Various incidents have been making the news recently about Sony leaning on creators and manufacturers that are creating PS5 covers and skins without their permission. Now, a patent for those sorts of covers and skins has been listed for Sony, hinting at their future plans for decorating Playstation 5 consoles.
Console customization is a big market in the video gaming world, as many gamers want to personalize their consoles to show off their love for a certain game or franchise. The Xbox 360 had an aftermarket as well for these sorts of covers and skins, as the console’s panels could be easily removed.
Last month, Sony published a teardown video of the Playstation 5 that showed that the large white covers attached to the console could be removed by hand. This gave people hope that customizable faceplates could still be used, though third-party attempts to make use of this were quickly stifled (not helped by the fact that the manufacturers dared Sony to try and sue them).
The PS5 covers and skins patent is a significant hint that Sony and Playstation aim to do similar things to the console in the future. With so many highly popular games slated to arrive within the next year such as God of War: Ragnarok, Horizon: Forbidden West, Spider-Man 2, and more, there may be lots of customization options for a Playstation 5.
The patent doesn’t mean that third-party manufacturers are entirely cut off from what could be a lucrative market, however. Vinyl coverings that can be easily applied or peeled off at will are still apparently legal, as ChangeYourPlates, the same company who attempted to sell a matte black faceplate for the PS5 and was stopped by Sony, are now marketing that.
What Sony intends to do with the PS5 covers and skins patent isn’t clear just yet, but hopefully players already tired of the PS5’s stark white color scheme will be able to spice it up at some point in the near future.