A surprising statistic reveals that half of all PlayStation 5 users bypass the console's rest mode, opting instead for a complete system shutdown. This finding, shared by Cory Gasaway, Sony Interactive Entertainment's VP of Game, Product, and Player Experiences, during an interview with Stephen Totilo, highlights a significant divergence in user behavior. While rest mode is designed to conserve energy and facilitate convenient downloads and game resumption, its adoption rate is surprisingly low.
The revelation emerged within a broader discussion about the design philosophy behind the PlayStation 5's Welcome Hub, introduced in 2024. This feature, born from a PlayStation hackathon, directly addresses the 50/50 split in rest mode usage. The Welcome Hub aims to create a more unified user experience, regardless of individual preferences, by offering a customizable home screen that adapts to different user behaviors. For US users, this often means the PS5 Explore page; for international users, it defaults to their most recently played game.
Reasons for avoiding rest mode remain varied and anecdotal. Some users report internet connectivity issues when rest mode is enabled, preferring a fully powered-on console for downloads. Others simply seem to prefer a complete shutdown. Regardless of the underlying cause, Gasaway's insights offer valuable context for understanding the user-centric design decisions behind the PS5's interface. The 50% adoption rate of rest mode underscores the challenge of creating a universally appealing feature, even one designed with energy efficiency in mind.
