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Polygon: "The PS5’s stand is a quiet display of engineering brilliance"... Lets talk about it! Poll inside!

Do you appreciate the attention to detail that went into the PS5 stand?


  • Total voters
    499
If you're a Nintendo fan or passive owner of their consoles I know what you're thinking: "Has it really come to this? We've been getting console stands packed-in on the box with Nintendo for ages. Welcome to 2020" And you're absolutely right. Both Microsoft and Sony have been late to the party and have more or less chosen to milk their consumers on the accessory rather than provide the stands in the box Day One for some time now. However it's the year 2020, and finally both consoles come day 1 with a stand.

Neither company (MS or Sony) has chosen to include the stand on the box as a genuine new-found sense of love for their fans but because it serves a very important function for both consoles. That is, both consoles are huge, and look aesthetically better while standing vertically (which require the stand). In Xbox case its serves the function of acting as a raiser, bumping the console up a few centimeters in order to allow airflow to get into the system. On PlayStation's side, due to the curves of the faceplaces, and their unevenness; it needs the stand to level the console in place both vertically and horizontally.

As Samit Sarkar from Polygon notes however, there is more than meets the eye with the PS5 stand. I think it's the attention to detail on such a simple accessory that has drawn quite a bit of positive buzz around it. To quote the article found here: click me.
The PS5 stand is a disc-shaped unit with a clawlike protrusion. When you want to stand up the console, you use a single flathead screw to secure the stand to the bottom of the unit; the claws fit nicely into a recessed area on the back of the console. When you want to lay the console down horizontally, you remove the stand from the bottom of the PS5, and simply use the claws to clip it onto the back......

An astute observer might realize that this design presents a problem: namely, what to do with the screw, since it’s not used when the stand is holding up a horizontal PS5....

Sony built a special compartment for just this purpose into the underside of the stand. When you’re not using the screw, you can just snap it in there. Sony even thought of the fact that in the horizontal orientation, the screw hole would be visible on the left side of the PS5. So the chamber also holds a piece of plastic that you can use to plug the screw hole (which makes it even harder to notice the already inconspicuous hole).
And don’t worry about the screw falling out of the stand. When you want to transition from vertical to horizontal, you rotate the top of the stand to close the compartment, locking the screw inside.

I’m fascinated by all the engineering effort that clearly went into this inventive piece of the PS5 puzzle. Assuming that all of the stand’s components hold up over time, this is a smart design that provides both a functional and clever solution for the challenges created by the unique exterior shell of the PS5. The jury is out on whether the PS5 will deliver the future of gaming, but one thing seems sure already: It’s the next generation of industrial design.


======================================================
So... what do you think?
Do you appreciate the extra little touches that went into making the PS5 stand?
Did that portion of the teardown surprised you a bit?
Are you standing your console vertically or horizontally?

Feel free to discuss.
 

sackings

Member
It's very nice for people who are OCD about dust and dirt getting into their gear. While lying flat its slightly elevated which should reduce the buildup
 

Calverz

Member
Its annoying you need a coin or screwdriver to remove it. I hated this about the pro. Id often move it between rooms and one required it to be vertical.
 

AJUMP23

Member
You should expect unique engineering and design from advanced technology companies. I would like to see all the other designs it went through before this one was chosen. I would find the overall engineering history interesting.
 

DunDunDunpachi

Patient MembeR
When you clip the stand to the system, does the horizontal system sit on top of it too? If so, yeah that's kind of a cool stand imo.

I've bought maybe two or three of these things over the past 20 years, and I can't think of a single one that worked for both horizontal and vertical.
 

Dodkrake

Banned
When you clip the stand to the system, does the horizontal system sit on top of it too? If so, yeah that's kind of a cool stand imo.

I've bought maybe two or three of these things over the past 20 years, and I can't think of a single one that worked for both horizontal and vertical.
Yes, it does.

ps5-horizonal-with-dualsense.jpg
 

SilentUser

Member
I must say, the PS5 teardown changed a lot of things in a good way. What a beautiful piece of work there and I'm finally enjoying the console design. Also surprised by how well conceived the stand was, specially considering how it was the thing I disliked the most about the whole design.
 

MiguelItUp

Member
I personally thought it was fine until I realized you needed it to sit the system horizontally as well. I think it would've been much more intuitive if you didn't need a tool and piece to make the system vertical or horizontal.
 

supernova8

Banned
When someone isn't good at finding actual news or at writing good editorial content, they need to make it up by vomiting hundreds of words on a compartment for a screw. 🤔

Yeah pretty much. Both consoles are pretty fucking dull at this point.

- Sony has a removable stand with a little slidey bit for the screw. Like a shit toy you'd get with your Happy Meal at McDonalds.
- Xbox keeps banging on about the breathtaking ability to play old games on a new device.
- Nintendo has nothing except new Fighter DLC (that isn't free) to go along with that fighting game you already paid full price for.

They're all bastards really. You can't win.
 

theHFIC

Member
Still going to get a PS5 over anything else in 2021 once they become more available, but I just hate hate HATE the stand requirement for horizontal placement.
 

jaysius

Banned
It's a solution to their own silly problem they made for themselves in design. It's good that it's functional, but it's not the Eiffel tower FFS.

You can make these things with either an in-built stand, or with a FLAT SURFACE that is going to make a stable base.

This worship of a fucking stand should make you realize this is a counter to a design flaw, not a work of art.

If you disagree that this is a design flaw, then try and standup a PS5 without it, or lay it on it's side without it. A machine should perform a basic function of fighting gravity on it's own.
 
Last edited:
wow, after new rumble and fast loading from the 90s and games from the early 2000s with ever more pixels, here comes the nextgen stand...

sorry, I forgot it's also very easy to remove dust from your device now too. Nothing can be more nextgen than that between a round or two of Bugsnax...
 

reinking

Gold Member
I can count the number of times I have swapped my consoles position on one hand going all the way back the the Atari 2600. I just do not think this is nearly has big a deal as some people are making it. I like the details because once I place my console where I want it I know the screw or little tab is safely tucked away and will not be lost. I prefer it over the XBSX leaving the stand on it when flipped horizontal. Thank goodness I plan to keep it vertical.
 

NeoIkaruGAF

Gold Member
And people say it’s the Nintendo fans who’ll shit all over themselves with excitement when the company comes out with a solution to a problem that should never have been there in the first place.

If Demon’s Souls isn’t every bit as good as it’s promised to be there’s gonna be a lot of denial on the internet come December.
 

Rentahamster

Rodent Whores
The fact that people really are "hyped" about a stand is just another proof how pathetic current gaming industry is. Like for real. How much of a fanboy you have to be to celebrate this?
You don't have to be a fan boy to appreciate the quality of life improvements and the nods to aesthetics. It's not easy to design or manufacture.
 

Rentahamster

Rodent Whores
At first glance you might think it's an elegant solution. Wanna know what's even more elegant? A console that can just stand on its own, without the need for an additional piece of fucking plastic.
The stand looks like it's a good compromise that balances airflow needs and aesthetics in both orientations. A standless design might not have that well roundedness.
 
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