Image: MKfilm / Kotaku (Shutterstock)
Lately, there has been some concern about whether or not the PS5 is safe to stand vertically. Video and overview and follow-up article from independent console technician TheCod3r Vololo Quoting one such video out of context sparked obvious concern among some that standing the PS5 vertically could put it at risk of damage. While the original video documents a potentially very real failure in PS5s, it is not something that should damage your PS5. So, yes, as many people have noted, you are probably safe leaving your case in the vertical position.
In a video from last September titled You Won’t Believe This PlayStation 5 Has Stopped Working! In Can I Fix Sony’s Catastrophic Mistakes?, third-party repair technician TheCod3r discovered a somewhat alarming problem with a PS5 on his bench for repair. The liquid metal thermal paste that covers the PS5’s processor spills over into the surrounding area. This type of issue can obviously cause problems and cause the PS5 to not work properly, causing power issues or the inability for the PS5 to properly manage high levels of heat Can This issue makes no distinction between digital or disc-based versions of the console. Based on the direction of the liquid metal spill, it seems reasonable to speculate that, as TheCod3r said in one of two follow-up videos related to this issue, under some circumstances “gravity takes over” and the liquid metal is sealed. May cause seepage through. Means to keep it in place. but while it may explain how it occurs in specific cases, it does not explain Why, Which means it wasn’t obvious the vertical orientation would naturally cause this to happen.
Unfortunately, the fear of an expensive machine dying (which is now much easier to obtain) mixed with vague language led to misunderstandings. In the original video, TheCod3r can be heard saying that the infamous console that leaked liquid metal “was never opened.”
what was it Vololo misquoted and has since issued a fix for, It was mistakenly assumed that TheCod3r was referring to the console’s packaging, that it was probably never taken out of the box. it is not true. TheCod3r was referring to the console, physically, being opened, likely to be repaired. But of course, when you consider the language of the original YouTube video, referring to “Sony’s catastrophic mistakes” and ending with TheCod3r turning the camera off as a “Fuck you” gesture to Sony. and at least one other repair technician reporting similar searchesIt’s easy to see how this story got tangled up in the notion that this is an inherent design flaw of the PS5 that other users may need to look into.
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But how we got here, and the finer points of how consumer electronics work and fail, can distract us from the likely question on many PS5 owners’ minds: should you be using your PS5 in a vertical position? Luckily, that answer is pretty clear.
Is it safe to position my PS5 vertically?
short answer? Based on what is known now, Yes. it’s safe,
But if you are still reading and haven’t closed this tab go back God of war On your tower-located PlayStation, you’re going to want some long explanation of what’s going on. So let’s break it down.
The PlayStation 5 was designed to stand vertically. Recent revelations, such as TheCod3r’s discovery, do not indicate that the console is inherently prone to this failure. because vertical orientation. This video document is PS5 in a way could Failbecause all consumer electronics can fail. Furthermore, as a device that has been in the wild for two years, the PS5 is operating within standard rates of success and failure, especially around heat. As documented in Gamers Nexus a few years back, a full year of “continuous thermal cycling” showed no dangerous problems. However, GamersNexus notes that the PS5 appears to use a lot of liquid metal, an amount you shouldn’t match if you’re building your own computer.
TheCod3r’s video shows that, when a PS5 fails, it can be caused by a liquid metal leak – just as much a risk from a power supply failure or any other similar problem. There are other variables to consider beyond vertical orientation, such as whether or not the console has been previously opened by a third-party repair technician, for example.
TheCod3r’s follow-up video stresses that this is something he’s seen in one out of every 10 or even 20 PS5s that have come in for repair. Remember, this is just one of up to 10 units he has seen and worked on that are already broken-Not one in ten PS5s total, It’s common enough of a failure that TheCod3r describes it as the first issue he’ll check for when a non-functional PS5 hits the bench, but only because the problem is relatively easy to fix compared to other issues. Easy and cheap.
Cod3r points out that replacing the liquid metal is one of the cheaper repairs. If swapping in and sealing in some new thermal paste works, it’s actually more economical and faster than pulling something out of a PCB, finding a replacement part, and then reattaching it.
There will always be a percentage of devices that die, and right now it seems that the liquid metal covering the processor that sometimes leaks is to blame for the PS5s that do die. But other times it could be a problem with the power supply. Or, as TheCod3r mentioned in his video, something like the WiFi chip, another common failure point.
Should I keep my PS5 in a horizontal position to be safe?
If you’re like me and suffer from anxiety, then keeping your horizontal may be worth the peace of mind it will afford you. You may also want to throw salt over your shoulder and spin three times after talking about ghosts. That said, given the rate of failure due to liquid metal leakage among other ways a console can fail, you’re probably more likely to have your console die from a PSU issue or some other malfunction, and such a failure would hit a PS5. Same as vertical in horizontal position.
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Until new information emerges, it’s safe to say that this isn’t a problem on the scale of the Xbox 360’s Red Ring of Death. Far from it: For now, the liquid metal issue appears to be within the acceptable failure rates that all consumer electronics have. Yes, your PS5 is safe to rise above everything else in your entertainment center. And hey, if that fails, I’m sure you can rig a small boat with that thing too.
