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

Half of PlayStation 5 users skip rest mode, opting for a full system shutdown instead. This surprising statistic, shared by Sony's Cory Gasaway, reveals a significant user preference that influenced the design of the PS5's Welcome Hub. The Hub aims to create a unified user experience despite this diverse behavior.

Gasaway, in an interview with Stephen Totilo, revealed that a 50/50 split exists between users who power down their PS5 completely versus those utilizing rest mode. This finding, highlighted by IGN, is noteworthy given rest mode's energy-saving benefits and its role in facilitating convenient downloads and game resumption. Sony, under Jim Ryan's leadership, has emphasized environmental responsibility, making this user behavior even more intriguing.

The Welcome Hub, unveiled in 2024 after a PlayStation hackathon, directly addresses this preference. Designed by a small team, the Hub presents a personalized starting screen: the PS5 Explore page for US users and the last played game for others. This approach aims to provide a consistent, customizable experience across all PS5 systems, regardless of rest mode usage.

Why half of PS5 users avoid rest mode remains unclear. While the feature is designed for energy efficiency and background downloads, some users report internet connectivity issues in rest mode, leading them to keep their consoles fully powered on for downloads. Others apparently experience no such problems. Regardless of the reason, Gasaway's insights offer valuable context into the PS5's user interface design principles.

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