PS 5 Reveal: Industrial Design Analysis

[@Dosen_SaberRider]

For me it's somewhat genius to utilize the roman 5 "V" as the major visual design element. But I don't like it's overall design either, mainly because I stick more to minimal design.

[@Design.Theory]

Interesting point. I wonder if the v shape / roman numeral thing was intentional

[@monhi64]

Hmm that’s interesting, I would’ve considered this a pretty minimal design. But never would’ve thought about the V, I’d be skeptical that was intentional but it’s literally a PS5, that’s a bit more than coincidence at that point. I’m not a huge fan of the design tho, it feels a bit like it’s taking itself to seriously. Like they wanted something unique but ended up not cool enough to justify itself

[@sir_earl_grey]

Glad that I found your channel through reddit. Really enjoyed this analysis as a product design student!

[@Design.Theory]

Thank you very much! Share it with your fellow students if you think they'd find it helpful

[@scottyoung6467]

Fellow ID dude here - This is a great overview! I'm a big fan of the cohesive ecosystem of products with the overlapping design language. I hope they can continue to control this language and not license out too many second party products that water this down. Just subscribed!

[@Design.Theory]

Hey Scott, thanks for the kind words. I agree that the peripherals are done really well. I especially like the controller and the headphones. I think the biggest thing with the PS5 will be how it ages. Right now, the design is really striking and fresh - but will it look dated and tacky in a couple of years? Hard to say.

[@Design.Theory]

Make a killer portfolio and land your dream design job. Enroll in my online industrial design course, Form Fundamentals. bit.ly/335vsqO .

[@kornenator]

I really like the design of the PS5. Can't imagine how this does not fit well in a modern living room, unless we're talking about some 90s or older style home design/decoration.

[@user-rd3jw7pv7i]

I 100% agree. A gaming console has never been, will never be and should never be a mirror of real life object. Design Theory's segment on how a gaming console vs a IoT device analysis on this video is spot on.

[@corsariox2603]

Great video. Thanks. Sony did not follow the functionalist Bauhaus manifesto ‘’form follows function”. Instead followed a radical principle where “form follows emotion’’ (Hartmut Esslinger). When I place my PS5 in my designer’s ecosystem sorrounded by the iconic forms of modernist furniture (Saarinen, Eames, Breuer, Knoll) the quiet harmony of purity was sieged. But after a few days I accepted the organic intrusion as it was a prototype from the drawing board of Luigi Colani or a Zaha Hadid scale model for a skyscraper in Brunei. Perhaps a centered disk drive would satisfy more my necessity of symmetry and a refined cable management at the back of the console. Those black wires emerging are annoying if you watch the ethereal fins from the side… but anyway it has its own and unique aura.

[@Design.Theory]

That was a very articulate analysis! Thank you for providing such a thoughtful reflection on this polarizing piece of design.

[@Design.Theory]

In order to make progress in design and in business, sometimes you have to take a risk. You have to make a big leap. Then, you refine on that big leap in future iterations. Chris Bangle's BMW re-designs are a good example. Everyone absolutely HATED them when they first came out (look up Bangle Butt). Over time, the designs were refined, and BMW ended up capturing significantly more market share. This was attributed to BMW's forward-thinking design. You can hate on BMW and Chris Bangle all you want, but the proof is in the sales numbers. Companies that do not take risks (design risks and otherwise) inevitably will go out of business. You adapt or you die. It will be interesting to see how the PS 5 does in terms of sales numbers. I'm not sure how much of a role industrial design plays in the final purchasing decision of a gaming console, but it will be interesting nonetheless.

[@vishnuraj9985]

I understand that companies often need to take risks when it comes to design, but the market is hugely dictated by the big players such as Sony , Apple, and as you said BMW. Would this design still be good if it was produced by a smaller company? (By good I don't doubt the functionality , I'm taking about the form.) I think we justify the striking design because it's by a big company. I think it's the same case with the Tesla cybertruck. Would the design be appreciated if it was made by a company which was just starting out with electric trucks? Would we still say the same things if the truck was made by Ford or if the console was made by Atari? I am a design student and I often find it hard to deal with such polarizing designs. Most of these designs are for the masses. The target demographic is huge. I often have the conflict that if the product is for the masses, shouldn't it please most of the demographic? Also at the same time, I feel if we keep pleasing people there is no way the design industry can push forward. Also I don't think the just because it's a medium to a fantasy world is a convincing enough statement for it not fit inside the house.

