Sony deletes PS5 advert that shows the console upside down

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Maybe it wasn't a clever call-back after all

PS5
(Image credit: Sony)

Update: Sony's PS5 advert which shows the console being played while upside down has been deleted, suggesting that it wasn't some clever homage to the days of the original PlayStation.

While some players have found that they can get their classic consoles working again by turning them upside down, it seems that Sony isn't keen to encourage the same behavior from its new console. Whether the advert will see the light of day in future (after a brief edit, of course) remains to be seen.

Original story: A new Sony ad shows the PS5 being used upside down, and I'm starting to wonder if that's just how it's supposed to be positioned.

Actually, it's pretty clear Sony just messed up... again. Consoles always go disc-drive-down, plus PlayStation itself shows the PS5 right-side-up in countless promotional materials, not to mention the console's instruction manual. And yet, a new ad shared to Sony's official Twitter account briefly shows the console set up in a TV stand upside down. It's hard not to notice an emerging trend here.

Back in December, head of PlayStation Worldwide Studios Hermen Hulst most ironically revealed that he'd been playing his PS5 upside down. This wasn't an official ad for the PS5 - it was just a cute video of his cat being a cat while Hulst played Bugsnax - but it was still something to see such a senior PlayStation exec blaspheming the company's flagship product like that. Of course, Hulst promptly cropped the tweet to obscure the blunder, but as Sony is being reminded yet again today, the internet isn't so quick to forget.

Hulst never issued an explanation on his situation, and I'm guessing we aren't going to hear anything from Sony on the above ad. It's fairly obvious in both instances that a mistake was made, and according to Kotaku, a relatively harmless one at that. Even so, one more goof-up like this and I could see this becoming meme material, if it isn't already fated as such.

If you're still trying to find PS5 stock, stay diligent. Today saw PS5 restocks go live across US and UK retailers, but you have to be mighty quick if you mean to snatch one up. Checking now, everything's sold out at the moment, but definitely keep a watchful eye out for availability. 

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Jordan Gerblick
Jordan Gerblick
Staff Writer

After earning an English degree from ASU, I worked as a corporate copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. I got my big break here in 2019 with a freelance news gig, and I was hired on as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer in 2021. That means I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my home office, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.