The PlayStation 5 certainly has a distinct look, but there’s more to the design of this console than its giant polar-white fins. In fact, the PS5 holds a few different secrets about how it can be set up.
Whether you want to stand the console up vertically, lay it down horizontally, or change out the giant white side plates entirely, we can explain everything you need to know about the exterior of the PlayStation 5.
Can the PS5 be vertical or horizontal?
Yes, it can go either way. It is also huge either way. Because of the PS5’s very strange shape, Sony has given the console a stand with a base that you can turn depending on how you want to situate the console. This keeps the PS5 from sitting directly on whatever surface you place it on, making it safer for carpets and more stable in any environment. Since the stand is required in either orientation, it is included in the box with every PS5. (Note: We haven’t gotten our hands on the PlayStation 5 Digital Edition, and units aren’t available in the wild yet. So we can’t offer any specific guidance about how to set up that hardware, although Sony has said that Digital Edition consoles will also come with a stand.)
Seriously, it looks way better when it’s vertical. Also, remember that discs should be inserted with the printed side facing to the left.
While there isn’t necessarily a right or wrong way to orient the console, we can say that the PS5 is vertical in almost all of Sony’s marketing materials, which might imply that that’s the way the company intends for people to use it. We can also independently verify that it looks way better when it’s standing vertically.
As for cooling concerns: The PS5 draws in air from the openings between its black central slab and its white side panels, and almost the entire rear of the unit consists of exhaust vents. So the orientation of the console shouldn’t make any difference in the system’s ability to expel heat.
Which way do I insert discs into the PS5?
When the PS5 is in its vertical orientation, the proper direction of a disc may not be intuitive.
The PS5’s disc slot should be on the bottom when the system is lying horizontally (if it’s on top, then your console is upside down). Obviously, discs should be inserted into the slot with the printed side facing up. To stand up the PS5, you essentially turn the unit 90° counterclockwise. So when you insert a disc into a vertical PS5, make sure to do so with the printed side facing to the left — i.e., facing toward the center of the console.
How does the PS5’s stand work?
In horizontal mode, the stand sits directly below the PlayStation 5 with two small plastic hooks that rest in the back of the console. These hooks, along with a raised section of the stand in the middle, keep the PS5 stable using only friction and the weight of the console.
When the PS5 is vertical, the stand is held in place by a screw — which, when not being used, is conveniently stored in a secret compartment in the stand itself. In this position, the screw is the only thing holding the stand onto the PlayStation 5, but there’s no need to worry, as it’s a fairly hefty screw. If you don’t have a screwdriver around, you can also use a coin to screw it in.
How do you install the stand for the horizontal PS5?
1. Rotate the base of the PlayStation 5’s stand so that the raised section and the hooks are not aligned.
Look closely at the large PlayStation symbols — square, circle, triangle, X — and you’ll see that they’re engraved amid tiny embossed ones.
2. Lay down the PS5 on its front, so that the rear of the console is pointing upward. Look at the system’s rear port array. Beneath the leftmost USB port, etched into the lower white plastic fin there, you’ll see a repeating pattern of the PlayStation face buttons: square, circle, triangle, X.
Make sure the fit is snug!
3. Line up the stand with these icons, slotting the hooks into the squares on either end of the pattern, and push the hooks into place. (Note that there’s no click; the hooks are lined with foam that grips the lip of the white panel using nothing but friction.) Make sure to push in the hooks as far as they’ll go to create as secure an attachment as possible.
Voilà!
4. Make sure the console is balanced properly on the raised part of the stand, and set the console on a flat surface.
How do you install the stand for the vertical PS5?
1. Rotate the base of the stand so that the raised section is directly in line with the hooks on the back. This will reveal a hidden compartment on the underside of the stand. Take the screw out of the compartment.
The cover for the screw hole snaps into place, and it’s very easy to remove it as long as you can get a fingernail under the edge.
2. Lay down the PS5 on its front, so that the rear of the console is pointing upward. Look at the bottom of the console. (It’s the side nearest the power button, where the white plastic fins are thickest.) In the center of the base, flanked by a line of small vents on either side, you’ll see a small black circle. This is a plastic cap — it covers the hole that the stand screws into when the PS5 is standing upright.
