Leaked Sony documents reveal plans behind PS5's game-changing feature

The PS5's new activities section is a major innovation for console gaming. New internal documents obtained by Vice explains Sony's main motivations behind this quick access and why it was implemented.

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The PS5 is built around a few fundamental principles: Access, compatibility, and power. Access is tapped via the12-channel PCIe 4.0 SSD capable of blasting data at 5.5GB/sec, but raw speed isn't everything. Sony is using this powerful storage tech to innovate access points with a transformative new PS5 feature called activities.

Activities change how you play a game by giving you quick access. Think of it as fast travel, only for objectives. Pressing the PS button in Spider-Man Miles Morales summons a menu of quick-launch missions. Clicking a card instantly transports you to the location corresponding to the mission. It's a means of instant access that respects players' time while getting them right into the action.

New documents obtained by Vice underlines why Sony implemented this feature. If you've tried the activities section, you already know why Sony did it. The functionality really is next-level and can completely change how you play games and plan out your sessions. Long gone are the days of arduous tasks and having to wander around a huge in-game world.

With activities, you can jump right in no matter where you are in the game--or how long it's been since you last played.

The feature was mostly made to help gamers save time and reduce confusion in singleplayer titles--which is exactly the type of games Sony typically makes.

"In an ideal world, every player has the time to spend hours per day, every day, playing games. In reality, most people have jobs. Or kids. Or school. Or all of the above. Often, free time comes wedged between other obligations. An hour before bed. A 30-minute break between homework assignments. A few minutes before your online MP match," the documents read.

"We can change 'should I start playing' to 'which part should I start playing?' The options are there. The choices are clear. The game is calling. Pick up that controller. It's time to play."

Sadly, the activities quick-launch section isn't available for every game. It's up to developers to implement it, and each game is a bit different. The new PS5 Sackboy game, for example, lets you choose between various stages and has mini-challenges.

Miles Morales lets you quick-launch the tutorial-style training missions, as well as story missions and other side missions. Demon's Souls lets you jump between campfires. Let's hope the feature catches on because it really is revolutionary.

Here's more of our PS5 coverage, including some tricks and tips regarding saves:

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