In February, Canadian-based device customisation company Dbrand launched its replacement PS5 plates, dubbed Darkplates, with a brazen attitude towards the prospect of a Sony takedown. Last week, Dbrand revealed it subsequently received a letter from Sony threatening legal action - and that it had complied with the demands, declaring: “Darkplates are dead.” Now, Dbrand has revealed a brand new design for its PS5 plates, dubbed “Darkplates 2.0”, and insisted the action “successfully closes the loop on this dispute and neutralises any future infringement claims from Sony”. In a reddit post, Dbrand said it only removed its original PS5 Darkplates from sale because Sony obtained a design patent for the shape of the console’s side panels. “We didn’t think they’d ever get one,” Dbrand said. “They did. Here we are.” Dbrand said it had two options: fight Sony in court to the tune of millions of dollars, or “start fresh”. The new Darkplates design matches the curvature of the main body of the console, and adds vents, which the company claims improves thermals. “More importantly: it makes your PlayStation 5 considerably less ugly,” Dbrand said. The plates do not appear to ape the PlayStation face button design either - Sony had complained about the original Darkplates doing just that. Dbrand is selling these new Darkplates from $59.05 with a January 2022 shipping window. Will Sony send another legal threat? Or, as Dbrand puts it: “Is Sony still going to sue you assholes?” “The answer? Probably. The difference this time is that we’ve created an original design for which they have no basis to allege infringement. If they want to try, they’d better be ready to pay our legal fees.”