[@Design.Theory]

@@vishnuraj9985 Sometimes it just comes down to doing what other people are not. The whole "minimalist box" thing has been going on for close to 20 years now. That alone might be enough to usher in some change. At least in my opinion, this design would still be good regardless of who produced it....as long as it somehow relates to their brand. I am not a Sony fan boy by any means. I don't think that this design is perfect, either. In fact, I'm not even 100% sure it's good. I'd need to see it in person. Sometimes you just have to be bold in order to break through the noise. It's really hard to know when to blend in versus when to stand out with design. A lot of it just comes down to intuition. I don't have a concrete answer as to when it's appropriate to do one or the other. It's probably at least a bit subjective (or maybe even MOSTLY subjective. Not sure). The Cybertruck is a bad design, and the fact that Tesla designed it makes it even more confusing, because they have a reputation for A+ design work. The Cybertruck design looks like it was led in a very heavy-handed way by Elon Musk. He probably dictated a silhouette to his designers and they executed on it. It goes against every principle of good car design.

[@free_spirit1]

The cybertruck is a brilliant design. It took me a while to comprehend its genius, so hear me out. Do you know how much the dies cost for a stamping shop for a typical auto program? Around 400M$. Put another 400M$ for an automotive paint shop. To give some perspective, a new auto program costs anywhere between 1.2 and 1.5 B$. Tesla was in a position where they had to develop a new vehicle for which there was uncertain demand and with little cash in hand. At the same time it has to be incredibly utilitarian, cheap to produce and have a very small manufacturing footprint. This perfectly fits the brief. They can make that friggen thing with break presses, they don't even have to form the glass. Just a straight slab of laminated glass will do. And it's a statement. It is like the BMW i3. Ugly as sin, but underneath it was so brilliantly designed it made my eyes bleed. They had the chassis at my old faculty and I literally spent several days analyzing how ingeniously that thing was put together. There were so many clever manufacturing things taking advantage of the fact that they were using composites. THAT to me is design, not just making sculptures, but making things that can be manufactured with the most adequate methods for the specific situation. (btw, I subbed you and no hard feelings, this is just my interpretation. I also think the fiat multipla is a good design just for its sheer practicality, so maybe there's something wrong with my brain X'D)

[@Design.Theory]

@@free_spirit1 All fair points. Thanks for checking out the video :)

[@shmookins]

I don't know where my original comment went, but I watched this video in July, 2020. You had 1.28K subs. Now, 4 years later, we are halfway through the PS5 gen cycle, and you have over half a million subs! Great job, and how time flies.

[@תומרבייסקי]

Great video!! But the background music got in the way a little bit, 😅 Anyway, thanks for the video, it was very interesting 🤗

[@Gunnberg85]

Form must follow function. When reversed, there's no telling how many compromises must be made that didn't have to be. I like to cite the PC game project Star Citizen's ships. Since the beginning of the project, there has been more of a focus on designing ships from the inside out. In the earlier days this wasn't always the case. You can tell from the outside of the ship to the inside which ones had to compromise for the shape of the ship with an interior that didn't really make use of space properly. Likewise for a gaming console, I raise an eyebrow whenever I see a design that either takes up more physical space then it needs to or has a suboptimal cooling system that would hurt overall performance. At the end of the day, the console needs to perform as good if not better than the competition. Anything that may hinder that performance should ideally be cast aside.

[@Nothing-ce8uv]

Speaking of organic, I also got the impression that they took inspiration from sea creatures like stingrays or sharks with the vents almost looking like gills along with having 'fins' as referred to here.

