Fans of the PlayStation Trophies meta-game have some handy new features smuggled into the latest PS5 console update, version 22.02-06.02.00, that will certainly enhance the experience of those who are eager to track down every single collectible, kill enemies in every conceivable way, or jump from the highest point. The PlayStation website listing of the new console update makes things seem very insignificant, saying “This system software update improves system performance.”, the stock standard line, but for a portion of the audience the changes that have been nestled within this update are anything but insignificant.
Players have come to learn that there have been some fantastic UI and quality-of-life changes made to the trophy system and how it interacts with your game. Firstly, when you first click on the trophy icon in your PS5’s dashboard, you’ll have the option to view a full list of your “Still To Do” trophies, so that you can instantly begin to map out what your next big trophy hunting session might look like. The update also brings about the opportunity to pin certain trophies to the top of the trophy list or even snap the list to your screen, ensuring that the player can constantly remain in the loop with regards to their progress toward certain trophies. The current process can at times be a bit cumbersome, so to have this information so readily available is undoubtedly going to appease the hardcore trophy hunters among us. This could of course have a negative impact for the more obsessive amongst us, who will have this constantly dangling carrot in front of us, coaxing us to keep chasing, prolonging sessions, and depriving us of sleep. Good luck to those of you in the crowd who are wired this way and now suddenly cannot hide that carrot.
That’s not all though, with the activity cards systems also receiving some small tweaks. Sony had recently accepted that the activity cards aren’t being implemented as well as they could be by developers, so it’s possible that this new update is an attempt at course-correcting the system’s current trajectory. Activity Cards can now be sorted, by game, single or multi-player activities, and those that are online or offline in nature.
Despite these additions and changes appearing to be quite small, and they are small enough to not be outlined by PlayStation in the official post, each change to both the Trophy sorting system as well as the Activity Cards is aimed directly at player engagement, and the ways with which they can keep you glued to the screen even longer, or so that you’re not bouncing out of the game you were playing as much as you perhaps once did. There’s a little stroke of brilliance in this update.
