When designing the appearance of a video game console, engineers need to consider a number of key variables. Chief among these is heat, and it sounds like that was an even bigger issue for the next generation of consoles: the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5. Xbox boss Phil Spencer spoke at that point during an Animal Talking with Gary Whitta interviewing yesterday.
During that discussion, Whitta Spencer (all in Animal Crossing, the hit game from Nintendo) asked his thoughts on the external appearance of the PS5. Spencer indicated that he sympathizes with Sony’s engineers because he understands the difficulties of working with the hardware in the PlayStation 5. Microsoft and Sony both use AMD components in their next-gen consoles.
“It’s hard because I know the physics we both have to deal with when it comes to these consoles,” Spencer Whita said. And the cooling of these consoles – the power, the power consumption – that presents this generation with real challenges. We’re talking about consoles – with the CPU and GPU – that are really powerful computers, effectively. ”
Spencer’s point is that both systems probably had to back down from dealing with an intense thermal output. He said that was explicitly the case when it came to the Xbox Series X.
“We chose our design because we wanted a size fan that we could spin a little slower so we didn’t make any noise,” Spencer said. “We wanted a very quiet console, so sound was something we focused on. So we built a shape-tracking feature design so we could draw a lot of air with a size of that rotates a little slower so we didn’t get those loud howling sounds that sometimes consoles can make. ‘
PlayStation 5 could handle even more heat
Sony has also indicated that it is concerned about producing a silent console. That was probably an even bigger challenge for the PlayStation 5, as Sony and AMD increased the clock speeds on the GPU. While Xbox Series X has 52 computer units running at 1,825 GHz, the PS5 comes with 36 CUs that can rev up to as high as 2.23GHz. These are extremely fast speeds for a GPU, and it is likely that this will produce a lot more heat from the processor.
Spencer acknowledged this.
“Knowing that the PlayStation 5 is running at higher clocks just makes it more [heat], “he said.” But that’s not Sony’s problem. “
This is one of the reasons why the PS5 is gigantic compared to most other consoles. It’s probably also why the disc is on the side (just like it’s on the Xbox Series X).
Above: PlayStation 5 is a behemoth for a reason.
Image Credit: User edit u / GREB07
If the higher clocks on the PS5 GPU produce extra heat, then the system needs a central pillar of space to squeeze in a lot of fresh air. This is an equally viable solution to what Microsoft did, which is to make a box that a single larger fan can hold.
Spencer says he’s a fan of what Sony came up with.
“I love the design of what they did,” he said. “I have a lot of respect for what the teams do at PlayStation. But they run their box differently than we do, and it presents unique design challenges in how to keep these things cool. That’s a problem for both of us, so that’s not a shock. And they took an approach that is different from what we did. “