[@osamaamir1268]

I'm an architecture student but your vedios are very education for me. For understanding core design principles and I always find things hear and there that I can apply to my architectural studies. thx

[@Design.Theory]

Thank you for checking it out :)

[@AndyLikesPie]

Enjoyed this video very much! Personally I really love the design and it's for a very particular reason... nostalgia. Kinda a weird reason huh? Well, growing up in the early to mid 2000s, I distinctly remember the flirtation of Neo-Futurism in not only tech but in media when they tried depicting their vision of the future. This console very much looks like what I was told tech would look like in the future... and it's awesome Sony/PlayStation ran with that design concept. Very bold for sure. I laughed when you brought up the bulbous designs of some tech attempting to capitalize on Neo-Futuristic design in the 2000s... it definitely always felt like a disconnect as they weren't sleek at all, just bulky. I'm not sure if this necessarily fits into Neo-Futurist design, but I feel like the sleek, white, smooth designs were done well in the early 2000's by companies such as Apple and Nintendo. I remember seeing a white DS lite and think "whoa that looks so new". I hope more companies decide to take more risks this decade in terms of design because everything really does look the same in terms of hardware nowadays..

[@Design.Theory]

Hey Andrew, thanks for providing such a thoughtful response. Your perspective on neo-futurism being nostalgic is certainly not something I have heard before :) I think that more companies will start to make bold choices in their design. In order to cut through the noise, it's becoming more of a necessity. There are just so many things competing for our attention these days. We've gone so far in the direction of rational, austere minimalism. I think that a swing in the other direction will probably be happening in the next couple of years. But only time will tell.

[@perslespaulchristian]

Glad to find your channel by accident, I think we really need more analysis of the daily usage products

[@Design.Theory]

Thanks for checking it out, Christian :)

[@quickgw]

Nice job! Love these John! Admire your passion!

[@Design.Theory]

Thanks George. Miss you bud. Once we're allowed outside again we should grab a beer.

[@quickgw]

@@Design.Theory Looking forward to it

[@RockyVegaTV]

I don't personally like the standard edition but, I LOVE the digital edition for its symmetry. Really great breakdown!!!

[@hezcobar]

I used to love industrial design but fell off over time. Your videos have helped me spark this interest again, thank you!

[@Design.Theory]

That makes me so happy to hear! Thanks for checking out the channel.

[@AGoodVibe]

I respect the designers for taking a massive risk, especially in the “too big to fail” era of committee-based corporate decision making. However, I personally don’t like the design. Its size is extremely off putting to me,. I don’t like the asymmetry when it sits on its side, which is the way I’d imagine most people would need to place it to fit into their entertainment centers.

[@Duplicitousthoughtformentity]

Odd numbered playstations are rounded or have smooth lines, while even numbered playstations have harder angles and simpler geometry. I think this is a pattern that probably happened coincidentally.

[@nerad1994]

I was looking for a video talking about the design philosophy of the PlayStation 🙏🏼 yess

[@Design.Theory]

You insanely specific wish has been fulfilled. What a time to be alive.

[@mingchenye]

Thank you for sharing! Really inspiring!

[@Design.Theory]

Mingchen Ye glad you enjoyed it!

[@Anonymous-sb9rr]

I love the shape of the PS5, but personally I would paint the side panels in a colour that fits my room better than white. The side panels come off, so they should be easy to paint.

[@MegaShrooom]

Brilliant video. Glad I found this channel, opened up a whole world/industry to me.

[@Design.Theory]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@chinogambino9375]

I was a bit put off at the unveiling but reserved final judgement until I had it. After a month I can confidently say the photos don't do justice to how hideous and imposing it really is, It is massive and always annoys me when its in my field of view. It screams form over function and delivers on that impression. The stand requirement is stupid and the user experience of needing to unscrew and re-screw the ugly thing to use it either way tells me they don't care about my time, comfort or experience. Its loud to boot because Sony made the fan model and in turn acoustic performance a lottery... I get the impression everything about this design is the result of engineering compromises, because they insisted on using a blower fan of such a huge diameter they had few options. The PS4 layout was close to optimal but they couldn't do that again without obvious ventilation due to thermal performance risks. To me it seems they were stuck with a giant box with terrible volume and tried their best to make it sleek. The Xbox team had the right idea settling on an axial fan, avoiding a low volume narrow box for the Series X unit and just having an obvious grill for the small driveless Series S.

[@WildBoy4FunTime]

The stand is a bit useless. Maybe if you place it horizontally tho? I never mounted it and it stands fine without a stand, i have it vertically in my tv furniture. No problems whatsoëver...

