Disassembling my Playstation 5 revealed a missed opportunity for the PS5 Pro
With PC makers moving into console territory with devices like the Steam Deck, is it time console makers embraced the modularity of PC hardware?
I think there are still a few loose screws in my PlayStation 5.
A couple of weeks ago, I undertook the arduous task of disassembling my gaming console in a bid to repair it. The device would randomly shut down while running graphically intense or online games. I read online that the most common cause is dust caked up in the power supply, but to clean it, you need to tear apart the entire console, piece by piece.
I'd typically take it to a professional to get it repaired. But for the sake of being economical and learning a new skill, I wanted to have a crack at it myself. It was already out of warranty, and if anything went wrong, I'd just get it professionally repaired. I ordered the special T-8 Torx Security screwdriver you need to get into the device off Amazon, booted up a YouTube tutorial and got stuck in.
I'm not the most mechanically-minded person; I struggle with IKEA furniture. One key advantage of console gaming is that it's just plug and play. I don't need to solder a motherboard or delicately arrange any circuitry.
But after the PlayStation 5 Pro's launch last week, I'm glad I had a crack at it. With the line between high-end gaming consoles and PC gaming starting to blur, it appears I may have to acquire a new skillset, especially if I want to use discs with a new PlayStation.
It's hard to go past the price tag of the new PS5 Pro — launching in Australia on November 7. At $1,195 AUD, not only is it more expensive here than just about anywhere else in the world, it's also the priciest console gaming device ever released.
It also aims to blur the line between 'performance mode' and 'fidelity mode'. In performance mode, the game lowers the graphics to function at a higher frame rate. This generally leads to more fluid-looking, smoother gameplay. It's easier on the console and is great for fast-paced games. In fidelity mode, the graphics are kicked up to the next level, but at the cost of a slower frame rate and a PS5's fan on overdrive.
But crucially, the new PS5 Pro does not come with a disc drive. If you want one, you have to buy it separately ($160) and install it yourself. After taking my base PlayStation 5 apart, this doesn't seem too difficult. You don't even have to undo 41 separate screws, which is what it takes to get to the power supply and heatsinks.
While the crux of the debate here is around the shift to disc-less gaming and the PS5 Pro's eye-watering price tag, it's worth touching on another point this raises, relevant to my repair efforts. There's an argument here that perhaps the next generation of gaming consoles, if they exist, should in fact be modular or upgradable over time.
The business model of gaming consoles is a curious one. To date, Nintendo is the only major gaming device manufacturer that turns a profit from both its software and its hardware. Both Microsoft and Sony sell their respective devices at a loss with the idea of recouping costs on software sales and service subscriptions. It's why the focus for Microsoft has moved more towards software, while Sony continues to hedge its bets.
As a thought experiment, what if, instead of updating them once every six years (or so), they release incremental updates in the form of new parts more regularly — every few years — that you replace yourself? The console can be designed from the ground up with this in mind — sparing unwitting gamers the pain of removing and then replacing 41 screws.
With the launch of consoles like the Steam Deck, there's a line of thinking that if PC gaming is becoming more console-friendly, perhaps consoles need to adapt the best parts of their PC brethren? The Steam Deck was also designed to be upgraded with custom parts, much like a gaming PC.
It is a moonshot idea at best. One argument against this lies with game design. One key advantage to developing for consoles is that it's a closed ecosystem. You know exactly what you are designing for. This means games on consoles are typically more stable — less likely to suddenly crash — and are often fine-tuned to deliver the best player experience.
Historically, Sony, next to Nintendo, has a general aversion to modifications in gaming. This hints at their broader philosophy about the matter. Elder Scrolls: Skyrim and Fallout 4, games known for being altered by players, operate weaker modification systems on the PlayStation than on Xbox due to Sony's requirements around gating player-made mods.
Back to my repair, and it turns out dust was caked onto the power supply's air intake. I cleaned it off with a vacuum and toothbrush and then reassembled. I had five screws left over. So I disassembled again.
Two screws left. What had I done wrong? I thought I filled all the holes? I kept all of them in separate piles.
