PS5 owners warned their consoles could stop working in as soon as a few years
You might want to watch out if you've got an early version of the PlayStation 5, as experts have warned that a major hardware issue could render your console unusable in just a few years time if you're not careful.
Most people hold on to their games console of choice for nearly a decade, using it for the entire generation until the follow up version releases, with only a handful of power users opting for the now standard mid-generation performance boost.
With console costs only increasing with every new iteration - including price hikes at the halfway point now - it's understandable that people view it as an investment they expect to work as intended for years to come.
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That hasn't always been the case in the gaming world though, as high profile incidents such as the Xbox 360's dreaded red ring of death and stick drift on the Nintendo Switch have caused certain consoles to become effectively unusable, and the PlayStation 5 might be the next to encounter this fate.
What could cause PS5 consoles to stop working?
As reported by Comicbook.com, new reports have highlighted an issue with liquid metal inside early PlayStation 5 models that could lead to shutdown issues in the years to come.
If you're unaware, the PS5 has liquid metal inside which helps keep the console cool, and this is incredibly vital as performance demands increase, and there's little space for fans and air inside the console to keep everything from overheating.
However, an issue has been identified when gamers store their PS5 vertically, as the liquid metal can drip down from its original position, leaving critical components without the necessary cooling.
This not only leaves your console at risk of overheating, but it causes significant damage to the internal architecture which is likely to completely brick your PS5 eventually.
How can PS5 owners avoid the issue?
By far the most effective way to avoid the issue is to store your PS5 horizontally, as this stops the liquid metal from dripping and prevents the issue entirely.
If you're someone who has kept their PS5 vertically for years you might still run into the issue - especially if you've already had instances of overheating and shutdowns - but it's still best to switch to a horizontal orientation to prevent any further problems from occurring.
Furthermore, this issue only appears to be affecting PS5 consoles bought early on in the generation, although it's unclear if new base PS5 models are still susceptible.
Sony has made tweaks to both the PS5 Slim and PS5 Pro to alleviate this particular problem, so if you've got either of those consoles then you're completely fine and can store your device however you want, but there hasn't been any official statement from PlayStation on the status of the standard version.