Sony has been fairly quiet about its next-gen console so far, but we might have half a clue about what the dev kit looks like at least.
Matthew Stott, senior artist with development studio Codemasters, confirmed that a recent patent design circulating around the ‘net is, in fact, for the PlayStation 5. Stott tweeted this two days ago, but his tweets are protected, meaning only followers can see them (the image below is what he confirmed).
The patent itself doesn’t technically state what the device is, but there are other factors apart from Stott’s confirmation suggesting this is Sony’s next console.
First is the patent itself, which categorizes the device under class 14.02, which LetsGoDigital, the site that first reported on the patent, says is used for other game consoles, including the PS4.
Then there’s the person labeled as the designer: Yusuhiro Ootori. Ootori is one of Sony’s chief engineers and was also responsible for the PlayStation 4.
The timing is also significant. The patent lists the priority date, which is basically a product’s legal birthday, as November 2018, not too long after rumors started swirling about the PlayStation 5.
As we’ve seen with the Nintendo NX and countless other consoles and know from years of similar “leaks,” dev kits tend to go out well in advance of a console’s actual reveal and launch.
Sony has also (slowly) been revealing tidbits about the system, including some of its capabilities, the system’s target audience, and the importance of rectifying one of the PS4’s mistakes by supporting backwards compatibility and cross-gen play.
It’s important to note that development kits rarely, if ever, resemble the final product, so you can rest easy knowing the PlayStation 5 probably won’t be a giant V with fans the size of a TV set.
