It's been three months since the PS5 launched, and Sony is still holding out when it comes to PS4 features that had no business being scrapped. We get it; you want to change and innovate, but maybe don't do that with aspects of a console that players love, despite vocal feedback.
I am, of course, talking about the PS button on the DualSense controller, and the unfathomable decision by Sony to remove the ability to power off your console by pressing and holding it down.
If you want to turn off your PS5, you have to tap the PS button to bring up the Control Centre, scroll across to the power icon, hit it to bring up the power options, then choose if you want to turn it off, restart, or enter rest mode. If you've somehow not figured out that you can scroll to the left to shave a few precious seconds off, you're welcome. But it's still a pain in the bum, and my muscle memory, honed over an entire console generation, is not happy about it.
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I'm not the only one: gamers have bemoaned the changes on social media, including Dan "Shoe" Hsu, senior director and editor-in-chief at Blizzard Entertainment. Last month, he kicked off a thread saying he still forgets that the functionality of the PS button has been tweaked, and is undoubtedly still finding himself pressing and holding the PS button, which takes you back to the Home screen if you're in an app or game, and does diddly squat if you're already there. It quickly gained traction as frustrated fellow PS5 players chimed in to criticise the UI choice.
Sony's frankly puzzling decision to get rid of the feature is up there with the removal of themes for PS5; want to rep your favorite game on your Home screen? Or choose something a little more nondescript or subtle? Too bad! What you've got is a background that changes as you scroll through your game library, with jarring audio transitions, and complete visual overhauls every time you scroll between apps. It's annoying.
I can't be the only one who's incensed by these changes, lack of customisation, and the absolutely deaf ears of Sony that the community feedback has fallen on. It doesn't seem like it's in any rush to acknowledge it, or push out an update or two to resolve any of this.
While I appreciate that the PS5 truly feels like a next-gen piece of hardware, especially thanks to the DualSense, there are some things you just shouldn't mess with. And for me, both of these features should have been left well alone.
