Sony just announced that it will remove the ‘Accolades’ feature from PS5 consoles with a future firmware update, removing what was once intended to be a futuristic selling point for the next-gen hardware ahead of its release. Turns out no one used it or even knew the damn thing existed. I work in gaming and I had to google its exact purpose before writing this article.
The feature was originally intended to promote positive online communities and reward players for good behavior, but unfortunately it took extra effort from users to actually be considered useful and, let’s face it, nobody paid any attention to these badges anyway. Live service games like Destiny 2 and Apex Legends have enough internal tools to facilitate their own audiences so we never have to go beyond party chat.
PlayStation has always played this nonsense with every new console, convinced that it should provide additional benefits rather than make the basic experience work. I remember the PS3 being hugely expensive and not having exclusive games, but at least you could use the PSP as a rearview mirror if you put the portable device next to your television while playing Ridge Racer. Completely useless, but it can be used as a cool marketing gimmick. Few also used the console as a media center or place to store photos and videos, with Sony planning to turn the PS3 into an all-in-one entertainment center long before the Xbox One came along. It was ahead of its time, but also unnecessary in its excess.
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The PS4 came about as content creators and social media became commonplace, providing a way to share screenshots and videos at the touch of a button. Editing software was also included, offering curious players a simple yet effective way to make their mark on a growing industry on Twitch and YouTube. Features like these are great, but they were also joined by PlayStation Vue, Music Unlimited, and a cluttered news feed of Trophy updates and game activities that no one cared about. Even the Vita had a lot of this crap when it really could have done without it.
PS5 took it even further by blowing up a streamlined UI with extra features no one asked for, while also feeling half-baked. Sony wanted to take advantage of its SSD technology by providing specific games with activities and maps on the dashboard that can load you directly into a certain level or section in seconds. In Demon’s Souls, you could avoid reloading into the Nexus and jump to exact regions in seconds, while Sackboy’s Big Adventure emphasized trial-and-error time trials rather than forcing players to engage themselves in awkward backtracking . This feature is cool in concept, but has never been implemented or showcased in a way that encourages us to take advantage of it.
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The console automatically assumes what games you’re playing in and likes to fill notifications with news stories and other weird nonsense that no one ever looks at. It just serves to get in the way of things we really care about, with Sony believing that innovation is about incorporating loads of features rather than considering whether they have any real purpose or potential lifespan. . They don’t, and the premature abolition of awards is proof of that. I wouldn’t be surprised if some of the things I discussed above follow in its footsteps and Sony continues to manage the PS5 experience, introducing new things while also stripping away the launch chaff that has long been obsolete.
Give us themes, folders and basic functionality that will really benefit the average user, not weird little additions that serve to stroke a business ego and nothing else. New hardware believes it must justify itself in addition to being more powerful and convenient, and the end result is often unnecessary. PlayStation is now facing that hard truth for the fourth time in its long history, and you would think it would have learned a few lessons by now.
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