PS5 Face Plate Company Sells New Plates Despite Sony Lawsuit


dBrand is selling all-new custom PS5 face plates just days after Sony sued it for doing the same thing.

If you’ve never heard of dBrand, it’s a company that sells vinyl skins, cases, and screen protectors for your electronics. It also carries its brand with an extreme ‘stick it to the man’ attitude, despite being a faceless corporation in itself. In a similar vein, the company has been selling custom PS5 faceplates for much of this year, known as ‘Darkplates’. In fact, dBrand actually dared Sony to sue it back when they launched [via The Verge].

Well, dBrand finally got its wish. It was able to get away with it for so long because Sony never actually owned the design patent for the side panels. However, that all changed last week when Sony finally received the registered certification. That meant Sony finally had the legal grounds to threaten dBrand with a lawsuit.

However, dBrand seems to have known this was coming. Darkplates were pulled from sale just days ago, but a replacement is already up for pre-orders right now. While Darkplates were essentially a carbon copy of the PS5 faceplates in different colours, ‘Darkplates 2’ exhibit a slightly altered design. It’s because of this minute difference that dBrand reckons it can get away unthreatened by Sony.

Credit: dBrand

How is dBrand getting away with it this time?

So, how is the new design different? For one, dBrand has reduced the overall height of the plates so that they don’t stick out like a vampire collar at the top. It’s also created a large fan cutout on both panels to allow for better airflow into the console. This can apparently reduce the PS5 running temperature by up to five degrees celsius. It likely won’t make your games run faster, but it’ll be a nice peace of mind. There are optional dust filters included with the plates, too.

The new plates are available in the same matte black as the original Darkplates. Alternatively, you can opt to go for the vanilla white that comes with the normal PS5. I know most people seem to hate the white design, but am I the only one who sorta likes it? For the nostalgic among you, dBrand is also offering a light grey colour that’s reminiscent of the original PlayStation.

Credit: dBrand

Darkplates 2 are available to preorder on the dBrand website and start at $59.05. If they pique your interest, you’d better act fast. While dBrand is confident that Sony has no grounds to sue this time, something tells me that wont stop it from trying.

What do you think of these custom PS5 faceplates? Let us know across our social channels.

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[Featured Image Credit: dBrand/Sony]