While Sony itself showed off a bunch of marketing images and video of the PS5 console last week, a new leaked image reportedly shows an actual PlayStation 5 being held near its production line where the consoles are being produced. The alleged leak comes from ResetEra where a user posted the photo without any explanation, simply positing if it could be the first image of the PS5 production line straight from the factory. Take a look at the full image below:
If the PS5 itself looks odd to you, consider the angle. Viewed from straight on like that, it would not appear to have any curvature or other dynamic features that we’ve seen in the officially released images and video, making it appear to be a much simpler console box than its initial radical design unveiling showed.
If real, the image gives us our first real-world size comparison for the PlayStation 5, which appears to be a rather tall console. Some estimates based on the disc slot and USB port indicate it could be around 15 inches tall. That size is said to be part of its unique and “lavish” cooling system, solving problems that previous consoles have had while increasing power (and thus, heat) that the console produces.
The three employees are each wearing Sony vests, which further supports the veracity of the photo. The PlayStation 5 itself appears at an angle we’ve yet to see, hiding the dynamic and curvy nature of its design and just showing the front/top shell straight on. Some ResetEra users have commented about the lack of curvature in the image, but it could simply be the lighting in the image masking and making the surface of the PS5 look flat. Quick analysis of the image using Photoshop to see if there are any telltale remnants of image manipulation appear to show that the picture itself is at least legitimate (though officially, the jury is still out). Searches for the image on Google also don’t return any alternate results that a fake PS5 could have been ‘shopped into.
Verified users on ResetEra have also been confirming the photo’s authenticity, saying it is the “head of hardware engineering” holding one of the first production consoles to come off the line. Still, without a source (and wiped metadata from the image itself), some people are having a hard time believing the photo is real.
Whether real or not, the PlayStation 5 is undoubtedly getting ready to enter the production line to make sure Sony has enough units ready to go for its launch this holiday. It’s showcase of the design last week was as much to hype up fans as it was to get ahead of potential leaks like this one, as more people start to get eyes on what the PS5 looks like via its factory production.
Earlier this year, PS5 architect Mark Cerny promised we’d get a console teardown that would show the internals of the box and detail the PS5 cooling system, which is said to be rather expensive. Sony still hasn’t landed on a price for the PS5 just yet, focusing instead on value.
[Via: VGC]
