The PlayStation 5’s Oddball Design, As Imagined By Our Favourite Cars And Bikes

After months, nee years, of fevered anticipation and speculation, the world finally laid eyes on the Sony PlayStation 5 this week. And what a sight it was. More than 4 million tuned in across YouTube and Twitch to see the virtual unveiling of Sony’s next generation gaming console, a number that any consumer product manufacturer would die for. Even Apple or Tesla unveilings haven’t seen this kind of turnout ever. After the Australian bushfires, the coronavirus pandemic, the ongoing protests against systemic racism in the United States and everything that had messed up the first half of the year, the PS5 was precisely what the world needed to come together as one, if only for a fleeting moment.

And it didn’t disappoint. Well, the games didn’t disappoint. The design of the console itself though… hoo boy, that’s another matter. The PlayStation 5 looks a bit… different, as you would’ve undoubtedly noticed from all the memes flying around. From a WiFi router to an Alienware ripoff, the comparisons are aplenty. However, us petrolheads are no stranger to futuristic creations from designers not afraid to push the envelope. And since we can’t stop thinking of automobiles even when watching a gaming unveil, our minds invariably wandered to those whose designs bear some similitude to the PS5’s sleek-in-a-futuristic-Shanghai-skyscraper kind of way.

After all, the underlying reason for the design of both these automobiles and the Sony PlayStation 5 is the same: aero/thermo dynamics - the art of dissipating hot air. Be it a stationary tabletop electronic console churning out eye popping pixels or a fast moving sportscar churning out torque, the result is also the same: fun, lots of fun.

Judge for yourself:

McLaren Speedtail

The McLaren is the first thing that came to mind when we saw the first glimpse of the PS5. Built with no consideration for anything but utter driving pleasure and style, the Speedtail has a body that looks like it could slice thin air even standing still. Those sleek air channels are more than just styling elements, and they do exactly what those black fins on both sides of the upright PlayStation 5 do.

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BMW i8 

It is not just the white-and-blue paintjob that made us think of the BMW i8 when we laid eyes on the PS5. Both are machines at the cutting edge of their industry, loaded with tech that will usher us into the near future. Both look like nothing else in their class: the PlayStation 5 looks like no other gaming console in your living room and the i8 looks like no other car on the road. 

BMW S 1000 RR

We have yet another BMW, but this time with two less wheels. The S 1000 RR is the apex predator from Germany and the PS5 is the apex predator from Japan. Two countries at the very pinnacle of their crafts. Both had polarized first reactions for their oddball designs and both overcame those by the sheer dint of their technical brilliance. Sure, one may counter that the PS5 is as yet unproven while the S 1000 RR has already stamped its dominance, but let’s face it, we know exactly who’s winning this console war, don’t we?

Bugatti Divo

If we’re talking apex predators, we’ve got to talk about the apex predators on four wheels too -- that simply is fair, innit? Meet the Bugatti Divo, the road-going version of the Vision Gran Turismo (which incidentally was created for a PlayStation exclusive game - how the world comes around). From those subtle blue accents to the aggressive air ducts, the Divo is a perfect design complement to the PS5.

Ather 450

It’s not just that we deliberately seeked to round off this list with an Indian vehicle; it just happened that way. Indeed, if Sony were to show off the PS5 before the Ather came along in India, we would’ve found nothing in our market with the same design philosophy. But as it stands, this sleek little runabout has a lot in common with Sony’s finest. Both are cutting edge in their class, ushering in new features never seen before. Both are the stuff of geeks’ wet dreams, both are sleek as marble, and both are immensely fun and uncomplicated to use.

So there you have it. The design of the PlayStation 5 isn’t quite as radical as it appears at first glance. If carmakers, who are traditionally more conservative when it comes to new iterations (understandably so: a vehicle is a lot more expensive and serious proposition than a gaming console; it is also much more visible to others), can dare to pen something different, surely a gaming console maker can too.

Holiday 2020 can’t come soon enough.