When Sony first announced the PlayStation 5, fans were quick to beg third-party accessory makers to provide black plates to place the PS5's default white plates. Accessory-maker Dbrand was quick to respond, offering a great-looking alternative that it dubbed Darkplates. Sony, however, delivered a Cease and Desist order to Dbrand as its Darkplates were too similar to Sony's designs, forcing Dbrand to stop selling them. Dbrand appears to be having the last laugh, however, with the launch of Sony's first-party "Midnight Black" PS5 plates.Dbrand shared someone else's post on its Twitter account on Friday. The post, from Twitter user Cinco9_, compares Sony's official Midnight Black console cover to Dbrand's black Darkplates. As Cinco9_ says, the official PS5 covers look more "dark blue" than black. They also don't match the official black PS5 controller, despite also having the Midnight Black coloring label. Cinco9_ says outright that they're "very disappointed" that the colors don't match.While Cinco9_'s post is respectful in its criticism, Dbrand doesn't hold back. The message from Dbrand reads, "lmao turns out you can't sue your way into figuring out the color black." Considering Sony forced Dbrand to stop selling its black Darkplates, which do match the PS5's Midnight Black DualShock controller, this insult seems well-deserved.
It's unclear if there's a genuine issue with the official PS5 Midnight Black console cover or if this is simply how it is. It's possible, if unlikely, that there was a manufacturing error involved. It'll be interesting to see if Sony's other four colors for its console covers match their respective DualShock controllers or not, too.
Dbrand, for its part, is doing quite well despite Sony lawsuit threats. It has since released its Darkplates 2.0, a design it's advertising with the message, "Checkmate, lawyers." Darkplates 2.0 redesigns the look of the PS5, with rounded corners, side vents for efficient cooling, as well as light strips along the front rims. The Darkplates 2.0 have sold out four waves so far and have two more waves coming for March and April.
Ultimately, multiple options for PS5 plates are a good thing to have, so players with different tastes can have them met. It's unfortunate, to say the least, that the issue came to a lawsuit. It's doubly unfortunate that Sony's replacement for Dbrand's Darkplates don't appear to meet expectations. In time, that will hopefully be corrected. In the meantime, maybe Dbrand's Darkplates 2.0 are worth considering for those hoping for console covers that will match their Midnight Black DualShock controller.
The PS5's new console covers are available now.