About

PS5-Chan refers to a series of Moe Anthropomorphism fanart imagining PlayStation 5 video game console as a human being, usually as a young woman. Following the reveal of the console on June 11th, 2020, the fanart trend gained notable presence online, primarily on Twitter.

Origin

On June 11th, 2020, Sony unveiled its PlayStation 5 video game console. The unveiling was followed by PlayStation 5 Design Parodies and fan arts of the console, including Moe Anthropomorphism (Gijinka) fan arts imagining the console as a human being. On June 11th, 2020, Twitter^[1] artist @merzb0w posted the earliest known viral anthropomorphic fanart of the console (shown below, left), writing "ps5 waifu reporting for duty." The post received over 5,400 retweets and 26,000 likes in three days. On the same day, artist @MHKchen^[2] posted another artwork imagining PS5 as a young female, writing "PS5-chan". The post received over 45,900 retweets and 192,500 likes in the same period (shown below, right).

Spread

Starting on June 11th, the trend gained notable spread on Twitter, with multiple users posting their versions of the gijinka. For example, on June 11th, 2020, Twitter^[3] user @kyubumlee85 posted a fan art that gained over 770 retweets and 6,100 likes (shown below, left). On June 12th, Twitter^[4] user @Gendo0032 posted an artwork that received over 4,300 retweets and 21,700 likes, with a repost to /r/MoeMorphism gaining over 1,000 upvotes (cropped version shown below, right).

On June 13th, /r/ps5chan subreddit^[5] was created, collecting thematic artworks.

PS5 Design Parodies

PS5 Design Parodies refers to a series of photoshopped images and memes featuring the video game console's promotional photos after Sony revealed the PlayStation 5 in June 2020 during a live stream event. Typically, these parodies mocked the PS5's likeness to various pop culture references or other existing technology. The trend quickly spread across several websites and social media platforms following Sony's reveal.

PS5 DualSense Controller

PS5 DualSense Controller refers to a kind of video game controller developed by Sony for the upcoming PlayStation 5. Upon its reveal, the controller's design, which is a fairly substantial departure from the standard controllers for Playstation 2, 3, and 4, sparked jokes and critique. Similar to the PlayStation 5 console, the controller has also been a subject of fan art and lewding.