The PlayStation 5 console is known for being able to be placed on a vertical or horizontal position depending on the user’s preferences and space needs. Unfortunately, it seems like the former position is going to be the cause of some major issues that will happen down the line for several users, according to several hardware repair experts.
Here’s the deal. A repair shop owner has shared that using the PlayStation 5 vertically can make permanent damage to the console due to a critical design flaw. See, the problem is that the liquid metal used to cool the APU can sometimes spill, and become uneven, which impacts (at least) the cooling.
Do not put your Ps5 upright, here is the result the liquid moves and the freezes are there pic.twitter.com/A4Do3TkcXk
— Consoles System (@68Logic) January 4, 2023
Ben Montana, the owner of the specialized repair shop ILoveMyConsole in France, has also been trying to bring attention to this issue for months. He says these are not isolated cases. According to him, the risk is high for PS5s that have been standing vertically for a long time, and he says all models are impacted. This includes Digital and Standard versions of the console.
Several cases of this problem have shown that the PS5’s “seal” between the APU and its cooler can sometimes move or be damaged. When that is the case, if your PS5 sits horizontally, the liquid metal will stay flat and keep most of its thermal properties to help cool the PS5. But suppose your PS5 is vertical, and “something” bad happens to the seal. In that case, there is a risk the liquid metal will progressively fall down, becoming uneven, impacting its cooling ability and possibly reaching components it shouldn’t.
It’s worth noting that this is a case-by-case issue, and it’s highly dependant on whether or not the seal is damaged. However, this issue can still permanently damage your PlayStation 5 so the best suggestion would be to set it horizontally for now until Sony makes a statement regarding this issue. The video below by YouTuber user TheCod3r can show this design flaw problem in action as well as further explain the reason behind the PlayStation 5 design flaw.
Once again, this problem depends on whether or not the seal is damaged. This is why multiple users will definitely report that they have been using their consoles vertically without any issues since launch. However, if you’re able to set your console horizontally, this might be the better approach to take to make the console have a longer lifetime.
