Sony PS5 teardown video reveals removable sides, dust catchers and storage expansion options

A seven-minute teardown video published by Sony gives us a look into exactly what’s inside the upcoming PlayStation 5 (PS5) console. The teardown in the best look at the new console so far and gives you a look at all the internals and shows how the sides are actually removable.

The teardown video was done by Yasuhiro Ootori, Sony’s mechanical design head for the PS5 who pointed out that the entire rear of the PS5 is designed to “exhaust air out of the console”, as The Verge reports.

As seen on the video, Sony is using a base on the PS5 which is held in with a screw when it’s oriented vertically and is clipped to the side of the console when you use it horizontally. The white panels on the two sides can be easily removed by lifting them and sliding them off.

Removing the panels reveals the main cooling fan that’s on top of the PS5. This fan can draw in air from either side. Sony is also using two dust catchers which can be vacuumed through two holes.

The in-depth teardown also gives us a look at expandable storage options through an M.2 slot on the PS5 that’s accessible once the side panels are removed. PS5 owners will have the option of buying their own PXIe 4.0-compatible drives to upgrade storage in the next console.

The teardown actually reveals exactly how “serviceable” the PS5 will be and that Sony has thought of all the design elements to ensure that repairing and servicing this console is easy.

The Blu-ray drive can be removed easily and the processor, memory and SSD sections are all easily accessible. The 350-watt power supply can also be removed easily.

The cooling fan that Sony is using inside the PS5 is a large 120mm diameter, 45mm thick, double-sided air intake. The console-maker is also using a heatsink to help with cooling and airflow that Sony says should “achieve the same performance as a vapor chamber”. The PS5 also uses liquid metal for cooling performance, which should help cut down on the fan noise.

Also Read: If you've ordered a PlayStation 5, order a big SSD as well to make space for large games

Sony has pointed out that they have spent two years working on this liquid metal cooling and have run various tests to ensure that it’s a “stable long-term solution”. The cooling solution they have come up with is a thermal conductor that sits between the SoC and heat sink and should help significantly with the cooling performance.

First impressions and early hands-on videos have indicated that the console runs quiet and cool over limited gameplay that Japanese publishers and YouTubers were able to experience.

Sony has said that they have spent five years “designing and developing the PS5 and has focused on reducing noise levels and enhancing its cooling methods”.

Also Read: These images just how big Sony’s PS5 really is

“We’ve also highlighted the mechanism in the video that we’ve incorporated into the PS5 console to make the operating sounds even quieter,” explained Masayasu Ito, head of hardware engineering and operation at Sony Interactive Entertainment in the blog. “After an extensive and complex trial and error process, we were pleased with the end result and I can not wait for our fans to get their hands on the PS5 console and ‘hear’ it for themselves,” Ito added.

Sony’s PlayStation 5 will go on sale for $499 ($399 for the Digital Edition) in the US on November 12. Europe and other parts of the world will get it on November 19.