Network is definitely IO, though I have the impression they are talking more about disk IO. The linked survey shows 49% of devs are convinced their game startup is IO-bound, and I doubt they are all working on a pure online game that absolutely requires blocking server communication/login before showing the main menu.
As much as I hated EA's Battlelog at least it got that thing right: login meant loading a website in a fraction of a second and the only time-consuming loading was when actually starting the game.
I'm glad the PS5 focuses on that detail because honestly it gets really tiring to wait upwards of 5-10 seconds just to get to the main menu. It's a mostly static screen with a few buttons, in the age of SSDs that shouldn't need a loading screen.
As much as I hated EA's Battlelog at least it got that thing right: login meant loading a website in a fraction of a second and the only time-consuming loading was when actually starting the game.
I'm glad the PS5 focuses on that detail because honestly it gets really tiring to wait upwards of 5-10 seconds just to get to the main menu. It's a mostly static screen with a few buttons, in the age of SSDs that shouldn't need a loading screen.