‘Wi-Fi router’ or ‘duck’s bill’: Playstation 5 design unveiled to mixed online reviews

Gamers have been offering their verdicts on the new Playstation 5 after Sony offered a sneak peek of the upcoming next-generation games console - and not everyone is impressed.

The new machine is due to be released alongside Microsoft’s rival Xbox Series X over the Christmas period. Sony is also showing off a raft of new PS5 games, include Spider-Man and Resident Evil sequels, a Ratchet and Clank game subtitled “Rift Apart”, Gran Turismo 7, and Horizon Zero Dawn follow-up Horizon Forbidden West.

But while fans are excited about the new game titles, conversation online is focused on the console’s design.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Although Sony says the PS5 is its “most striking design yet”, people on Twitter “are very split on whether they like or hate the look of the box”, freelance games critic Laura Kate Dale told the BBC.

Many gamers claim the new console resembles a Wi-Fi router.

The machine has also been compared to a duck’s bill, a coffee machine and even the Eye of Sauron from the Lord of the Rings films, reports The Independent.

However, the new rival Xbox is coming in for a fair share of ridicule too, adds Creative Bloq, a design-focused blog.

Indeed, when Microsoft first revealed its new console, so many people likened the design to a fridge that the company felt compelled to tweet a clarification.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––For a round-up of the most important stories from around the world - and a concise, refreshing and balanced take on the week’s news agenda - try The Week magazine. Start your trial subscription today –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––