This PS5 Slim looks fantastic — but is it realistic?

An image of a DIY PS5 Slim
(Image credit: DIY Perks)

YouTuber DIY Perks has done the improbable: taken the behemoth PS5 and reduced it into a rectangular console that’s just 2 cm (0.7 inches) height. And the results are eye-catching. 

Whether you love or hate the design, there's no argument that the PS5 is big, dwarfing even the Xbox Series X look small. Yet with some clever engineering and some pricey parts, DIY Perks showed how Sony could, theoretically, approach PS5 Slim that's both attractive and not a space-eating machine. 

One caveat: you need take into account the need to store away an external power supply and water-cooling-system combo, which were integral to creating a slimmer PS5 that doesn’t cook itself. However, what's cool here, quite literally, is that DIY Perks discovered their PS5 Slim actually ran cooler than the original PS5, at least going by their testing.

An image of a DIY PS5 Slim

(Image credit: DIY Perks)

The video also offers an intriguing look at some smart engineering and gives us an insight into how Sony made the PS5, such as the use of liquid metal thermal paste on the main chip to keep it cool.

But this isn’t going to be a project you’re likely to be able to do at home, given it requires a good deal of skill and some expensive materials that are pretty much the price of a new PS5.  

However, the video certainly shows there’s potential for Sony to eventually make a smaller PS5. 

Will it be as slim as DIY Perks’ console? Probably not. But if Sony does indeed make a PS5 Slim one day, then it will probably have done so by making a more efficient chipset that draws less power, thus generating less heat so it can fit in a smaller chassis. 

While a PS5 Slim would be appreciated by some, especially those with cramped entertainment units, others may be after a more powerful PS5 Pro. It’s already been hinted at, and a more gutsy games console that can fully target native 4K at a fixed 60 frames per second or higher would not go amiss. But with components shortages still a thing, it’s not looking likely we'll see either a Slim or Pro version of the PS5 anytime soon. 

Roland Moore-Colyer

Roland Moore-Colyer a Managing Editor at Tom’s Guide with a focus on news, features and opinion articles. He often writes about gaming, phones, laptops and other bits of hardware; he’s also got an interest in cars. When not at his desk Roland can be found wandering around London, often with a look of curiosity on his face.