[@gyanwire]

This is by far my favorite design in any gaming console until today. Period.

[@p5rsona]

get ya eyes checked

[@waynelee3832]

Really great video, totally agree with the idea of moving the disk drive to the inner part

[@Design.Theory]

Yes. The digital version looks nicer as a result. This may have been intentional because they want you to buy the digital version

[@suryoartdiyanto783]

Why not place the disk slot between those slit next to the fin to fit that minimalism spaceage style.

[@_kieranlewis_]

Another great video. Another small piece of advice (I spoke to you on your last video), I think you'd get a lot more clicks with a title like ('Product designer reacts to the PS5 reveal' or 'Professional designer discusses the PS5). I think those little 'hype' titles do really well, they at least suck me into videos haha. Again, big fan and just my 2 cents. Keep it up mate.

[@Design.Theory]

Interesting idea. I'll try it on the next "product reaction" video, just as an experiment.

[@advaitnaik7833]

No please don't give into those weird hype titles. This seems genuine and straight to the point :)

[@DaveGrills]

@@Design.Theory Let it be an experiment but please don´t buy into generic click-baity titles please! I don´t think I would have clicked on this video if it had one of those

[@virtuosisimo]

No please or I will unsubscribe

[@RockSleeper]

Idk how i missed the i8 similarity, that is the most accurate comparison.

[@jaydeepnandhu7628]

Hey, Really loved the video and hoping to see more. Btw can you make a video on what roles golden ratio principal play in any industrial design product and can you share some example that doesn't follow that principal and still are successful products. Looking forward to this. Thank you

[@Design.Theory]

Thank you for the kind words and for your support! I have a proportion and hierarchy video that very briefly discusses it: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y2bPZ59ogch7rZY . I can do a more in-depth analysis on it if you want. I have a backlog of three more videos that I hope to put out, but I can do an in-depth golden ratio one after that.

[@user-rd3jw7pv7i]

I'm not a product/architectural designer so please take this with a grain of salt. I'm a software engineer, and a Sony console owner since their PS1 series. The overall norm-breaking design of the PS5 is such a breath of fresh air. Instead of sticking to the usual rectangular shape Sony use in their past 4 gen of console, the radical curvature and the bold finish of the PS5 defines Sony Playstation's philosophy : Play has no limits. The fact that they went back to the drawing board to do something new gives me huge respect to the designer and engineer team at Playstation.

[@free_spirit1]

Fellow ID/engineer here. To me it looks like the shape was drawn and afterwards they had to scramble to fit a console inside, rather than starting from the hardware. Hence the whole device is so excessively large for what it contains, the strange bluray player slot, the fact that they had to use a centrifugal fan to compensate for high static pressure, an excessively large heatsink and liquid metal to compensate for the low volumetric airflow due to using a centrifugal fan... I can just see the cascade of engineering decisions. That teardown was a little bit painful to watch, with so many wires and stickers. One thing that I like though is that its air intake is from the top rather than the bottom, as this mitigates dust accumulation a bit. What do you guys (designers and engineers) think? Am I way off?

[@Design.Theory]

I don't think you're way off. I watched that tear down. It definitely looked a bit over-engineered. The thing is definitely big. I'll reserve my judgment for when I see it in person.

[@gordonjeffrey231076]

Good content. I think the initial idea was for total symmetry. The disk drive would have been in the middle. However due to design constraints and thermals I think that idea had to be scrapped. The inclusion of a massive heat sink with vapour chamber was the death nail in the totally symmetrical design.

[@Design.Theory]

I'd say you're probably right. It just doesn't make sense to have it on the side like that. It was almost certainly driven by functional requirements. Just curious - did you get that information from anywhere specific, or are you hypothesizing? If it's the former, I'd love to read about it.

[@gordonjeffrey231076]

@@Design.Theory just hypothesizing. Imho they took such careful artitchtural design considerations with the rest of it that i can't believe that bolting it onto the side was in the plan.

[@cora5205]

Love your content!!!!

