PS5 cooling fan is the reason the console is so dang big

The PS5 cooling fan is one of the main reasons behind the console's large size, an interview with engineer Yasuhiro Otori has revealed. 

Speaking in an interview with Japenese website Xtech Nikkei (and translated by ResetEra), Otori, who was the star of the PS5 teardown video, went into more detail about the innards of the next-gen console, revealing that the fan's size played into the console's size. 

As the article explains, the PS5's cooling fan is used to keep the main board cool, with the fan providing cool air on both sides. However, Sony were exploring the idea of using two cooling fans, for each side of the board, which would have been able to decrease the size of the overall console. But, Otori explains in the article that controlling two fans is "more difficult" than just one, which is why they decided to go for the single fan and, in turn, the chunky console. 

The results though should mean that the PS5 is significantly quieter than the PS4 when it launches this November. Evidence for this exists already, as Japenese games press got a PS5 hands on recently, noting that the console was significantly quieter and cooler than its current-gen counterpart. Good news for players who have maybe got used to PS4's current level of volume. 

The article also offers up a few more tidbits about the production of the PS5, including more on the console's heat sink which wasn't touched on in the teardown video. We're looking forward to seeing how this impressive tech comes together this November. 

For more PS5 coverage, be sure to check out our guide on the PS5 launch titles and how you can sort out a PS5 pre-order.