According to Nikkei Xtech, Yasuhiro Ootori, the PS5 mechanical and thermal design team lead, said the company once considered using two smaller fans, one on each side of the console. Doing so would have made the console smaller. But SIE ultimately decided against it because it had many other downsides, for only one apparent benefit.
For one, he said that having two fans would mean the PS5 would cost more to make. Then there’s the unnecessary complexity of controlling two fans rather than just one. And while not mentioned in the article, chances of having two smaller fans would also make the console noisier. And considering reactions to the PS4, that’s something that SIE would definitely want to avoid. So ultimately, SIE decided the PS5 should be bigger in order for it to be simpler and cheaper. Not a bad trade off overall, getting two positives for one negative. The console will become available globally on 19 November (Source: Nikkei Xtech via VGC)