PS5 dev kit includes a bunch of features missing from the final console

A YouTuber has given us our first up-close look at the PS5 dev kit, showing off hardware features that aren’t present in the console’s retail version.

Dev kits are intended to be used by approved studios to assist their development of PS5 games. But YouTuber Macho Nacho Productions (opens in new tab) has got hold of one of the devices, offering an in-depth look at its design and features. It’s not the first time we’ve seen it, with leaked PS5 dev kit images doing the rounds back in 2020.  

Its casing is radically different from the PS5’s retail version, and it’s outfitted with several more ports and inputs. The unit featured in the YouTuber’s video hasn’t been activated, however, so can’t boot up any software past the kit’s home screen.

First look

The V-shaped device features an integrated LCD display on its faceplate, a pair of heavy-duty exhaust ports running down either side, as well as grooves that let multiple kits stack on top of one another.

It’s also got several more ports. There are four USB 3.0 inputs, one USB 2.0, and a USB-C on the front, alongside four buttons for controlling the device. On the other end is a pair of ethernet ports, an HDMI input, and another USB 3.0 port – bringing the total USB count up to seven. 

The guts of the machine are different too. It contains nearly 2.5TB of memory – far greater than the 825GB SSD included in the retail PS5 – as well as the capacity for expanded storage. Unlike the consumer console, it doesn’t include a disc drive.

Those additional hardware features are all tailored toward development. The high number of USB ports would allow devs to connect lots of peripherals with which to test out the machine, while its high storage capacity means the device can contain huge, uncompressed game files. 

Macho Nacho speculates one of the ethernet cables is a higher-speed port, useful for transferring the large files involved in game development. The in-built display, meanwhile, shows a bunch of backend metrics that would be Greek to most players. As for the disc drive’s absence, that’s not too surprising. The kit is, after all, designed to be used in the creation of games, not to play them.

Macho Nacho didn’t say where he sourced the dev kit. Sony only gives them to officially licensed publishers and developers and is careful to stop them from falling into the consumer market. As we reported, an eBay listing appeared for a PS5 dev kit last year but was taken down in a matter of hours. Big changes could be coming in the future, though, as a new PS5 model is rumored to be on the horizon.