The cover also snaps into place in the compartment. Don’t worry — it won’t fall out even when the compartment’s door is open.
3. Remove the cap and fit it into its round receptacle inside the compartment in the stand.
You can use a flathead screwdriver, but a nickel works, too.
4. Take the stand and place it on the bottom side of the PlayStation 5, lining up the hole in the stand with the screw hole in the bottom of the console. Screw in the stand using a coin or a flathead screwdriver.
How big is the PS5?
When it’s vertical, the PlayStation 5 is 15.35 inches tall — ridiculously tall, in other words. That’s without the stand, mind you. Including the stand, the height rises to about 16 inches. The PS5’s widest point when it’s vertical is the base, which has a width of 4.09 inches without the stand. When the stand is attached, it adds 2 inches or so, bringing the width up to approximately 6 ⅛ inches. As for depth, the console is approximately 10.24 inches from front to back.
If you decide to flip the PlayStation 5 on its side, it’s still pretty big. Turns out it’s the same size either way. Unfortunately.
If the PS5 is horizontal … which side is the top?
The PlayStation 5 has two white pieces of plastic on its sides; when it’s horizontal, they represent the console’s top and bottom. If you have the standard model — the one with a 4K Blu-ray drive — the disc slot will be on the bottom half when the console is right-side up. If you need an even easier way to determine which side is supposed to be facing up, you can check the PlayStation logo that’s on one of the white panels. That logo is on the top of the console, so that panel is the one that should be facing upward.
Can you remove the sides of the PS5?
Grab the panel at opposite corners and lift upward while pulling toward the bottom/left edge of the unit. It might feel like you’re going to break something, but the panel is designed to come off without too much effort.
You can, and not just through brute force: It’s actually a design feature of the console. To remove the sides, just pull up on one of the plastic pieces by either opposite corner. Pull straight up; the design of the latches will allow you to automatically pull the piece to the side as it comes up. Now do the same with the other piece of plastic on the console. (If you’re having trouble, lift upward while pulling toward the bottom/left edge of the unit.)
There are plenty of reasons you might want to remove these pieces. One of them is to clean the fan and the dust catchers, which are directly under the plastic fins and easily accessible once those panels are removed. Another might be to reach the PS5’s storage expansion slot, which is under the bottom plastic panel and can be found by unscrewing its small metal cover.
The upper half of the PS5. Note the two “dust catchers” — the alcoves that are slightly larger than the ones for the hooks on the side panel. One is the trapezoid-shaped opening at top center; the other is the triangle-shaped one in the center of the right side.
The bottom half of the PS5. On the right is the 4K Blu-ray drive. At the bottom, on the left side below the system fan, is the metal flap covering the storage expansion slot, which can accommodate M.2 SSDs.
You might just want to remove these pieces of plastic because you’d rather your PlayStation 5 was a different color. There are already a few sites selling replacement panels for the console, and the bright white is … probably not going to match the living rooms of everyone who buys the console. So, replacing them could be a good option if you want your game consoles to be a little less eye-catching.
The bad news for anyone who doesn’t like the overall look of the console is, you’ll need side panels of some kind. For one thing, they protect the interior of the console from the elements — dust, dirt, liquids, and other hazards — so while you technically could use the PS5 without the fins, it’s not a good idea.
But more importantly, the panels serve a crucial stabilizing role. Obviously, the PS5 will sit very unevenly in its horizontal orientation if the panels aren’t there, since there’s no way to attach the stand without the bottom white panel in place. And in the console’s vertical orientation, the stand has a central channel in which the PS5 sits, flanked by elevated pieces of the stand that hug the sides of the console. Without the side panels attached to the console, the system is not secure at all in the stand. If, for some reason, you desperately want to use a naked PS5, your best bet is to orient the console vertically on a flat, stable surface without the stand attached.
The federal government is ordering the dissolution of TikTok’s Canadian business after a national security review of the Chinese company behind the social media platform, but stopped short of ordering people to stay off the app.
Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne announced the government’s “wind up” demand Wednesday, saying it is meant to address “risks” related to ByteDance Ltd.’s establishment of TikTok Technology Canada Inc.
“The decision was based on the information and evidence collected over the course of the review and on the advice of Canada’s security and intelligence community and other government partners,” he said in a statement.
The announcement added that the government is not blocking Canadians’ access to the TikTok application or their ability to create content.
However, it urged people to “adopt good cybersecurity practices and assess the possible risks of using social media platforms and applications, including how their information is likely to be protected, managed, used and shared by foreign actors, as well as to be aware of which country’s laws apply.”
Champagne’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment seeking details about what evidence led to the government’s dissolution demand, how long ByteDance has to comply and why the app is not being banned.
A TikTok spokesperson said in a statement that the shutdown of its Canadian offices will mean the loss of hundreds of well-paying local jobs.
“We will challenge this order in court,” the spokesperson said.
“The TikTok platform will remain available for creators to find an audience, explore new interests and for businesses to thrive.”
The federal Liberals ordered a national security review of TikTok in September 2023, but it was not public knowledge until The Canadian Press reported in March that it was investigating the company.
At the time, it said the review was based on the expansion of a business, which it said constituted the establishment of a new Canadian entity. It declined to provide any further details about what expansion it was reviewing.
A government database showed a notification of new business from TikTok in June 2023. It said Network Sense Ventures Ltd. in Toronto and Vancouver would engage in “marketing, advertising, and content/creator development activities in relation to the use of the TikTok app in Canada.”
Even before the review, ByteDance and TikTok were lightning rod for privacy and safety concerns because Chinese national security laws compel organizations in the country to assist with intelligence gathering.
Such concerns led the U.S. House of Representatives to pass a bill in March designed to ban TikTok unless its China-based owner sells its stake in the business.
Champagne’s office has maintained Canada’s review was not related to the U.S. bill, which has yet to pass.
Canada’s review was carried out through the Investment Canada Act, which allows the government to investigate any foreign investment with potential to might harm national security.
While cabinet can make investors sell parts of the business or shares, Champagne has said the act doesn’t allow him to disclose details of the review.
Wednesday’s dissolution order was made in accordance with the act.
The federal government banned TikTok from its mobile devices in February 2023 following the launch of an investigation into the company by federal and provincial privacy commissioners.
— With files from Anja Karadeglija in Ottawa
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 6, 2024.
LONDON (AP) — Most people have accumulated a pile of data — selfies, emails, videos and more — on their social media and digital accounts over their lifetimes. What happens to it when we die?
It’s wise to draft a will spelling out who inherits your physical assets after you’re gone, but don’t forget to take care of your digital estate too. Friends and family might treasure files and posts you’ve left behind, but they could get lost in digital purgatory after you pass away unless you take some simple steps.
Here’s how you can prepare your digital life for your survivors:
Apple
The iPhone maker lets you nominate a “ legacy contact ” who can access your Apple account’s data after you die. The company says it’s a secure way to give trusted people access to photos, files and messages. To set it up you’ll need an Apple device with a fairly recent operating system — iPhones and iPads need iOS or iPadOS 15.2 and MacBooks needs macOS Monterey 12.1.
For iPhones, go to settings, tap Sign-in & Security and then Legacy Contact. You can name one or more people, and they don’t need an Apple ID or device.
You’ll have to share an access key with your contact. It can be a digital version sent electronically, or you can print a copy or save it as a screenshot or PDF.
Take note that there are some types of files you won’t be able to pass on — including digital rights-protected music, movies and passwords stored in Apple’s password manager. Legacy contacts can only access a deceased user’s account for three years before Apple deletes the account.
Google
Google takes a different approach with its Inactive Account Manager, which allows you to share your data with someone if it notices that you’ve stopped using your account.
When setting it up, you need to decide how long Google should wait — from three to 18 months — before considering your account inactive. Once that time is up, Google can notify up to 10 people.
You can write a message informing them you’ve stopped using the account, and, optionally, include a link to download your data. You can choose what types of data they can access — including emails, photos, calendar entries and YouTube videos.
