If you grabbed a PS5 when it first dropped and have it standing tall next to your TV, you might want to lay it down
Hardware experts are once again flagging a design flaw that could cause early PS5 models to shut down or even fail over time — and it all comes down to the way the console handles heat.
The issue? Liquid metal. Sony used it as a high-end cooling solution between the processor and the heat sink — great in theory, and it did help the PS5 run quieter and cooler.
But as far back as 2023, some tech folks started noticing that in vertical positions, that liquid metal could move out of place, drying out key areas of the chip (aka the APU) and eventually causing overheating.
Matthew Cassells, founder of Alderon Games, recently pointed to this as the likely reason some players are experiencing sudden PS5 shutdowns — especially while playing Path of Titans.
He spoke about the issue on the Moore’s Law Is Dead YouTube channel, and said the problem might be more widespread than first thought.
Sony hasn’t publicly commented, but they’ve reportedly tweaked the design in newer versions like the PS5 Slim and the upcoming PS5 Pro to avoid the problem altogether.
For those with early models, though, the best advice for now is simple: store your console horizontally and keep an eye out for any weird shutdowns or overheating.
It’s not a guaranteed issue — but it’s real enough that Sony quietly redesigned their internals. Better safe than fried.
