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Would you agree technology peaked in the days of candy-colored gadgets in see-through hues like “Atomic Purple” and “Bondi Blue”? If so, Dbrand would greatly enjoy weaponizing your nostalgia against your bank account.
@verge Atomic Purple PS5. #ps5 #sony #playstation #gametok #techtok #tech
♬ original sound – The Verge
Today, it’s introduced the $100 Retro Darkplates for your PS5, which give your Sony console a similar effect to the transparent N64s that Nintendo released at the turn of the millennium.
They come in transparent orange, light blue, black, and purple, with the first three a “deadmatch against their N64 counterparts,” says Dbrand CEO Adam Ijaz — because the company bought those original consoles, Pantone-matched them, and then spent two months tweaking, he says. The final plates are made of translucent ABS plastic and still have the same Easter egg inside: binary that translates to an excerpt of Sony’s cease and desist.
What about the PS5’s glossy black center bar, you ask? You’ll apply a flat X-ray image in the form of a skin: “We shot side-profile X-rays of the PS5 in about a dozen subsections, then meticulously stitched the parts together to ensure an accurate representation of the PS5’s internals from any angle,” says Ijaz. You also get strips of vinyl to turn the PS5’s white running lights purple, orange, or ice blue to match.
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It’s no secret I love a good transparent gadget, so I asked Dbrand to let me borrow a full set of all four colors — and the swap is pretty easy, even for a skin-hater like me. In case you’re not aware, popping off the PS5’s white panels is such a cinch you can do it with Sony’s blessing. The skin is easily aligned by fitting it over the PS5’s power and eject buttons, then making sure the front USB port holes line up.
Is the final effect worth $100? It’s a little rich for me, particularly since I prefer Sony’s original popped collar look to the rounded corners that helped Dbrand avoid a lawsuit. You fundamentally can’t see a lot of the PS5’s insides through Dbrand’s plates since Sony’s got big metal shields underneath, and the skins are a touch too matte to convince me I’m looking through my console.
While I’m nitpicking, it’s a bit weird when the PS5 lights up blue or orange instead of white since that doesn’t shine through the color-changing tint appropriately.
But Dbrand’s take on Fire Orange is absolutely hot, the blue is definitely cool, and the purple looks lit when you light it, if a little dark to appreciate when it’s resting inside my entertainment center. If there’s ever a half-price sale, I’ll probably spring for a set.
I really don’t know what to think about Dbrand’s marketing on this one, by the way. I asked Ijaz: Why you gotta bring me down with the crushing reality of middle-aged life?
“The crushing reality of middle-aged life is exactly what we’re banking on,” he replied.
