PlayStation 5 standing position liquid metal leakage is a case of concern getting lost in translation

Both the PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series X/S consoles can be placed either vertically or horizontally but a recent discovery by @68logic on Twitter set off a momentary alarm.

Recently, @68logic tweeted that placing the PS5 upright can damage the console permanently. This happens because the liquid metal interface used on the custom AMD APU can spill if the console has been standing for a long time, which impacts cooling.

@68logic is a French PS5 scene member who owns his own hardware repair shop. This fact has also been independently corroborated by Ben Montana, owner of specialized repair shop ILoveMyConsole in France. This issue likely happens when the seal between the APU and the heatsink isn't as tight leading to risk of liquid metal spillage. This is indeed alarming as liquid metal is conductive and can cause shorting if it touches other motherboard components. YouTuber TheCod3r also confirmed seeing leaked liquid metal in one of his videos.

Millions of players use the PS5 vertically, so obviously this finding led to some cacophony. However, this is one of those PSAs that literally got lost in translation. These findings were first reported by PS5 enthusiast site Wololo but was later retracted citing a misunderstood translation.

The site maintains that the findings themselves are real, but this is not because of the vertical placement or normal operation of the consoles themselves. This only happens if the PS5 has been dismantled for repairs displacing the heatsink attached to the APU, and breaking the barrier that Sony has put in to prevent the liquid from spilling out. 

YouTuber and console repairer Spawn Wave Plus goes into a bit of detail on this and assuages any issues with the console's orientation. He explains how Sony has gone "above and beyond" to incorporate an extensive barrier around the liquid metal.

Therefore, there is absolutely no need for worry if you haven't dismantled the console yourself or had a Sony-authorized service center do it for you. 

That being said, the PS5 is not immune to cooling controversies as such. Back in 2020, Gamers Nexus showed that inadequate cooling can cause the console's GDDR6 memory to heat up to critical temperatures, especially when used in summers. A year later, YouTuber Austin Evans made a controversial discovery that a revised PS5 model 1100B features a somewhat trimmed-down cooling system resulting in hotter rear vents.

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