Gamers can be a fickle bunch, so there are always more than a few detractors whenever a new piece of hardware is revealed. The launch of the PS5 and Xbox Series X is no exception.
Recently Sony released a teardown video revealing a ton of key PS5 features, one of which was how the console’s stand. Evidently the stand is necessary to keep the console in the horizontal and vertical orientations, and there are some people that aren’t happy about that.
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As you can see in the video below, there’s a fair bit of effort needed to switch the PS5 between each orientation. The stand needs to unscrewed, then the screwhole is plugged with a special piece of plastic, You then put the screw inside the stand before closing it up and placing it along the side of the console ready for laying it down horizontally.
It’s not the most exhausting task in the world, but it seems like a few too many steps just to change the PS5’s orientation. And I suspect more than a few people are going to lose those extra pieces at some point.
Microsoft, never the one to pass an opportunity by, added its own sass into the mix in response.
How to switch the Xbox Series X from vertical to horizontal ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/efnCoBPWTWOctober 7, 2020
Of course showcasing just how horrendous the Xbox Series X looks when it’s lying down might not have been the best move. Keep that console vertical, kids, provided you have space for that particular monster machine.
Even so, it is much easier just to flip the console 90-degrees and put it down. Why Sony decided to indulge in this particular bit of over-engineering isn’t clear, though given the number necessary steps, it does make it harder to put it down wrong and potentially damage the console in the process.
I’d never have thought it possible to be bad at putting down a games console, but 2020 has surprises for us all.
At the end of the day you’re not going to be moving the console very often, so the actual process of changing orientation doesn’t really matter. It’s just weird that this is how the PS5 does it.
