Sony’s launched the official PS5 custom faceplates a day early: Here’s how to buy one

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Two of the five official PS5 console covers are available to buy from PlayStation Direct in the UK today, one day earlier than originally planned. The replaceable covers are designed to be swapped out with the PS5’s original white casing.

The midnight black and cosmic red custom faceplates cost £44.99 and are exclusive to Sony’s official storefront until 18 February, after which they’ll be available everywhere.

The two available colours match the “midnight black” (£59.99, Argos.co.uk) and “cosmic red” (£59.99, Box.co.uk) controllers launched by Sony last year, allowing console owners to complete the look with a complementary PS5 custom faceplate.

Sony released three additional colours of PS5 controller last week, in “nova pink”, “starlight blue” and “galactic purple”. The matching console covers in those colours are expected to launch later in 2022.

Fans and modders had already been designing unofficial custom faceplates for Sony’s console since its launch in 2020, with at least one company falling foul of the Japanese gaming giant’s legal team. These official faceplates are now the only Sony-sanctioned method of zhuzhing up your plain, white PS5.

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The PlayStation 5 divided opinion with its skyscraper-esque design, curvaceous silhouette and crisp white finish. The first Sony games console not to launch in black since the PlayStation 1, the new design prompted hobbyists to repaint their console’s faceplates at home, often with mixed success.

Enterprising designers even stepped in to sell unofficial replacement covers in every possible colour under the sun, though Sony’s legal department soon had something to say about that.

Now, the brand has stepped in to create its own range of covers, selling two of its planned five custom console faceplates directly from the PlayStation Direct store. For £44.99, players can choose between midnight black and cosmic red, and restyle their console without voiding their warranty or potentially damaging the machine.

The new faceplates clip into place neatly and can even be matched with custom PS5 controllers. Later in 2022, Sony is expected to launch three more PS5 covers in colours ranging from blue, to a blue-ish purple, to a purplish-blue.

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