When reports emerged claiming gamers who position their PS5 console in a vertical position were risking damage, last week, we were somewhat skeptical.
After all, the console has been out two years now with millions of gamers choosing to align the console on their entertainment stations in an upright manner. Sony had designed the console in a way that suits both orientations. Why were we only hearing these limited reports right now?
While the reported issue, which involved the liquid metal paste used to cool the APU leaking out over the motherboard and killing the console, is probably a real one, it is very unlikely to be triggered by the console’s orientation.
So why all the confusion? Well, the situation was exacerbated when an article from hardware jailbreaking site Wololo (now admittedly) accidentally misinterpreted and misquoted a video from popular YouTuber The Cod3r.
It led to the assumption that consoles sitting around their boxes vertically and unopened were the root of the problem, because it apparently exposed a Sony design flaw causing the spill of the liquid.
Wololo has now apologised for the error, stating: “In the original version of this article, we misquoted TheCod3r as stating the problem could impact consoles that had never been unpacked. This isn’t what he said. What he said was that the console in question had never been opened (as in, with screwdrivers), he did not say, neither did he mean, “the box”, but literally, the console. This led to significant misunderstandings of the issue, by us, and the larger community.”
Indeed there’s no evidence suggesting positioning the console vertically or horizontally is better or worse for the PS5’s long term health. However, there are some instances of this liquid metal leaking and doing permanent damage to the hardware.
The instances do appear to be very rare and there’s not a lot of consensus on what might be causing the problem for those affected gamers. However, if you’re stressing about whether to stand up or lay down your PS5, this probably isn’t making much difference.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
