A former Sony manager has revealed that PS5 folders weren’t a launch feature because Sony wanted to avoid crunch especially when the global pandemic was at its peak. Steven Trombetta, who spent six years at Sony in various managerial roles, worked on a number of PS5 features including Activities. When the PS5 finally got folders (called gamelists) yesterday, a snarky headline by Kotaku prompted a response from Trombetta.
PS5 folders was a highly-demanded feature
Hey @kotaku… we built this console in the middle of a global pandemic without requiring crunch from anyone… Some things had to go to make that a reality. It’d be nice if you weren’t rude about it. Employee health was the priority and I’m glad it was. https://t.co/HfT02bC4f2
— HUGE alternagod (@alternagod) September 7, 2022
Interestingly, when a follower asked Trombetta if a lot of players used folders, he said that “generally” they don’t. “Players really just want to pin the, like, three games they play regularly,” he wrote. “Some people do and will organize everything but those people are rare power users.” Trombetta worked on the PS5’s OS and SDK, with his manager being the hardware lead.
Worth noting that the PS4 received folders feature three years after launch.
The PS5 finally received its much-awaited system update yesterday, but in case you didn’t notice, a DualSense update came with it that adds the following:
- Custom button assignments are now enabled in the passcode input screen.
- We’ve updated the DualSense wireless controller device software to improve stability. An issue causing system software errors during rest mode in some PS5 consoles was resolved.
In other news, The Witcher 3 PS5 upgrade is on track to release this year, and a tech teardown has revealed that the revised PS5 model has not only been redesigned internally, making it more energy efficient.