Sony’s trimmed-down version of its PlayStation 5 has only been on the shelves for a week or so but one seriously talented modder has taken the new PS5 Slim and given it a comprehensive makeover. Half as tall, narrower, and sporting a cute mini PC look, the Tiny PS5 is a pricey but classy project.
News of the work was reported by Sweclockers, with the full details of the task covered by YouTube channel Not From Concentrate (NFC). They’ve been focusing on shrinking PC systems for years, using top-notch CAD milling machines and 3D printers to make some truly gorgeous projects. Ever since the PlayStation 5 first appeared, various people have attempted to make a smaller or slimmer version but this one beats them all, in my opinion.
The size alone is highly impressive, as not only is it barely any larger than the PS5 Slim’s motherboard, it still houses an internal power supply unit. Sony’s design is pretty big but it’s designed to be as cheap as possible, so it’s never going to be especially svelte. NFC replaced it with a 250W HDPlex GaN PSU, that’s roughly one-third the cost of a PS5 digital version console.
Cooling is handled by a new heatsink and fan setup, an Alpenföhn Black Ridge and Noctua Chromax 120mm, for a combined price of around $130. Expensive but with it being ultra-low profile and very quiet, it was pretty much the only way that NFC could match the PS5’s thermal and acoustic performance. Well, that and specially crafted heat plates that were thicker and offered more surface area than the original ones.
You might think that jamming a PlayStation into a mini PC/SFF-style box would butcher the thermals, but NFC’s testing shows that it runs no more than a couple of degrees hotter, even when doing some serious gaming.
A raft of additional electronics was required to handle the fan and control buttons, but thanks to some nifty work on a 3D printer and CAD milling machine, the whole system looks about half the height of the PS5 Slim and considerably narrower.
But something had to go for it to be shrunk that small and NFC chose to mount the disc drive as an external unit. That wasn’t as simple as running a cable out of the chassis to a new drive, as Sony’s unit is directly paired to the PlayStation’s motherboard. Cue yet more impressive electronics wizardry to get the whole thing working properly.
Regardless of the cost and the effort required to achieve the desired size, aesthetics, and functionality, the Tiny PS5 is a truly fantastic piece of engineering. Obviously, there’s no way Sony could have made its PlayStation like this, as the console makes little to no profit, but I love seeing folks take the much-loved gaming machine and give it a fresh new look.
I wonder if I could do a reverse shrink job and make my Switch the same size as my gaming PC?