Samuel Polay

DIY

How to paint your PS5 without destroying it

The PS5’s oft-mocked design comes with an advantage over the new Xbox: it’s big side panels are user removable and perfect for customization. Let us show you how (and how not) to DIY your PS5.

After seeing YouTuber Dave Lee paint his PS5 in a spider-man theme, I decided to customize my own console. Sony is no doubt going to sell their own plates in the future in different colors or designs, but if you can’t wait until then, then stay tuned.

First, I can only advise people to paint their PS5’s side panels.

They have no electronics whatsoever meaning there is no risk of damaging your console’s actual computer by doing this.

If you for some reason don’t like the color or finish of the black center that contains the console itself, then you’re better off using a vinyl skin.

That being said, Sony doesn’t have replacement panels officially for sale

It’s unclear when or if that will happen. Sony already shut down a company trying to make third-party panels. If you mess up your paint job, you’ll be stuck with those plates until new ones from Sony directly are sold.

For the less committed among you, Plasti-dipping is another route to take. There are countless tutorials online if you’re interested in a less permanent solution.

Removing the PS5 plates couldn’t be simpler.

Grab the top corner near the exhaust vents on the back and pull down. It should snap on and off easily. Once your plates are off, you’re ready to paint.

While I didn’t paint my PS5’s stand, that is also doable, just be careful to not paint the rubber parts that keep your PS5 stable.

Blue is more true to Playstation history. This dark shade makes the paint job simpler of course, but you still need to take a bit of caution. Use a spray paint with primer already added, this will help the paint stick to the plastic better

When painting, you should keep the can about 12 inches away from the plates, rather than the close, impatient shots we did. In short strokes, coat the entire plate in paint. Be patient after this to let the paint completely dry, then recoat as needed.

The inner plates with plastic hooks are easier. Because you’re not looking at this side of the plates as much, you just want to be sure to coat the paint evenly (and with a lighter touch than above) so that it doesn’t stand out when your console is reassembled.

Let the plates sit and dry for about 2 hours.

While all paints are different, you want to let it dry as much as possible. Depending on how many coats you applied, your time here may vary.

Depending on how well your paint dries, you may want to add a thin coat of finish as well but be careful. Putting finish on too heavily can damage the paint.

When your plates are finally dried, align the hooks on the inner plate with the holes on the inner console again and push gently to snap them back into place.

You now have a custom PS5

Of course, there’s so much more potential here than just changing the console’s color. I’m sure Etsy artists will have field day printing out stencils to help people take their customizations further.

For more gaming projects: ⬇️

📱 PlayStation on the Surface Duo, like the lord intended

🌀 How to build the ultimate Sega Dreamcast

📺 How I hacked my Lego NES into a real console

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