PS4 PS5 Vertical vs Horizontal (Cooling stands checked out)


After buying a new gaming console, you have to think of the best position to place it in your gaming area. Some consoles are designed to be placed horizontally on a flat surface, while others can be placed vertically. If you have a PS4 console, you might wonder which way between horizontal or vertical, is better to place it.

So, placing your PS4 horizontal or vertical, which way is better? Placing your PS4 console on your desk horizontally is better than placing it vertically. Sony designed it to be placed horizontally, and there are reasons to support their decision. Placing your PS4 horizontally allows it to stay cooler during gaming sessions because it is designed to let in air through the middle and the sides.

If you place it vertically, you will be blocking some of the airflows. Placing it horizontally also gives you a quieter gaming experience because the disc drive is supposed to be placed flat. If you live in a house with several occupants, it is best to place your console horizontally to avoid knocking it over. Placing it vertically can make it wobbly, and a slight knock might make it fall, causing serious damage.

The PS4 console can stand vertically or horizontally, and when setting up your console, you have to choose which posture to place it in. You need to know which is the best way to place your console on your gaming station. Read on to find out how to place your PS4 and if cooling stands are bad for your PS4.

Some gaming consoles are bulky, meaning you have to rearrange your gaming station and pick a good position to place your console. There are two positions you can place your PS4 console, horizontal or vertical. Your console posture can affect its performance, and you might be wondering, between horizontal and vertical, which posture is better.

Horizontal is the better way to place your PS4 console because it offers the best gaming experience. If you place it horizontally, it will be cooler, quieter, and impossible to knock over. The only drawbacks of placing your PS4 horizontally are that it will take up a lot of space on your desk or table and looks less stylish.

However, these drawbacks do not affect your gaming experience. You can either get a bigger desk or move other things to make room for your console. By placing your console vertically, you risk overheating it and damaging it if it falls over.

When setting up your gaming station, the most important thing you need to consider is how your console will cool itself. Your console posture will determine if it receives enough or little airflow. The PS4 console air vents are on its sides; hence, placing it Horizontally allows all the air vents to receive air.

If you place your console on its side, you will be blocking the airflow, leading to overheating. Your console might not perform at optimum levels because its cooling system will be overworking to ensure that all the inner components stay cool.

When you place your PS4 horizontally and insert a disc, it will make less noise. However, if you put it horizontally, the disc drive might make noise that can be distracting. In addition to the disc drive making noise, the fans inside the disc will make a lot of noise if you place it on its side.

When the fans are not receiving enough airflow, they will spin faster to circulate enough air inside the console. The faster spins will make your console louder, and the noise from the disc drive and fans can ruin a good gaming experience. Placing your console flat on your desk will ensure that it stays relatively quiet, giving you a quieter gaming experience.

The PS4, like most electrical devices, has delicate components that can get easily damaged if you handle it poorly. Placing it horizontally on your desk or table ensures that it is safe and difficult to knock over.

You do not have to worry about knocking your console over if it sits flat on your desk when cleaning your desk. When you place your PS4 vertically without any support, it can easily fall over with the slightest knock. If you knock over your console, you might spend a lot of money repairing it.

The problem with placing your PS4 console horizontally is that it takes up a lot of space on your desk because it is very wide. You can create space on your desk by removing other items that you do not need when gaming.

If all the items on your desk are important, you can purchase a bigger desk that can hold all the accessories in your gaming system. It might seem easier to place your console vertically, but it might cost you dearly in the future if it falls or gets damaged due to overheating.

Is Vertical Cooling Stands Bad for PS4?

When you buy a new gaming console, you can buy certain accessories to improve your gaming experience. One of the accessories you can use with your PS4 is a vertical cooling stand. Since placing your console vertically can cause overheating, you might be wondering if a vertical cooling stand is bad for it.

Vertical cooling stands are not bad for your PS4 console. They help cool your console when you position it vertically without blocking any air vents. However, they are not that important because you can effectively cool your console when you place it horizontally.

Vertical cooling stands have fans that can make noise when they spin, ruining your gaming experience. Most of them are also bulky; hence, you have to create more space to accommodate your console and the stand. The only benefit of having a vertical cooling stand is some have extra USB ports that you can use to connect gaming accessories to your console.

Vertical cooling stands have several fans that spin when you turn on your PS4 console. Their purpose is to provide extra heat dissipation to your console. However, if your console does not have any overheating issues, the vertical cooling stand does not serve you any purpose.

As long as your console is working perfectly, extra airflow does make it work even better. If you have enough space on your desk, you can place your console horizontally, and it will stay cool when you play video games.

