Not everybody is a fan of the white finish Sony settled on for the PlayStation 5. The good news is, the white faceplates are easy to remove, but the bad news is, Sony is in no hurry to offer official alternatives. That's where Dbrand comes in.
As first spotted by The Verge, Dbrand is known for its phone cases and custom skins, but this week the company launched what it's calling "Darkplates." They are a set of matte black faceplates for the PS5 console, turning into a black slab of gaming hardware. But these aren't just smooth black pieces of plastic. Dbrand has designed a "microscopic texture" and repeated it across the surface of each plate. If it looks familiar, it's because Dbrand took inspiration from the PlayStation button icons microtexture found on the DualSense controller.
As far as Dbrand is concerned, Darkplates are "Totally Legal" and even prints "Go ahead, sue us" next to the Buy button. You may remember in October last year similar custom faceplates appeared called PlateStation5 in multiple color options. Sony took legal action and all orders were canceled. So Dbrand is clearly ready for a fight if Sony chooses to send the lawyers in.
Dbrand is set to offer Darkplates for both the Disc Edition and Digital Edition of the PS5, although the Disc Edition is the only set you can buy right now for $49 ($60.95 with a bundled matte black skin). The company is also offering multiple "Middle Skin" designs for $11.95, which can be attached to the front of the PS5 to offer an even more unique look. Ordering now will see your Darkplates ship in May, although that could change depending on how popular they are.