Dbrand Darkplates 2.0 Review

The PlayStation 5 design is… not for everyone. It’s been called an alien spaceship, a high-end router, a toilet seat, and many equally unfavorable terms. But personally? I don’t mind it. The weird, misshapen console is the most unique-looking thing on my TV stand. I like risks, and Sony took it with the PS5.

But that doesn’t mean it’s perfect. The overhangs and lack of color options make it impossible to blend in, no matter where it sits. Dbrand, a company famous for its premium stickers and equally premium snark, decided to take matters into its own hands. The company released the Darkplates, while simultaneously daring Sony to sue. Sony obliged.

Sony sent Dbrand a cease-and-desist citing the unique (and idiosyncratic) shape of the plates. According to Dbrand, that’s because Sony wanted to sell their own plates (which it now does). So Dbrand got to work redesigning its plates.

The result is the Dbrand Darkplates 2.0, a new design with rounded edges that comes in three colorways: black, white, and retro gray. The colors all look great, but they’re extremely plain compared to PlayStation’s own announced plates, which come in black, red, pink, blue, and purple.

Whether you opt for black or white, disc edition or disc-less, the new plates feature a mesh-covered opening for the fan, which can keep your PlayStation cooler. And that’s a decently big deal, as Gamers Nexus did tests that showed removing the panels entirely could drop the temperature by around 5 degrees. You can also remove the filter, which makes it easier to clean while (presumably) keeping the PlayStation’s temperatures even lower.

On the inside of the Darkplates, you’ll find a nearly microscopic slew of 1s and 0s. It’s Sony’s entire cease-and-desist letter, printed in binary on the inside of the case. It’s just the right amount of petty, and I love it.

Dbrand also offers skins that cover the middle of the PS5. These skins come in matte black, retro gray, classic white, triple black, and a graffiti-floral print called “robot camo.”

Finally, there’s also a skin that covers the PS5’s light strip. This skin is really nothing more than a translucent sticker – just something that covers the very bright RGB light strip on the PS5 and tints it to another color. These work okay – I was partial to the teal blue color, which adds a really interesting hue to your PS5 when the power light is white or blue, but just looks a little murky when the light is orange.

Dbrand Darkplates 2.0 – Assembly

I’m old enough to remember when you had to apply your own stickers to action figures. Your Ninja Turtle van would come with decals you had to apply yourself; mine were always, irredeemably crooked.

So, it’s a welcome surprise that I was able to apply the Dbrand skins easily and without mistakes. I know it sounds overkill, but Dbrand’s tutorials helped a ton. And besides, if you’re spending $10 on a sticker, overkill is welcome.

As for the Darkplates themselves, they snap right on with ease.

Purchasing Guide

The Darkplates sell for $69 (but are currently on sale for $59), while the middle skin will tack on another $19.95 ($9.95 at the time of writing), and $4.95 per colored light strip skin.