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Dbrand, the PS5 faceplate company that dared Sony to sue and then Sony sued, has taken a deep breath and made its next move in the form of new designs.
The PS5's design took a lot of people by surprise when it was revealed last year. Its sleek white look continues to give off some serious spaceship vibes. Some people love it, some people don't, but whatever side of the fence you fall on, that's what you get. One year in, and Sony is yet to offer an alternative even though its white exterior can be removed with relative ease.
That's why some unofficial avenues quickly took matters into their own hands. Most notably a Canadian company called Dbrand. Dbrand created black faceplates and called them Darkplates. They sold out almost instantly earlier this year. When legal action from Sony appeared to be looming, Dbrand responded by daring Sony to sue and, well, it did.
Just three days later and Dbrand is back with some all-new faceplates, Darkplates 2.0. The company revealed the news on its subreddit and has already added the new design to its website. The new plates have a smoother look and also include vents for the PS5's fan. The post revealing them on Reddit even includes research conducted by Gamers Nexus showing the console runs five degrees cooler when its fan isn't covered up by its faceplates.
Dbrand's response to Sony and unveiling of Darkplates 2.0 includes plenty more shots at PlayStation and any looming legal action. It claims Sony didn't have a registered design patent for its sideplates when it first launched Darkplates, and didn't try to file one until very recently. Nevertheless, Dbrand now believes if Sony still plans on taking legal action against its new design, it better be prepared to lose.
Not only has Dbrand doubled down by creating new faceplates it believes Sony has no legal rule over, Darkplates 2.0 are even available in three different colors. Black, white for those who like the way their PS5 looks but like the vent idea, and a shade of grey reminiscent of the PS1. We guess it's Sony's move. Time will tell whether Dbrand's relaunch pays off and if it's on the right side of the law this time around.