Half of PlayStation 5 owners bypass rest mode, preferring a complete system shutdown instead. This surprising statistic, revealed by Sony Interactive Entertainment's Cory Gasaway, prompted the development of the PS5's Welcome Hub. The reasons behind this preference remain varied and unclear.
Gasaway's interview with Stephen Totilo highlighted that a full 50% of PS5 users forgo the rest mode feature. This is noteworthy given rest mode's energy-saving benefits and its role in facilitating downloads and resuming gameplay. Sony, prioritizing environmental responsibility as stated by Jim Ryan prior to the PS5 launch, likely found this statistic unexpected.
The revelation came during a discussion about the PS5's Welcome Hub, introduced in 2024. Designed by a small team during a PlayStation hackathon, the Hub aims to provide a consistent user experience despite the diverse usage patterns, notably the widespread avoidance of rest mode. Gasaway noted a 50/50 split in US users between seeing the PS5 Explore page and their most recently played game, highlighting the Hub's role in creating a more unified starting point.
The lack of a single, dominant reason for avoiding rest mode is apparent. While energy saving is a key benefit, some users report internet connectivity issues when using rest mode, preferring a fully powered-on console for downloads. Others experience no such problems and utilize rest mode without issue. Gasaway's insights offer valuable context into the PS5's user interface design considerations.
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