[@Design.Theory]

Thank you Cora :)

[@sunilkumarpatil2272]

It looks breakthrough in industrial design. The design is not consistent with the product line but they want to make there brand customer fell futuristic, new, better. According to me it's a brave step by sony. I appreciate the design and design team.

[@Design.Theory]

I agree 100%. It's a major revolution in their design language.

[@HumbledGoat]

Excellent analysis, I really enjoy watching your videos. I'm a final years industrial student but I still feel like a big noob. For example lacking the skills to analyze an object with ''designer lingo''. Do you have a tip on how to step up my game? Maybe a reference to a website or book? Sometimes when I'm ideating I feel like I'm just doing random stuff, and I thought by understanding other products it can help my own design skills as well. Thank you for your time if you could answer my question :) I can't stress enough how your channel helped me to get motivated again.

[@Design.Theory]

Hi Las, My main piece of advice is to start by analyzing the objective qualities of an object. So for example, is it rounded, curved, red, blue, made out of wood, etc etc. From there, you can make inferences around what each of those qualities in tandem might communicate to a user. If this is hard or doesn't make sense to you, just start looking at the objects around you and try to figure out what the person was thinking when designing them. The two best books that I know about are called "Design of Everyday Things" and "Emotional Design" by Don Norman. I get asked if there are books about this stuff pretty much every few days, so maybe at some point I'll make a book or a very robust course about it. In the meantime, continuing to watch my videos will be helpful in learning

[@HumbledGoat]

@@Design.Theory Thank you very much for your advice. I now started analyzing easy things like mugs, glue bottles, pens and will build this up towards some more difficult products. Great exercise. I've ordered the book from Don Norman. I'm excited to learn, thank you! :) When you ever write a book about it, I'd buy it for sure.

[@yux.tn.3641]

looking forward to what the ps5 slim and pro looks like

[@andrewortiz1047]

You the man John.

[@Design.Theory]

Andrew! YOU are the man.

[@Neilos-sd6ti]

That glossy part will probaby look ugly down the line.

[@Neilos-sd6ti]

The design limits me to where can i put it in my setup, its funny their slogan is play has no limits.

[@voltgaming2213]

When I saw it I liked it,after seeing it multiple time I think it looks amazing and minimalist at the same time the digital version is great looking too,it looks super cool one the best industrial design outside of Car design

[@jamesssena7336]

Inside the head of a product designer at the store pondering whether to buy the PS5

[@lordbowler9054]

One thing that struck me about the design that you didn't discuss is that the PS5 look like a 'V' from the front. V of course being the roman numeral for 5. I doubt this was unintentional.

[@Design.Theory]

Yes very good point, I mention this around the 3:25 mark

[@Design.Theory]

Although I didn't mention that it is a V specifically.... Only that the lines converge inward. Good point!

[@VenomCruster]

Can you please add these videos to a playlist so I can save them?

[@Design.Theory]

Going to do this tomorrow!

[@Design.Theory]

@Verisimilitude Philtre of Dokroma I just made two playlists! One is for design analyses, and the other is about design fundamentals.

[@VenomCruster]

@@Design.Theory great thanks!

[@maciejk77]

In my opinion the PS5 is designed to draw our attention to itself + to be a reminder about the 'ideal' gaming world it has on offer.. and that's why it's not designed to blend into the surroundings / the gamer being consumed by the game they're playing will not be distracted by the PS5 looks,.

[@dogcowrph]

It reminds me of “the object” from Led Zeppelin’s 1976 album Presence.

[@Design.Theory]

oh thats an interesting connection!

[@RUY2323]

The ps5 design is like a Alien artifact

[@SevenDeMagnus]

Art, a sculpture- I like it. Designs are all biomimicry and universemimicry, It's a plant, two leaves as "wing", the center is a corn kernel but alien. God bless.

[@Design.Theory]

Well said!

[@ramazanmammadli4883]

Good video 👍🤩

[@Design.Theory]

Thank you 🤗

[@SalivatingSteve]

The PS5 looks cool, but IMO the system is excessively large and loud. They emphasized form over function.

[@sidneyprescott7236]

It reminds me a little bit of a Stormtrooper 🔳

[@kanishksingh6393]

your videos are great! you should be teaching at our college

[@Design.Theory]

Thanks! I teach industrial design at California College of the Arts.

