The PS5 is mostly marketed as a vertical console, but just like its predecessors, it can also be placed horizontally. Your choice often hinges on the available space in your room, but other factors play their roles too.
Why I Prefer the Vertical Position: I’m a fan of the vertical setup because it looks better and for the space-saving benefits. If you have the space and don’t want to risk knocking over your PS5, horizontal is still a great option. Still undecided? Let’s compare:
Space Considerations
Vertical
Vertical position requires less width, making it a space-saver. With its stand, the PS5’s height becomes 15.4 inches, with a width of 4.1 inches and a depth of 10.24 in, irrespective of the PS5 variant.
Horizontal
In a horizontal position with the stand on, your console will have a height of 4.1 in, a width of 15.4 in, and 10.24 in depth making the horizontal PS5 have a much larger table footprint.
Advantage: Put your PS5 vertical if you need to save space
Cooling
The bulk of the PS5 is dedicated to its massive heatsink, which helps it dissipate heat and keep the console from overheating. Regardless of how you place your PS5, the cooling system does an exceptional job, as long as you don’t block the front, top and rear of the console to avoid recycling hot air.
Advantage: Neither. It’s a draw.
PS5 Durability
Despite all the fear mongering, the orientation of the PS5 doesn’t impact longevity. You can keep it vertically or horizontally without any major effect on its life. In January of 2023, there were reports that PS5s placed vertically might be at severe risk due to the liquid metal spillage. But this was debunked later on.
Sony uses liquid metal for contact between chip and heatsink to maximize heat dissipation. There were rumors of potential damage from liquid metal spillage in vertically placed PS5s caused by gravity. Causing the liquid metal to short-circuit the components inside the PS5.
These reports were not verified by any well-reputed repairer or even by Sony itself, so it’s safe to say that this isn’t a widespread issue, even if these reports are to be trusted. But if you want to be on the safe side, just put the console horizontally if you have the space. In our opinion, it’s a draw in terms of durability.
Advantage: Draw
Stability
The horizontal is the most stable position for the PS5. When placed vertically, even with the stand which helps widen the base of the PS5, the console can topple over if knocked due to its size and height. In the horizontal position, the console is stable and there are fewer chances of anything accidentally knocking the PS5 over.
Advantage: Horizontal PS5
Cable Management
The cable management for a horizontal PS5 is easier to manage. This is because all the cables are at the same height and can be neatly hidden. In the vertical position, because the cables have to enter the I/O at a higher point, they dangle from their respective ports. This way, the cables are more visible and obvious to everyone.
Advantage: Horizontal PS5 for tidier cables
Disc Handling
On a vertical PS5, the natural instinct would be to point the disc towards the fatter side of the console. Well this is wrong. It’s the other way around, and the disc label should to the right side of the console, weird right?
Fortunately, nothing major will happen if you put your disc in the PS5 upside down except for a moment of panic when the PS5 fails to register the game. You won’t have this issue with the horizontal position. The disc drive is on the lower side of the console and the discs are inserted normally, with the label side facing up.
Advantage: Horizontal PS5
Is It Okay To Use the PS5 Without a Stand?
Ideally, you should always try to use the stand with your PS5, regardless of the position you place it in. But if you really don’t want to, you can set the PS5 vertically without a stand. In the vertical position, the stand gives the console a wider base so it’s more stable and less easy to topple over. The stand is a bit tricky to attach so make sure to check out this handy guide.
In a horizontal position, the stand keeps the console from wobbling around. The design of the PS5, with the flared-out side panels, causes the PS5 to wobble around even if it’s placed on a flat surface. The wobbling might be problematic for discs in the long run.
You can also opt to wall-mount your PS5, which looks way cooler than either the vertical or horizontal positions.
