These leaked images could be our first proper look at the PS5 console

A new render has given us the clearest idea yet of what the new PS5 might look like. The leaked image showcases a development kit received by Zone of Tech,  and has been rendered by Let’s Go Digital.

The image shows a V-shaped console. This design choice was, presumably, made to reflect the milestone of a fifth console, as ‘V’ is of course ‘5’ in Roman numerals.

So what have we learned from the image? Well, there are a lot of USB ports. This could allow for a wide variety of uses and make the console more flexible in terms of connecting with other devices.

Also, unsurprisingly, we see the power button, the eject button and some others. There are lights numbered ‘0’ to ‘7’ as well. This likely indicates how many controllers are connected to the console at a given and their charge status.

It’s worth nothing that development kits are seldom representative of a retail unit’s design, often filled with inputs, switches and other features that wont be available on the final design. Many of these are implemented to ease the job of developers, with the player-facing console aimed to be far easier on the eyes.

Related: Best PS5 Games

The ‘V’ shape that has essentially been carved out of the middle of the machine shows a ventilation grate, for fans to cool the system down. This will remind PlayStation users of historical issues over cooling that previous consoles have had. Hopefully this large fan unit will solve those issues without being too noisy.

Equally, this may be exaggerated in this build as development kits are always on the hard wearing side. This is because developers essentially have to test the boundaries of their new product. Exactly how much can it process? What sort of game environments can it handle? How full of characters and objects can they be? Will the frame rate remain consistent?

All these questions, and the tests that have to be done to answer them, mean that a developer kit console has to be hard wearing.

Ultimately, the final design may look a little less robust than this build does. It’s a notably chunky machine and that would add to production costs. Expect a few of these chunky details to be trimmed down and streamlined on the final console. Other changes may, of course, take place too.