What color will the PS5 be?

Sony has been very secretive about the design of the PlayStation 5. While it has endlessly lectured about how powerful the console is, how it will change the way games are developed, and how gamers will be very impressed upon release, prospective buyers still don’t know what it looks like.

Initially, most PlayStation fans seemed to assume the console would be black like it predecessors. You can’t go wrong with black: it’s simple, elegant even. But then Sony shook things up by revealing a next-gen controller with a surprising design. The DualSense controller has a two-toned look — the top half is white while the bottom is black. 

Since its announcement, fans have had notably mixed feelings, with some comparing it to a stormtrooper helmet. And not in a good way. Many people took to Photoshop to render a single shade DualSense controller and a variety of additional alternatives.

Will gamers also need to Photoshop the PS5 upon release? Will it also be black and white? Just black? Just white? These are the questions now plaguing the industry. Currently, it’s unclear what’s happening behind closed doors at Sony. In the absence of solid information, rumors abound as to what exactly this powerful new console will look like.

Right now, the safest bet is that Sony will stick to tradition in at least one sense: there will most likely be an all-black PlayStation 5. It would be odd, to say the least, for Sony to completely abandon this traditional (safe) color choice. It was, after all, fairly controversial when Xbox made the move to offer all-white consoles alongside the typical matte black models. Other theories suggest Sony might honor the PlayStation’s humble roots and release a gray version of the PS5 as a callback to the original console.

For the moment, all these theories are just that: theories. Stay tuned for more information as the PlayStation 5’s Holiday 2020 release window draws closer.