If your PlayStation 5 lives on the floor, the flooring matters more than you might think. Engadget's latest guidance is blunt: a carpeted floor is one of the worst places to park the console.

The problem is thermal. The PS5 needs to shed significant heat under gaming loads, and carpet works against it on two fronts — the fibers act as an insulator, and a soft surface can sit flush against the console's lower vents, choking airflow where the cooling system needs it most. Engadget describes carpet as a literal hotbed for a machine that depends on staying cool.

Sustained heat buildup is the quiet enemy of console hardware. Before anything fails outright, thermal stress typically shows up as louder fan noise and more aggressive cooling behavior, with long-term component wear as the compounding cost.

The fixes are inexpensive: get the console onto a hard, flat, elevated surface with clearance around its vents, whether that is a media stand, a shelf with breathing room, or a dedicated riser. For a machine at the center of the living room for years to come, it is among the cheapest insurance a PS5 owner can buy.