Three hours from when I started, and all screws had been replaced correctly. I was surprised to find myself sweating in frustration. I plugged it in, and it worked. Relief. But the emotional toll of removing and replacing 41 screws still haunts me to this day.
It's not a major selling point of the PS5 Pro, but if it has fewer screws holding it together, we should all consider that a win.
What do you think about the idea of modular or modifiable gaming consoles? Does the idea have any legs? And any broader thoughts on the PS5 Pro? Can you get past that price tag? Let me know in the comments.
What I'm playing: Astro Bot
The coincidence hasn't escaped me: I'm writing about disassembling my PS5 and playing a game about reassembling it.
Astro Bot is Sony's latest attempt at a flagship Super Mario-style 3D platformer. And unlike earlier efforts that come close, here, they nail it. I'm calling it: This is the first Sony-based platformer that I've played that stacks up with the finesse and attention to detail seen in a Nintendo equivalent.
In Astro Bot, the PS5 is a spaceship — finally an explanation for its bonkers aesthetics — that's essentially been jumped and destroyed by a pesky alien-looking character, and you travel the universe looking for its parts and the ship's robot crew across over 30 unique 3D levels.
None of them outstay their welcome. I can't think of one level that frustrated or annoyed me. Each also looks spectacular, with a funky pop-based soundtrack to boot. Developer Team Asobi also ramps up the nostalgia, leveraging past PlayStation artefacts as props around the world. You'll also find robot crew dressed as famous PlayStation game characters. But they walk the fine line in being too crass about it, opting for vague — and often funny — descriptions of who the character is when you rescue them, rather than an outright plug for the game they are from.
One thing that Astro Bot has over Mario: It makes full use of the PlayStation's solid-state drive to allow you to reboot almost instantly after you die. Yes, Astro Bot can only take one hit before it meets its end, but what does that matter when checkpoints are aplenty and you respawn within a second? The DualSense controller also perfectly responds to the levels with some mechanics with the controller — such as motion sensing — woven into level design.
In addition to brand new platforming mechanics, there's inspiration here from Kirby, the Donkey Kong series, Mario, and other Nintendo titles mixed in together. You can tell the developers have a huge affection for their rival in what they've created here, pulling the best bits of other games' mechanics into one new milestone of a title for the genre.
Astro Bot is a new franchise for PlayStation. The character was first introduced in a tech demo that came with PlayStation 5 in Astro's Playroom. Team Asobi also produced a VR game using the character. This is their first fully-fledged Astro Bot title, and I suspect given the reception it's getting there will be more.
This is a game well worth playing if you have the chance. It took me around 15 hours to complete the base game, and I'm now trying to hit 100% completion in it, I'm that hooked. Can confirm: It's much more enjoyable than actually rebuilding a PS5.
Worth trying if you like: Super Mario Odyssey, Super Mario 3D World, Donkey Kong: Tropical Freeze, Crash Bandicoot
Available on: PlayStation 5
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What I’ve found quite a lot is people want the least hassle possible to get the experience they want - they’d have to create the console in this way to make it easy enough for the majority to do it, which would likely cost Sony more for example, and which I’d say most people still wouldn’t be comfortable doing!
I think they should make it easier to customise it if you wanted - but Sony aren’t known for their openness to people modding on their system!
Do they bother to go down this route when the PC market is still not what you might call a ‘mass market’, and that part of what PC builders enjoy is the building and customising part! Plus the cost to get something equivalent to a PS5 would be like double!
I also know that consoles are fully optimised to provide the best possible performance / graphics with the least power - as in, the ps5 is years old but will still outmatch most modern PCs that aren’t super high end! Would making them customisable make this less possible?
I’ve also took apart and cleaned a PS2, Xbox, Wii, all older consoles and they were difficult enough, not sure how a modern console would differ and how much more complicated the parts would be!
This is all coming from someone who doesn’t have much knowledge about these areas so just some thoughts!
It would be great if consoles were easily customizable. That would settle at least 1 dispute between PC and Consoles once and for all 😅