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

Half of PS5 Owners Shun Rest Mode, Opting for Full Shutdown

A surprising statistic reveals that a significant portion of PlayStation 5 users bypass the console's rest mode feature, 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, indicates a 50/50 split among players.

Rest mode, a staple feature in modern consoles designed to conserve energy while enabling background downloads and maintaining game sessions, has been a point of focus for Sony. Jim Ryan previously highlighted the environmental benefits of the PS5's rest mode as part of Sony's broader sustainability initiatives. Despite these advantages, a considerable number of users remain unconvinced.

This data played a key role in the development of the PS5's Welcome Hub, introduced in 2024. Designed by a small team during a PlayStation hackathon, the Welcome Hub aims to provide a more unified user experience, acknowledging the diverse preferences revealed by the rest mode usage statistics. The Hub's design caters to this split, presenting US users with the PS5 Explore page and other users with their most recently played game. This customizable interface offers a more consistent starting point for all PS5 users.

The reasons behind the preference for full shutdown over rest mode remain varied and anecdotal. While energy conservation is a primary benefit of rest mode, some users report internet connectivity issues when using the feature, leading them to prefer keeping their consoles fully powered on for downloads. Others appear to experience no such problems.

Regardless of the reasons, Gasaway's insights offer valuable context into the design considerations behind the PS5's user interface, highlighting the importance of catering to a broad spectrum of user behaviors and preferences.

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