When you place a PS4 console vertically, it will make more noise compared to placing it horizontally. Vertical cooling stands are meant to keep your console sturdy in a vertical position while cooling it.

Your console will still make noise even if you are using a vertical stand to cool it down. The vertical cooling stands also have fans that can make noise when you turn on your console. If you want a quieter gaming experience, avoid using a vertical cooling stand with your PS4 console.

The most common reason gamers place their PS4 consoles vertically is the lack of space on their desks or make their gaming station look more stylish. However, the vertical cooling stands take up a lot of space, and some can occupy the same area your console would have occupied had you placed it horizontally.

Therefore, buying a vertical cooling stand does not make sense if you want to position your console vertically to save space on your gaming station. It also makes it easier to knock over your console because the grip on the vertical stand is not that tight.

If your PS4 console is overheating, there are some solutions you can use before opting for a vertical cooling stand. The first solution is to ensure that your console has enough room on your desk. Remove all objects close to your console’s air vents to improve airflow.

You should also clean your console to remove dirt or dust which might be blocking the air vents. Avoid placing your console on surfaces that retain heat. You should always keep your console on a level surface, do not use it on surfaces that can change texture, such as a mattress or pillow.

Is the PlayStation 5 Better Vertical or Horizontal?

Sony released the PlayStation 5 in November 2020, and it has a distinct look compared to its predecessors. After buying a PS5 console, you might be looking for good ways to add it to your gaming station. There are two ways you can place it, vertical or horizontal, and you might be wondering which one is the better option.

The PlayStation 5 console is best placed vertically because that is how the developers intended it to be placed. When you look at its packing or all marking materials, the PS5 is always placed vertically.

It is safe to say that Sony intends gamers to place the console in a vertical position on their gaming station. The vertical position does not affect the cooling system’s effectiveness, but it looks stylish. If you want to place your console horizontally, you have to remove the stand from the bottom and place the console on its side.

You can place the PS5 vertically or horizontally, but it looks better if you place it vertically. All the PS5 advertisements show the console upright; hence, there is no need to place it horizontally. If you are concerned about cooling your console, the PS5 has air vents on the top front black slab and its entire backside.

Therefore, whether you place it horizontally or vertically, the console will not overheat unless other objects are blocking the air vents. Since most of the air vents are on the back of the console, do not place the console with its back against any hard surface.

If you do not have a lot of space on your gaming station, placing your PS5 console vertically helps is saving space. The PS5 console is 15.35 inches tall and 6 inches wide; therefore, if you want to place it horizontally on your desk, you need at least 16 or 17 inches of space, considering its width.

If you place your console vertically on your desk, you only need close to 7 inches of space. You should not place the console at the edge of your desk because it will get damaged if it gets knocked over. If you feel the chances of knocking your PS5 over are high, place it vertically on the floor or in the middle of your desk.

To set up your PS5 vertically, rotate the base of the stand, ensuring that the raised section is directly in line with the hook on the back. You will see a compartment with a screw in it. Take the screw and lay your console on its side.

At the bottom of the console, you will see a plastic cap covering a hole, remove the cap, and place it in the compartment. Take the stand and place it on the bottom side of the console, lining the screw hole in the console with the hole in the stand. Screw the stand tightly on your console, place your console vertically, and start gaming.

If you choose to place your PS5 horizontally, rotate the stand’s hook slightly to the right of the elevated section on the stand. Place your console with the rear facing upwards and the PS5 logo on its left wing facing you.

You will see a line of symbols on the console showing the traditional Sony controller buttons. Place the stand’s hooks on top of the squares at both ends of the line of symbols and ensure that the console is firmly attached to the stand. You can now place your console on its side and continue gaming. Ensure that your console is turned off and unplugged before you change the stand.

Wrap Up

Cooling is an important issue in gaming, and most gaming console developers use fans to cool down their systems. The fans pull in cool air from the environment and spread the air inside the gaming system to lower the temperature of certain electrical components.

The PS4 console has air vents located on its sides; hence, placing it vertically means one side of the air vents will be blocked. Therefore, ensure that you have enough space on your desk to place your PS4 console horizontally so that the fans can work without straining.

It is unnecessary to have a vertical cooling stand for your PS4 console, but if you feel that your console needs it, get one that does not block any air vents. Finally, the PS5 works perfectly vertically or horizontally; the only thing that can sway you to use the vertical setup is how stylish it looks and saving space on your gaming station.

Bal Kang

Bal Kang is a technology expert based in the UK, with experience across a number of technology areas from phones, tablets, computers to gaming.

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