If Thanksgiving week is all about setting plates, here’s a tidbit you can feast on: Sony appears to have been granted a patent earlier this month from the United States Trademark Office for plate covers, spurring some observers to speculate that alt-colored PS5 plates could be in the works.
The PlayStation 5, released a year ago, is a funny-looking machine. In addition to the console itself, it’s flanked by two protective plates, which are only (officially) available in a matte white. That’s a fine enough color (matte white goes with everything), but PS5 players have long requested the possibility to have alternate colors. In light of Sony not selling official plates, third-party manufacturers have stepped in, though they have faced no shortage of legal trouble from Sony as a result.
The patent itself, dated November 16, 2021, and titled “Cover For Electronic Device,” is fairly thin, but unequivocally features diagrams showing covers for the PS5. Over the course of 11 design sketches, Sony shows off the PS5’s signature plates—including the top one for the pricier model replete with a disc drive—from basically every possible angle.
No colors appear in the patent, and it’s unclear whether or not Sony would even opt to sell potential plates with colors in the first place, or what colors those would be. In May, Sony unveiled two new color options for the DualSense controller: a striking jet black and a sumptuous dark red. Those hit shelves the following month. If Sony ends up releasing multi-colored PS5 plates, it’s a safe bet they’ll be available in those colors—synergy and all that.
Sony did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In February, the tech accessories company Dbrand heavily promoted its so-called “darkplates”—jet black PS5 plates—with a campaign that openly taunted Sony’s legal team. Last month, Sony served DBrand with a cease-and-desist. A few days later, Dbrand unveiled the second iteration of darkplates, which feature a vent and a sleek silhouette that’s flush with the console itself. (Sony’s standard PS5 plates protrude beyond the console like the patently ridiculous crested brow of a dilophosaurus.)
As of November 19, Dbrand’s official YouTube channel posted a how-to video regarding the installation of “darkplates 2.0.” It currently has fewer than 6,000 views.