PlayStation 4 owners might no longer be forced to have the same generic console as everyone else, as Sony has announced custom faceplates.
Essentially bits of plastic that will sit over the hard drive bay, Sony’s custom faceplate is a colourful block that can sit on a console and spruce up the image of the standard PS4.
Four of these will be arriving in Australia, with orange, blue, red, and white, though Europe will see two more colours, with a touch of gold and silver landing overseas, just not locally.
Looking at the images we’ve been sent, the red and blue covers on the white PlayStation 4 console almost deliver a Mondrianesque take of how the console could look if the artist (Piet Mondrian) was given the design job at Sony Computer Entertainment.
Likewise, the white cover on the white console almost channels Malevich’s “White on White”, as you do.
Frankly, all these appear to be are blocks of plastic to snap on to consoles, with these little bits of plastic carrying a price tag of just under $30.
We don’t get it, to be honest, because $30 seems a lot for a colourful bit of plastic, especially when faceplates back in the Xbox 360 age tended to offer more playful designs for around the same price a little under ten years ago, and we can’t recall many people buying them, either.
In fairness to Sony, the not-quite-$30 custom faceplate is probably a better deal for most PS4 owners than going out and buying a limited edition console, but again, at least those consoles are designed to look like something, not just merely offering a colourful block of plastic to the top.
But we suppose someone will want this, if not just to discern the difference between two PlayStation 4 consoles in the same home. If that’s you, expect these custom faceplates in video game stores from November 19.
