This black PS5 controller is a custom job but it looks good enough for shelves

No black PS5 controller is available at launch, but that can't keep you from making your own.

Reddit user Yazuka83 took matters into their own hands to create a custom black PS5 controller, and they even took it a step further by swapping in some colorful buttons. The end result is a gorgeous take on Sony's standard design, which hews a bit closer to classic PlayStation aesthetics than the stock look while emerging as a lovely creation all its own.

My new Black DualSense (Check first post for answered questions) from r/PS5

According to Yazuka83's description of the process, they used spray paint to cover the white parts of the controller while leaving the standard black intact. They also subbed in the face buttons from a DualShock 4 controller (the standard DualSense buttons use monochromatic symbols instead). That means the Circle button sticks out a little more than it does in the base version - I'll admit, I hadn't realized the button itself was curved to conform to the controller's silhouette before now - but it's a small enough difference that it doesn't spoil the effect.

Sony made it clear long before launch that you could get PS5 and its accessories in any color you wanted at launch, as long as it was white with a little bit of black. While the console's snap-off faceplates make it seem like official customization options are a foregone conclusion further down the line, for the time being modders are making up for the difference - including with an amazing PS5 paint job that's a perfect match for Spider-Man: Miles Morales.

If you're still looking for your own console, make sure you check our guide on how to buy a PS5.

I got a BA in journalism from Central Michigan University - though the best education I received there was from CM Life, its student-run newspaper. Long before that, I started pursuing my degree in video games by bugging my older brother to let me play Zelda on the Super Nintendo. I've previously been a news intern for GameSpot, a news writer for CVG, and was formerly a staff writer at GamesRadar+.