PS5 faceplate patent could point to more official options

PS5
(Image credit: Sony)

A Sony patent for official PS5 faceplates points to new customization options that may be on the way from PlayStation itself.

The patent was initially filed with the US Patent and Trademark office on November 5, 2020, a week before the PS5 was released, and OPAttack spotted that it was finally published for public viewing on November 16, 2021. The patent is unassumingly titled "cover for electronic device," but if you look at the included illustrations - which make up the bulk of its material - it's clear what you're seeing.

With a patent on the cover itself registered, Sony is now in a better place to start selling the faceplates independently of the console. It has already threatened legal action to shut down unofficial third-party companies making faceplate designs, so it's not too surprising that it might be looking to start selling some of its own.

The big question is whether these standalone faceplates will be sold solely as replacements for the standard white plates that come with a PS5 consoles, or if Sony will finally start offering more official designs. The potential for dedicated designs that tie in with big games such as Horizon Forbidden West is clear, but beyond that it would also be a nice change of pace to choose from different solid colors or perhaps even new patterns to match your decor.

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Connor Sheridan

I got a BA in journalism from Central Michigan University - though the best education I received there was from CM Life, its student-run newspaper. Long before that, I started pursuing my degree in video games by bugging my older brother to let me play Zelda on the Super Nintendo. I've previously been a news intern for GameSpot, a news writer for CVG, and now I'm a staff writer here at GamesRadar.

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