PS5 is bigger so it will stay cooler, PlayStation VP confirms

It looks like PS5 is going to be a big console, and the main reason it needs all that space is heat.

Matt MacLaurin is the vice president of user experience design at PlayStation, and he's been responding to comments about the PS5 reveal on his LinkedIn page (as spotted by VG247). While MacLaurin isn't divulging any big shockers like the PS5 price, he has been willing to give some extra context to the console reveal that Sony did at the PS5 Future of Gaming event last week.

One commenter asked why PS5 needed to be "bigger and bulkier" than PS4. "Thermals," MacLaurin answered. "This gen is little supercomputers. While the 7nm process delivers amazing heat performance for the power, the power is very extreme."

MacLaurin's comments about "the 7nm process" refers to the ever-shrinking semiconductor technology that allows tech companies to fit higher performing components into the same amount of space. The other half of the equation is making sure those new components don't overheat. If your PS4 has ever started to sound like a bayou airboat, you know that ventilation has been a problem for Sony's current generation.

Aside from being a big fella, PS5 also has a distinct look about it. MacLaurin was willing to share some thoughts about that too in response to commenters.

"I understand it's not for everyone, but no good art is," Maclaurin said. "Still, I think it's refined enough to tuck away quietly. The editions are going to be lit."

Sony wants to "emphasize value as opposed to price" for the PS5, so making it more of an art object is a decent start.