The Truth About Laying Your PS5 Down 'Incorrectly'

Whenever you see a PlayStation 5 ad, the console is displayed as either the vertical lovechild of a wi-fi router and the tower of Mordor or as a horizontal plastic taco. However, did you know the PS5 has a third orientation that Sony hasn't advertised, even though it is as viable as the others?

In December, head of PlayStation Studios Herman Hulst tweeted a clip of his cat excitedly trying to jump into the TV and live in the world of Bugsnax. Normally, this would attract a lot of attention because cats are cute, but what intrigued most audiences was Hulst's PS5: It was upside down. Hulst quickly deleted his video and reuploaded a new one with the console cropped out, but the damage had already been done. Early birds had learned about the unofficial third PS5 orientation, and that knowledge wormed its way into the internet. Gamers started wondering if they too could lay their PS5 down "incorrectly," and if there were any long-term repercussions.

Enter Kotaku journalist Ari Notis, who set up his PS5 with the disc slot on top up. He did this before Hulst, mind you; but few noticed. Notis left the console that way for months, and he recently confirmed that it is working just fine. The console's air vents are unobstructed; the internal components are healthy, and the PS5 has yet to blow up. In fact, Notis claims that placing the console upside down is superior to the "correct" orientations, because it allows the PS5 to lie flat on the floor, TV stand, or any other surface. The official console positions aren't possible without the included stand, but the "incorrect" one fixes that flaw and removes the need for a stand.

Of course, this rogue position is not without its unique problems. Even though orienting the console upside down is more aesthetically pleasing (according to Notis) since the disc drive is on top, the internal hardware doesn't flip. In this orientation, the PS5 and its internal components are the wrong way up, and so you have to insert discs upside down as well, with the shiny side facing the ceiling. Mastering this practice is a learning process that defies all common knowledge and your honed gamer instincts, but it's a small price to pay. Then again, if you own the PS5 Digital Edition, which doesn't contain a disc drive, you won't encounter this issue.

Ultimately, there is no wrong way to lay down your PS5. You can position it the two ways Sony markets the console, or you can place it horizontally upside down if you don't want to fiddle with the black stand — or if you broke it. It's worth mentioning, however, that nobody has tested placing the console upside down vertically. Perhaps that is the only truly incorrect way to orient your PS5?