[@simoneiorio9703]

I think that the design of Ps5 fit in the home space perfectly balanced with the weight that this tech equipment has in today life.

[@gwyn.]

It looks better horizontally

[@Design.Theory]

i like it in that orientation too

[@donotpress5729]

No matter what its ugly. But Its interesting to see a big change from such a company, walking different path to current design trend.

[@Design.Theory]

Fair enough. I get it.

[@krabkrusttv2930]

I’m just sad that they moved away from that monolithic, almost brutal design for the ps4.

[@Design.Theory]

You can always buy a new Xbox :) Although I fully understand that most people dont make console purchase decisions based on the way they look

[@yux.tn.3641]

just bought it a few days back, and i keep getting the eject button and power button confused...and I'm here to vent my opinion ofc the quality of gaming is great but no the design is shit also i don't plan to put my ps5 on horizontal position as that means i put in the disc with the flashy side upside down?? edit = say something nice, the xbox design is better but ps5 still outsells it 👍

[@n.lwhitaker572]

Hot take: It looks like a first year ID students take on a next gen console in 2005.

[@Design.Theory]

If you find a first year ID student with these kinds of surfacing skills, send them my way so I can hire them ;)

[@kokomanation]

I think that the ps5 design resembles a book

[@mariokarter13]

Sony wants you to know that it's all about the games, so they made the console look like a binder. The boring thing you stuff interesting things inside of.

[@user-qe6hz7zg9t]

Compared to some PC device it looks a little bit boring. And If want to attract players you supports to show off. I think it is a very safe and common way to design a electric device. But not a creative way. That's why we feel disappointed.

[@Design.Theory]

That's fair. Have you seen other electronic devices that look like this?

[@izeshmikurac]

If this PS5 design in one of the student portfolios You crtiqued, I bet You would say the exact opposite things to what You said here. If a student went this route, designing a console that doesn't fit the contect of a whome, whose elements such as the stand and the CD drive are afterthoughts, I feel like it would get "bashed" hard

[@Design.Theory]

maybe, hard to say for sure

[@Anonymous-sb9rr]

Who needs a disk drive in 2020 anyway?

[@yux.tn.3641]

ps5 controller is designed well though

[@havefun326]

I hated the ps5 design, but now that I can understand their intentions better i respect it while still subjectively finding it ugly.

[@Design.Theory]

Yeah I totally understand that perspective. You certainly don't have to like it. There are things that I don't love about it, but I'm going to reserve my judgment for when I see it in person. That will be the real test.

[@havefun326]

@@Design.Theory yes absolutely

[@WildBoy4FunTime]

Bit odd how you neglect the well known sentiments that it's looking like a router...🤓

[@darkice241]

The problem with PS5 design is that after looking at it for 3 mins it already looks dated.

[@Design.Theory]

People were saying that when it first launched, but I find that to be mostly a matter of opinion.

[@szym1]

"Music" in the backgound is not necessary and is 100% annoying. It makes this almost unwatchable even though what you're saying is very interesting.

[@kaytee7607]

You’re a great speaker and make great points. It’s still an ugly looking system.

[@Design.Theory]

lol fair enough

[@furballbear]

Yes, it's really ugly which is why many potential buyers are opting to wait for the inevitable PS5 Slim before purchasing.

[@kaytee7607]

@@furballbear I take back my comment. I think it looks unique and would look a lot better if it was all black. I’m waiting for faceplates to customize mine for the right price.

[@Duraltia]

With me neither being a big fan of white or fluid shapes the PS5 is pretty much a design disaster to me. It, unlike the Series X, wouldn't fit anywhere in _my_ home and not be drawing my ire. I'd also argument that the rendition of the physical disk version should be horizontal only with vertical being reserved to the digital version due to only the latter having the _somewhat_ aesthetically pleasing symmetry to pulling of such a look where both sides are _clearly_ visible at all times. Yeaanno... I think it's fuckin' ugly 😐

[@Design.Theory]

:'(

[@p5rsona]

it is a dogshit design, end of.

[@nodav8234]

Ps5 design look cheap.

[@Design.Theory]

What about it is cheap to you