Ever since the official reveal for both the Xbox Series X and the PlayStation 5, gamers have been drawing parallels between the consoles and either a refrigerator or a massive alien monolith, respectively. There have already been attempts at explaining away Microsoft’s fridge-like next-gen console, so it only feels right to hear that a Sony engineer has offered up an explanation as to why the PlayStation 5 is just so darn massive.

As reported by IGN, PlayStation 5 Mechanical and Thermal Design Engineer Yasuhiro Ootori recently spoke with Japan’s Nikkei Xtech about the recent PS5 disassembly video of which he was the host of. In the article, it is noted that the size of the cooling fan was what chiefly determined the size, particularly the thickness, of the PS5. The 45mm fan allows air to be sucked in from both sides of the console in order to cool both mainboard, referred to as the “A side” and “B side”. Per Ootori, while the “B side” contains less primary components, it will still generate enough heat to require a similar amount of airflow to that of “A side”.

The article interestingly notes that Yasuhiro Ootori initially considered utilizing two separate, smaller fans in order to reduce the overall size of the PS5. Sony eventually chose to go in a different direction, though, as it was less costly and less difficult to control one large fan versus two smaller ones. It was made quite obvious from the PS5 breakdown video that Sony put a lot of stock into keeping the console both cool and quiet, though Ootori’s recent reveal has additionally confirmed that the amount of airflow needed for both sides of the mainboard directly affected the thickness of the console’s design.

The PlayStation 5 is slated to release on November 12, 2020. The console’s UI was finally revealed earlier today.

So, thoughts on the ‘why’ behind the PS5’s massive size? Let us know in the comments section below, and as always, stay tuned to Don’t Feed the Gamers for all the latest gaming and entertainment news! Don’t forget to follow DFTG on Twitter for our 24/7 news feed!