PlayStation Reveals How Many Gamers Turn Off Their PS5 Compared to Putting It in Rest Mode

Half of PlayStation 5 users bypass the console's rest mode, opting for a complete system shutdown instead, according to Sony. This surprising statistic, revealed by Cory Gasaway, Vice President of Game, Product, and Player Experiences at Sony Interactive Entertainment, highlights a significant user preference divergence. The revelation came during an interview with Stephen Totilo, focusing on the design philosophy behind the PS5's Welcome Hub, introduced in 2024.

The Welcome Hub, born from a PlayStation hackathon, directly addresses this 50/50 split in rest mode usage. Its design aims to create a unified user experience, regardless of individual preferences. For US users, the Hub defaults to the PS5 Explore page; internationally, it displays the user's most recently played game. This customizable starting point offers a more cohesive experience across diverse PlayStation 5 systems.

While no single reason explains the widespread avoidance of rest mode, user forum discussions suggest potential contributing factors. Some users report internet connectivity issues linked to rest mode, preferring to keep their consoles fully powered on for downloads. Others experience no such problems and utilize the feature as intended – to conserve energy while enabling background downloads and updates.

Regardless of the underlying reasons, Gasaway's insights offer valuable perspective on the complexities of user interface design and the importance of accommodating diverse user behaviors in console development. The 50% figure underscores the need for developers to consider a wide range of user preferences when designing features and user experiences.