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
Bandai's new PlayStation logo figure
You can now own the PlayStation logo… sort of
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
A billboard advert at GDC 2025 for Revenge of Savage Planet
Savage GDC 2025 billboard ad is revenge for Google Stadia layoffs
camera phone deals Best Buy
Huge Samsung, Google Pixel and Motorola deals at Best Buy right now – phones from $299.99
An image from teaser animation for ARK: Survival Ascended expansion ARK: Lost Colony
GDC 2025: Lost Colony anime teaser shows ARK: Survival Ascended is the game that has everything
Roblox Cube 3D AI 3D object generation
GDC 2025: Roblox says its new AI generator will go beyond 3D models to allow groundbreaking '4D creation'
Bambu Lab H2D announcement
Just in: The next generation Bambu Lab H2D is arriving soon
PS5
Badass logo alert: PlayStation launches new studio Dark Outlaw Games