Don't want the PS5 in white? There's hope

PS5
(Image credit: Sony)

The PlayStation 4 launched in black, and didn’t get a second color until a year later. If that wait was painful, then here’s some bad news: it looks like it’ll be a similar story for the PS5. 

When asked about the possibility of extra colors for the PS5 and DualSense controller by Summer Games Festival host Geoff Keighley, PlayStation’s head of marketing Eric Lempel shut the topic down pretty quickly. 

“We'll talk about it at some point,” Lempel replied. “Right now, as you mentioned, it's a hard enough job to get the unit that we've showed out. But we'll talk about it at some point.” 

While that doesn’t necessarily prove that new colors are on the way, it would be pretty surprising if Sony wasn’t at least open to manufacturing consoles and accessories in different shades. Including limited editions. There are currently 34 different PS4 pad colors you can buy, and they’ve presumably proved quite an effective way for Sony to drive people towards buying multiple pads.

On top of this, we’ve already seen a black PS5 appearing in Sony’s own leaked marketing literature. Not to mention that PlayStation’s vice president of UX design was surprisingly candid on LinkedIn, saying that we’ll “definitely be seeing some special editions” and that the PS5 is “also customizable in ways previous gens weren’t.”

PS5 accessories and pre-orders

(Image credit: BarrBarr/ResetEra)

But if you’re all set on being an early adopter, chances are you won’t have much choice: you’ll be getting one of those white-and -lack PlayStation 5 units, with a DualSense controller to match.

The Amazon.com holding page also shows a whole bunch of other (white) accessories you’ll be able to buy around launch day: a USB-C charging wireless headset, a curvy little media remote, an HD camera aimed at streamers and a charging dock capable of holding two DualSense controllers at the same time. 

What the page crucially doesn’t reveal is the price or release date. Rumors spread last week claimed that pre-orders were due to open imminently, but Lempel dismissed these saying that the company didn’t know where they had come from. “I think it’s safe to say that we’ll let you know when pre-order will happen,” he said, adding that it won’t be at “a minute’s notice.”

Previous rumors have pointed to a release date in November – and if that is indeed the case, then Sony is letting the pricing cat out the bag a little late by historical standards. The company revealed PS4 pricing at E3 2013 – exactly 157 days ahead of the console’s 15 November launch date. 

Alan Martin

Freelance contributor Alan has been writing about tech for over a decade, covering phones, drones and everything in between. Previously Deputy Editor of tech site Alphr, his words are found all over the web and in the occasional magazine too. When not weighing up the pros and cons of the latest smartwatch, you'll probably find him tackling his ever-growing games backlog. Or, more likely, playing Spelunky for the millionth time.