I made my PS5 Fire Orange and Atomic Purple with Dbrand’s transparent Darkplates
Would you agree technology peaked in the days of candy-colored gadgets in see-through hues like “Atomic Purple” and “Bondi Blue”? If so, Dbrand would greatly enjoy weaponizing your nostalgia against your bank account.
They come in transparent orange, light blue, black, and purple, with the first three a “deadmatch against their N64 counterparts,” says Dbrand CEO Adam Ijaz — because the company bought those original consoles, Pantone-matched them, and then spent two months tweaking, he says. The final plates are made of translucent ABS plastic and still have the same Easter egg inside: binary that translates to an excerpt of Sony’s cease and desist.
What about the PS5’s glossy black center bar, you ask? You’ll apply a flat X-ray image in the form of a skin: “We shot side-profile X-rays of the PS5 in about a dozen subsections, then meticulously stitched the parts together to ensure an accurate representation of the PS5’s internals from any angle,” says Ijaz. You also get strips of vinyl to turn the PS5’s white running lights purple, orange, or ice blue to match.
It’s no secret I love a good transparent gadget, so I asked Dbrand to let me borrow a full set of all four colors — and the swap is pretty easy, even for a skin-hater like me. In case you’re not aware, popping off the PS5’s white panels is such a cinch you can do it with Sony’s blessing. The skin is easily aligned by fitting it over the PS5’s power and eject buttons, then making sure the front USB port holes line up.
Is the final effect worth $100? It’s a little rich for me, particularly since I prefer Sony’s original popped collar look to the rounded corners that helped Dbrand avoid a lawsuit. You fundamentally can’t see a lot of the PS5’s insides through Dbrand’s plates since Sony’s got big metal shields underneath, and the skins are a touch too matte to convince me I’m looking through my console.
While I’m nitpicking, it’s a bit weird when the PS5 lights up blue or orange instead of white since that doesn’t shine through the color-changing tint appropriately.
But Dbrand’s take on Fire Orange is absolutely hot, the blue is definitely cool, and the purple looks lit when you light it, if a little dark to appreciate when it’s resting inside my entertainment center. If there’s ever a half-price sale, I’ll probably spring for a set.
I really don’t know what to think about Dbrand’s marketing on this one, by the way. I asked Ijaz: Why you gotta bring me down with the crushing reality of middle-aged life?
“The crushing reality of middle-aged life is exactly what we’re banking on,” he replied.
Would you agree technology peaked in the days of candy-colored gadgets in see-through hues like “Atomic Purple” and “Bondi Blue”? If so, Dbrand would greatly enjoy weaponizing your nostalgia against your bank account. They come in transparent orange, light blue, black, and purple, with the first three a “deadmatch against…
Recent Posts
- Best Buy slashes up to $400 off Apple tech in a limited-time sale — get AirPods, MacBooks, iPads and Apple Watches from $99.99
- The Instagram Plus subscription has officially launched
- Cyberdecks used to look like little laptops, but now they’re getting more personal
- Canada Prime Minister Mark Carney announces questionable national AI strategy
- Kevin O’Leary agrees to downsize massive Utah data center
Archives
- June 2026
- May 2026
- April 2026
- March 2026
- February 2026
- January 2026
- December 2025
- November 2025
- October 2025
- September 2025
- August 2025
- July 2025
- June 2025
- May 2025
- April 2025
- March 2025
- February 2025
- January 2025
- December 2024
- November 2024
- October 2024
- September 2024
- August 2024
- July 2024
- June 2024
- May 2024
- April 2024
- March 2024
- February 2024
- January 2024
- December 2023
- November 2023
- October 2023
- September 2023
- August 2023
- July 2023
- June 2023