There’s an intriguing Kickstarter project making waves with its promise of a cooling solution for the PlayStation 5, aimed at tackling overheating issues and even preventing the melting of rear I/O components. At the time of writing, the campaign has already gathered a cool $89,000, with hopes of reaching a $125,000 stretch goal. The cooling accessory is priced starting from $39.
Meet the Arctic PS5 cooler, claimed to be the first-ever PS5 cooling solution powered by AI. This nifty gadget clips onto the back of your PS5, leveraging its rear exhaust. Depending on your PS5 model, it features either four or six fans to efficiently channel away excess heat. It’s conveniently powered through just one USB port and even provides a pass-through, so you don’t lose out on using any other ports on your console.
If you’re curious to see it in action, there’s a video on the Kickstarter page aptly titled “Is Your PS5 OVERHEATING?”.
The brains behind this innovation, SCRY, are offering three distinct models tailored to each version of the PS5. There’s one for the ‘fat’ original PS5, another for the PS5 slim, and a variant for the just-released PS5 Pro. While the PS5 Pro and Slim coolers host four fans—three on top and one underneath—the chunkier PS5 version boasts six.
SCRY emphasizes the advanced “smart thermal AI” tech used in their coolers, automatically tweaking fan speeds based on the console’s internal heat levels. This tech sounds familiar if you’re accustomed to PC fan control, but it claims to kick into high gear at 50°C to safeguard your console’s performance.
The company also asserts a noteworthy 30% reduction in temperature with their cooling unit, reporting a drop from a peak of 64°C to 55°C. Thermal imagery provided on their page demonstrates a marked 9°C decrease at the PS5’s ethernet port, usually the console’s hottest spot.
With this cooler, SCRY aims to nip in the bud any overheating woes which have been a point of concern, especially highlighted by issues encountered with games like Final Fantasy XVI. In rare cases, some PS5 units have overheated so much that it led to melting of some rear connectors.
Besides the cooling units, SCRY is also spotlighting a Gen 4 M.2 SSD with a heatsink in their Kickstarter offerings.
Getting back to the campaign itself, the targeted $125,000 stretch goal promises backers a free “vertikal” universal PS5 stand. Additionally, there are stretch goals set at $75,000 and $100,000, though the specifics on those will be revealed if and when those targets are met.
