Sony officially launches own PS5 console covers
PlayStation 5 owners can now legally customize their current-gen consoles following the announcement of Sony’s very own PlayStation 5 console covers.
In a recent blog, the Japanese tech company said that its PS5 console covers will be available on both variants of PS5 and will come in five colors: Midnight Black, Cosmic Red, Nova Pink, Starlight Blue, and Galactic Purple.
"These new console covers are beautiful and easy to use—simply remove your original white PS5 console covers and click your new ones into place,” Sony said in a statement.
Sony said that Midnight Black and Cosmic Red PS5 console covers will be available at participating retailers in the US, Canada, UK, France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Korea, and the Philippines beginning January 2022.
The Nova Pink, Galactic Purple, and Starlight Blue PS5 console covers, meanwhile, will also launch in these countries during the first half of 2022.
“We plan to launch the PS5 console covers in additional territories during the year, and we’ll announce those details as they become available,” Sony said.
Aside from the PlayStation 5 console covers, Sony also unveiled new color variants of PS5’s DualSense wireless controller. Just like the PS5 console covers, the galaxy-inspired colors for the DualSense controller will be available in Nova Pink, Starlight Blue, and Galactic Purple. Sony’s latest offering will be available at participating retailers beginning January 2022.
Sony, however, noted that the exact launch dates for both galaxy-color DualSense wireless controller and PS5 console covers in select regions may vary by location, saying that those who are planning to buy one should first check their local retailers.
As for the pricing, Sony’s PS5 console covers retail for $54.99 each while the galaxy-themed DualSense controllers are priced at $74.99 each.
Prior to Sony's announcement, lawyers from Sony Interactive Entertainment last October served a cease and desist order against Dbrand, a Canadian peripherals company which made its own unofficial version of PS5 faceplates.
Sony’s legal threat then forced the company to remove its own version of PS5 faceplates from the online market, announcing in a subreddit post that “Darkplates are dead. Thanks, Sony."
After a few days, however, Dbrand announced in a separate post that “Darkplates are back,” following the unveiling of its redesigned faceplates fittingly called Darkplates 2.0.
“See, while we appreciate all the armchair legal advice that filtered in over the weekend, the reality of this Darkplates dispute is quite simple,” Dbrand’s post read.
The post further reads: “You can’t successfully sue someone over an alleged 'design infringement' without a registered design patent. Sony did not have a registered design patent for the PS5’s side panels when we launched Darkplates (or for many, many months following the release). We didn’t think they’d ever get one. They did. Here we are.”
With this, Dbrand said that instead of spending millions “fighting the legitimacy of the design patent claims for many years in court,” it opted to start fresh with its redesigned Darkplates.
“By creating a brand new design, Darkplates 2.0 successfully closes the loop on this dispute and neutralizes any future infringement claims from Sony,” DBrand said.