Xbox One Not Meant For Vertical Orientation

Any person who is looking into purchasing an Xbox One would be wise to follow Microsoft’s recent statement about the upcoming next-gen console.  One of the “cool” things about the Xbox 360 was its ability to be set upright to save space, but Microsoft has no plans for the Xbox One to do the same.  In fact, Microsoft has warned customers against setting the console upright as it will conflict with the console’s disc drive.

There were rumors that the Xbox One’s ventilation system was the reason that the
console was meant to be laid horizontally due to the vents across the top of the console.  However, Microsoft has reconfirmed that the Xbox One’s disc drive is only meant to operate horizontally, and while it can operate vertically they do not recommend it.

“We don’t support vertical orientation; do it at your own risk, said Albert Penello, Microsoft’s director of product planning for Xbox. 

“[I]t wouldn’t be a cooling problem, we just didn’t design the drive for vertical,” said Penello, “Because it’s a slot loading drive, we just didn’t design it for both.”

As an Xbox customer, I prefer to have my console laying horizontally versus sitting vertically because the risk of the console being knocked over is a scary possibility.  I would rather the console take up space and be secure then have to worry about the console being damaged due to an accident.

According to Penello, Microsoft has figured that 80 percent of Xbox 360 owners use the console horizontally.  Which easily explains why Microsoft has decided against supporting vertical orientation.  The drawback to this is that the Xbox One is set to be a large console, so some people might be tempted to set it sitting upright.

Update:As I discuss in my Xbox One review, the Xbox One is so large that the space I had made for my Xbox 360 S was significantly too small to fit the new console.  During my initial setup, I had to re-organize most of my tech setup to allow the Xbox One enough space to fit. 

It would definitely be nice to be able to sit the console vertically but I am not risking the possibility of damaging the console.  Especially since the disc drives are the main reason that Microsoft recommended setting the console horizontally, and with the fact that some disc drives are malfunctioning right out of the box.

If you are one of those people whose Xbox One has a malfunctioning disc drive, you might want to check out this article that details Microsoft’s exchange program.  Microsoft will actually ship you a new Xbox One and then you can ship the malfunctioning console back afterwards, and Microsoft is even offering a free game to those with console issues!

What is your opinion of this move by Microsoft?  As a console owner, would you risk the console being knocked over in return for the console taking up less space?  Let me know your opinion in the comments below!