In 2021, Sony shut down the production of dbrand’s ‘Darkplates’, bespoke side plates to replace the stock covering provided with the PlayStation 5. They were sleek, they were edgy, and they proved to be too much for Sony to handle, and the tech titan served up a lawsuit on a silver platter.
Now, three years later, dbrand is back with Darkplates 2.0, a second stab that’s a prolific punch in the gut to Sony’s lawyers. There are now more than 100,000 users sitting in a queue to pick up the PS5 Darkplates – and the first wave of them is available today.
Dark Innovations
The Darkplates 2.0 are available for the original PlayStation 5 and the Slim models, spanning both the digital and disc editions of the console. Dbrand has made sure to produce something both functional and stunning, creating a black-on-black design with increased airflow, fewer parts, and better materials.
Alongside the Darkplates 2.0 innovation sits the Lightstrips, a series of custom LED strips that slip between the PS5’s core body and the Darkplates 2.0, offering a brighter, bolder alternative to the stock lighting solution.
In a par-for-the-course style of spiel, dbrand held nothing back while marketing the Darkplates 2.0 case:
Imagine this: you’re a ¥15,000,000,000,000 enterprise who just spent a small fortune designing their next-generation gaming console. A privately held corporation run by robots makes it black. The world rejoices. You’re livid. You vent your frustrations to a team of lawyers. They get to work. Now, under threat of litigation, those robots have to redesign their Darkplates… while also funding a legal defense. Needless to say, some corners were cut. You’re welcome.
The team event went above and beyond to revolutionise the packaging of the Darkplates 2.0 case. Per a comment on the dbrand website, the crew ‘sent (their) Box Scientists to Mars.’ If you’re like me and you’re a bit of a packaging nerd, that’s sure to excite you.
The release of Darkplates 2.0 will be staggered across four waves, the first of which is preparing to ship now. Follow-up waves will run from November to January, so get your hands on them while you can.
It doesn’t end there, though.
Dbrand also took the flimsy plastic pegs that are used to stand up a PS5 console and pieced together an all-new stand. It’s a magnetic base unit that’s super sturdy and robust, giving you better peace of mind when laying your console horizontally. In dbrand’s words, it’s a step up from ‘a pair of plastic peglegs that could be snapped in half by a toddler.’
If you jump onto the dbrand site, you can order your Darkplates 2.0, bolt on a lush middle skin and some Lightstrips, and if you want, throw on a stand. The whole bundle should run you less than $100.
Are you going to snap up a set of Darkplates 2.0? Let us know in the comments.
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I have the original darkplates and they look fantastic. Just matte black and a couple strips that make the LEDs look slightly different color. So much better looking than it was with the Sony shells on it ooof.
Glad to see them back
Would’ve been nice to have even just a link to news about the lawsuit, since no details were given in the article…
What about PS5 Pro plates?