There’s also an option to automatically delete your account after three months of inactivity, so your contacts will have to download any data before that deadline.
Facebook and Instagram
Some social media platforms can preserve accounts for people who have died so that friends and family can honor their memories.
When users of Facebook or Instagram die, parent company Meta says it can memorialize the account if it gets a “valid request” from a friend or family member. Requests can be submitted through an online form.
The social media company strongly recommends Facebook users add a legacy contact to look after their memorial accounts. Legacy contacts can do things like respond to new friend requests and update pinned posts, but they can’t read private messages or remove or alter previous posts. You can only choose one person, who also has to have a Facebook account.
You can also ask Facebook or Instagram to delete a deceased user’s account if you’re a close family member or an executor. You’ll need to send in documents like a death certificate.
TikTok
The video-sharing platform says that if a user has died, people can submit a request to memorialize the account through the settings menu. Go to the Report a Problem section, then Account and profile, then Manage account, where you can report a deceased user.
Once an account has been memorialized, it will be labeled “Remembering.” No one will be able to log into the account, which prevents anyone from editing the profile or using the account to post new content or send messages.
X
It’s not possible to nominate a legacy contact on Elon Musk’s social media site. But family members or an authorized person can submit a request to deactivate a deceased user’s account.
Passwords
Besides the major online services, you’ll probably have dozens if not hundreds of other digital accounts that your survivors might need to access. You could just write all your login credentials down in a notebook and put it somewhere safe. But making a physical copy presents its own vulnerabilities. What if you lose track of it? What if someone finds it?
Instead, consider a password manager that has an emergency access feature. Password managers are digital vaults that you can use to store all your credentials. Some, like Keeper,Bitwarden and NordPass, allow users to nominate one or more trusted contacts who can access their keys in case of an emergency such as a death.
But there are a few catches: Those contacts also need to use the same password manager and you might have to pay for the service.
___
Is there a tech challenge you need help figuring out? Write to us at onetechtip@ap.org with your questions.
LONDON (AP) — Britain’s competition watchdog said Thursday it’s opening a formal investigation into Google’s partnership with artificial intelligence startup Anthropic.
The Competition and Markets Authority said it has “sufficient information” to launch an initial probe after it sought input earlier this year on whether the deal would stifle competition.
The CMA has until Dec. 19 to decide whether to approve the deal or escalate its investigation.
“Google is committed to building the most open and innovative AI ecosystem in the world,” the company said. “Anthropic is free to use multiple cloud providers and does, and we don’t demand exclusive tech rights.”
San Francisco-based Anthropic was founded in 2021 by siblings Dario and Daniela Amodei, who previously worked at ChatGPT maker OpenAI. The company has focused on increasing the safety and reliability of AI models. Google reportedly agreed last year to make a multibillion-dollar investment in Anthropic, which has a popular chatbot named Claude.
Anthropic said it’s cooperating with the regulator and will provide “the complete picture about Google’s investment and our commercial collaboration.”
“We are an independent company and none of our strategic partnerships or investor relationships diminish the independence of our corporate governance or our freedom to partner with others,” it said in a statement.
The U.K. regulator has been scrutinizing a raft of AI deals as investment money floods into the industry to capitalize on the artificial intelligence boom. Last month it cleared Anthropic’s $4 billion deal with Amazon and it has also signed off on Microsoft’s deals with two other AI startups, Inflection and Mistral.
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22007929/ssarkar_201029_ply1040_0013.jpg)
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22007936/ssarkar_201029_ply1040_0019.jpg)
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22007933/ssarkar_201029_ply1040_0016.jpg)
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22007928/ssarkar_201029_ply1040_0012.jpg)
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22007925/ssarkar_201029_ply1040_0009.jpg)
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22007926/ssarkar_201029_ply1040_0010.jpg)
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22007921/ssarkar_201029_ply1040_0005.jpg)
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22007937/ssarkar_201029_ply1040_0020.jpg)
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22008497/ssarkar_201029_ply1040_0022b.jpg)
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22008498/ssarkar_201029_ply1040_0023b.jpg)
