A PlayStation 5 design flaw might be killing your console — if you stand it up

PlayStation 5 owners may want to consider changing their system setup, depending on which way they have theirs orientated. It’s been revealed that using the PS5 in the vertical position may be causing permanent damage to your console thanks to a design flaw by Sony.

A report on Wololo.net details the issue, showing multiple examples of consoles becoming unusable and explaining the flaw, revealing the problem is due to an issue with the cooling system. PS5 consoles use liquid metal to cool the APU, which prevents the console from overheating and is sealed tightly together to prevent it from leaking or becoming uneven. However, if the seal is damaged or moved, the liquid metal can move and spill over time. This seems to more easily happen when the console is standing upright, which affects the PS5’s cooling capabilities. As a result, this causes noisy fans and overheating, as well as unexpected system shutdowns. In the worse case, the liquid metal can leak into other components and short-circuit the console, effectively killing it outright. This is despite Sony officials and numerous websites stating the system can be used in either position with no issue.

Related: All PlayStation 5 error codes

This also does not seem to be an isolated issue, with many hardware experts and console repair businesses saying they have seen the results firsthand. It’s also worth noting that this affects both the disk drive and the digital-only version of the console. However, systems being used horizontally will be far less likely to have this issue, as the liquid metal will remain flat in the system and be unlikely to leak and keep doing its job of helping cool the APU.

Sony has not made any statement regarding this issue or even acknowledged there is one. Still, with multiple sources drawing attention to the problem, we may see the company make design changes to the system in the near future.

About the author

Matthew Fuller

Matt is a freelance writer based in the UK and has spent over three years covering and writing about video games. He discovered his love of games journalism while attending Canterbury Christchurch University, where he earned a bachelor's and master's degree in Game Design and has been writing ever since. He will find any excuse to play and write about games. When he isn't fighting dragons or exploring far-off galaxies, he spends his free time playing D&D, listening to music, or reading a good book. His primary game bests are Diablo IV, the Final Fantasy series, D&D, and anything new releasing that tickles his fancy.

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