Sony has confirmed that the PS5 color at launch remains locked into what fans have seen, with no additional colors or designs available for either model when they release later this week. PS5 made waves when it was first revealed thanks to its white color scheme, a noticeable departure from the black that has been the go-to standard color for the PlayStation since its second generation. While white has frequently been a collector's edition color or a post-launch addition, Sony decided to go with a different color scheme for PlayStation 5, and fans were split.
One of the interesting elements of the next-gen console is the PS5 faceplates, which are easy to remove and thus easy to customize. Prior to the console's launch, third-party sellers began offering services that would let players get custom faceplates made for their PS5, changing the mostly-white console into whatever combination they wanted. It seemed like a great selling point for the next-gen device, but was quickly harpooned by the fact that Sony didn't agree, shutting down PS5 custom faceplate services as swiftly as they cropped up. Still, fans believed this might mean that Sony would offer its own official PS5 custom faceplate service, especially after the company went to great lengths in demonstrating how easy it was to get a look at inside the PS5.
Unfortunately for fans who were holding out for more aesthetic options for their next-gen console, those hopes were dashed by Sony today. The company revealed its extensive PS5 FAQ ahead of the console's launch, and the document provided explicit confirmation about launch plans for PS5 color options and customizations. According to the company, "there won't be additional colors or designs available for either of the PS5 models at launch." This was in response to a prompt that asked about PS5 color schemes in general, however, so specifying "at launch" does suggest there could be options down the line.
Whether or not that's just what fans expected from the moment the PS5 color was revealed - a premium, traditional black model - or more options in line with customized faceplates remains to be seen. Either way, the announcement puts a stamp on the notion that PS5 colors will be bland for the foreseeable future.
While console color hardly matters in the grand scheme of next-gen and players will be much more concerned with exclusives and console performance, it's a major missed opportunity for Sony to offer a minor incentive for fans to pick up a PS5. The PS5 size makes it a noticeable element of any room it's in, and it's hard to work around that fact. Giving consumers options on how that console looks and blends into their room aesthetic would've been a nice acknowledgement that the PS5 does offer some unique challenges to physical living spaces, and more than that, a nod to keeping consumer interests at heart. At the very least, letting third-party faceplate sellers operate until Sony had more options would've been a decent middle ground.
The PlayStation 5 releases on November 12, 2020 in North America, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Singapore, and South Korea. It releases on November 19, 2020 for the rest of the world.
Source: Official PS5 FAQ