how big is the PS5? According to our measurements it’s 38.8 x 8 x 26cm or 15¼ x 3 x 10¼ inches (H x W x D) – though the curved surfaces make getting an exact measurement kind of difficult – and weighs nearly 10lbs (9.92lbs to be exact, which equates to 4.5kg).
The only good reference point in terms of weight and size for the PS5 is the original PS3 design that launched in 2006. At the time, most people were concerned about the price – it was $599/£425 if you wanted the 60GB version – but at 32.5 x 9.8 x 27.4cm (W x H x D) and 11 pounds (5kg) its size was also a pain point for some folks.
So how do the two Sony consoles stack up? Well, the PS3 was huge... but the PS5 is still bigger.
The same is true if you compare the PS5 to the other notoriously large Xbox consoles: the original Xbox from 2011 measured 32 × 10 × 26cm, and the boxy Xbox One was a tad bigger in all but girth at 33.3 x 7.9 x 27.4cm.
If you’re just talking about size, Sony’s winning the console war.
Does size really matter?
I won’t argue that slim consoles are bad – clearly, packing more power into tighter areas is the cornerstone of consumer electronics. Me being against compact hardware is like a sports journalist saying they want to see slower athletes in next year’s NFL draft.
That said, is it always necessary for powerful new consoles to be small right at launch? Some people say yes, and others say no.
The case against the PS5’s size is that it’s less sleek than you had first imagined and, perhaps the more valid case, the PS5 won’t fit on or in your home entertainment center – and that’s making you re-think your pre-order.
While there’s no good rebuttal against the second case – there’s little to be done besides waiting for the inevitably smaller mid-generation refresh – I’d really encourage you to think critically about that first case. Are big consoles unsightly?
I mean, the PS5 is no bigger than an ATX-motherboard PC, surely, and it’s no bigger than a speaker that many of us keep on or near our entertainment centers. Heck, it’s not even that much bigger than the older consoles – the PS3, Xbox One and Xbox – that were in that space just a few years ago. So really, is its size that big of a problem?
It’s not what’s on the outside that counts, but what’s on the inside that matters
It’s a cliché, sure, but for me personally, the outside isn’t worth getting worked up about – it’s what’s on the inside that counts.
Because look, I’m not buying a PS5 for friends and family because I want to improve the home décor – I’m buying it so they can experience next-gen hardware. I want them to experience super-fast load times, ray-tracing and 4K/120fps gameplay. I want them to see games in HDR10 and Dolby Vision.
Who cares what case that hardware comes in?
If you want the slimmest console on the market, pick up the Nintendo Switch – it's one of the best consoles ever made, and it fits in a backpack. But if you want power – enough to run games at 4K/120fps – there's only two options, and neither is going to be much fun to carry around.
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