Is the PS5 dev kit better looking than Sony's actual console?

Image of the PS5
(Image credit: Shutterstock / Tom Eversley)

Unless you've been living under a rock (which is fair enough after the last 18 months), you'll know that the PS5 looks... interesting. The design was mercilessly mocked for its gargantuan shape on release, and that white-and-black (or as we call it, reverse-Oreo) colour scheme is a bold choice. But could the PS5 have looked very different?

A pair of PS5 dev kits (test consoles used by games developers) made their way to eBay recently, and while they were promptly pulled – perhaps Sony got involved – the photos are enough to give us a fascinating glimpse at an alternate reality for the console. (Fancy your chances? Here's where to buy a PS5.)

Thank you for reading 5 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription

Join now for unlimited access

Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

Daniel John
Design Editor

Daniel John is Design Editor at Creative Bloq. He reports on the worlds of design, branding and lifestyle tech, and has covered several industry events including Milan Design Week, OFFF Barcelona and Adobe Max in Los Angeles.

Read more
PlayStation 5
Fans think the PlayStation 6 design could be even worse than the PS5
Nintendo Switch 2
The weirdest thing about the Nintendo Switch 2 is that it doesn't look weird at all
Jason Combs Switch 2 logo design
I wish this Nintendo Switch 2 logo concept was the real deal
Balenciaga game console
Balenciaga's ugly game console looks like a cheap Cybertruck-inspired Game Boy
A bright yellow Fanta-branded Xbox controller and a bottle of Fanta
Fanta's just unveiled the most garish Xbox branding collab yet
Nintendo GameCube on background
Everyone's saying this classic Nintendo console logo is the best ever
Latest in Gaming
Game remakes by Nightdive Studios ; stormtroopers from Star Wars Dark Forces
Nightdive Studios are masters of retro game remakes - this is how it's done
Jaws: Infested Waters
The new Jaws game looks terrifying for all the wrong reasons
Brothers A Tale of Two Sons Remake review; two characters sit on a bench overlooking a coastline
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons Remake review: a beautifully Grimm revamp
ASUS ROG Ally deal
$200 off the Asus ROG Ally makes it a serious Steam Deck rival
Apple Vision Pro Game Boy emulator
Game Boy for Vision Pro doesn’t need to exist
Warhammer Rogue Trader; warriors fight monsters set against a green moon
Creating the art of Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader - "one picture is better than a thousand words"
Latest in News
Render showing design for new Manchester United stadium
Manchester United's new stadium design is getting some unfortunate comparisons
Shot of AI augmented A Different World
Netflix's AI 'fix' turned an 80s sitcom into a horror movie
Screenshots from KFC Original Fake Games
KFC takes a bite out of annoying fake game ads and turns them into real games
Tesla Cybertruck
Why some Tesla owners are covering up the logo
Magnum billboards on a roadside
Magnum abducts our radio waves with ingenious sonic branding ad
Korean Air new logo in use
Korean Air has rebranded for first time since the '80s