We love the DualShock 4 here at Push Square. In fact, we think it's the best controller that Sony's engineering department has ever designed. However, if there was one complaint we could level at the next-gen gamepad, it would be its middling battery life. It can usually manage around 8-10 hours off a full charge, but if you're hunkering down for a marathon session of Resogun, or you just can't be bothered plugging the controller in, it can be a bit of a hassle.
In truth, we're probably only complaining because we were spoilt by the DualShock 3's absurdly long battery life. Regardless, Nyko has revealed a new powerpak for the PlayStation 4's primary input method that should foil any battery related headaches. The peripheral, which launches later this year at a price of $20 (£12), clips straight onto the back of the controller and connects to its micro USB port.
Nyko also announced several other Sony related products, including an intercooler for the PS4, a wireless charging dock for its controller, and a Smart Clip that'll let you fix your smartphone to the bottom of your gamepad in order to facilitate those newfangled second screen gaming experiences. Has the DualShock 4's battery life been giving you grief, or do you always remember to plug it in? Sound off in the comments section below.
[source technologytell.com]
Comments (20)
I just charge my controllers with an USB charger that's next to my couch, so yeah I don't need battery extenders.
I don't think it's that bad either. Can see how this would be worth the cash to those getting irritated, though.
The problem I have is that I always forget to charge the damn thing. Like I say, it's mostly because I was so used to the PS3 controller lasting for days at a time - my brain is just so used to not having to worry about charging Sony controllers.
I got 3 DS4 pads all charged up so not to bothered about the battery life + i want to buy the official DS4 pad stand thingy but it seems to be sold out all the time :-/
@Epic Ditto.
I find it an acceptable amount of battery life. Since I usually play late I tend to stream the game audio to the DS4 with some cans, so a full charge gone in one sitting is usually indicative of break time anyway!
battery was constantly being drained for me & found out it was because the default power save settings leave the controller on when not in use indefinitely. So for movies or Netflix (which is used often on my ps4) the controller would just be on all the time. Then when I went to play games it would die off and it seemed like a short battery life when it reality the life was just fine. I changed my settings to turn off the controller after 10 minutes of non use, now they appear to be lasting much longer (even though it's the same amount of time on)
well I have a plug right next to my sofa so I just plug it in to a usb charger when it gets low (ps3 that is, I don't have a ps4 yet) so when I get a ps4 I wil do the same thing
Since I have two DS4s I always switch when the battery runs out. However, this would be a great device for those who only have one or are always forgetting to charge their second DS4. I might end up picking one up just to test it out.
I usually remember to charge it although I will still be picking this up when it's released for the big game sessions
I always alternate between two dual shock 3s on my PS3 so one is always fully and ready to go. I only have one controller for my PS4 and I forget to charge it....I only get time to game in erratic spurts so a flat battery is an annoyance. If the battery pack thing doesn't add so much weight that it makes the pad heavy, awkward and unwieldy I'd certainly have one.
I keep mine plugged in while i play cause i am never that far from the screen lol am i the only one who does this?
At least it's not as bad as the Wii U Gamepad :/
@AVahne
Granted, the Gamepad does have a 6.2 inch screen it's also powering, along with gyroscope and accelerometer. And even then, the Gamepad still get's up to 5 hours. That's pretty good considering the tech it's powering. And with the official extended battery, it gets 8 hours, which is right on par with the Dualshock 4. If you want to make a real comparison, compare the Dualshock 4 to it's Wii U counterpart, the Wii U Pro Controller. The Wii U Pro Controller gets EIGHTY HOURS. 80.
I'm alway for getting the most battery life out of my controllers. The Wii U Pro Controller has set the bar extremely high. I understand the DS4 has a light bar to power, but that's no reason the controller should get 70 hours less play time than the Wii U Pro Controller. Needless to say, I'll be on the lookout for an extended battery for the DS4. I jumped on the official extended battery for the Gamepad, because it fit inside without needing to bulge out from the back. You simply swap it out with the original and screw the cover back on. That's what I want for the Dualshock 4. Nyko makes great products, but they always make the batteries too big to fit inside the compartments. That's why I never bought Nyko's 3DS extended battery.
I'm sure Sony will release an official extended battery for the DS4 at some point, one that doesn't bulge out from the back of the controller. At least, I hope they do anyways.
@JaxonH
Well, the DualShock 4 also has to power more rumble than the Pro controller and also a multi-touch touchpad as well. Then there's the accelerometer and gyroscope. The battery inside the DualShock 4 is also apparently smaller than the Pro as well.
But anyway, I'm personally going to wait for a price drop on the Gamepad battery. Just 3-4 hours of additional gameplay isn't worth $32 to me.
@AVahne
I hear ya. For me, $30 is nothing in the big scheme of things. I mean, even in 5 years after the battery has lost much of it's charge, it'll still give you as many hours as the original battery when it was brand new. It's not a necessity, it's a luxury. Especially since you can just unplug the charger from the cradle and plug it in quick. But it's a luxury I'm more than willing to pay for right away. I actually bought 2 of them from eBay in UK before they were released in NA, but they got confiscated by customs. So I ordered 2 more from Nintendo Store when they brought them to NA.
@JaxonH
For me it's a necessity, but not one I want to spend too much money on. My gamepad charging cable is actually damaged now, due to kids not being careful.
And so sorry to hear about your confiscated batteries.
@AVahne
Oh, thanks. Yeah, I guess after 9/11 USPS has some rule about sending batteries through the mail across international borders. Batteries in a device is ok, but not batteries outside of a device. I'd never heard about this, but some guy on Nintendolife told me about it, which makes sense considering the package never came. So stupid they can just take your stuff, and then take months to return to the original sender without any notice to you or them whatsoever... Not all packages will get checked, naturally, but I guess I just got unlucky
I just got my DS4 controller replaced, I was only getting a maximum of 4 hours play with it. I always have ps4 on a 2 hour to standby, controller to 10 minutes turn off. Plus after I play, I always connect it to ps4 to recharge fully. I manually turn off controller before I plug it in for the 2 hour recharge time. Yet I still ended up getting flat battery during game play.
I found out thst if you have a 5v usb power point charger, you can connect it up and keep charging, I had to do that until I got it replaced. Just got new one today, and saw on the website to adjust the light setting on controller to dim. As the light uses heaps. I will get a portable charging unit for it when I can. But it is a problem.
the connector on your ds4 is the same as my samsung phone so I use my phone charger when I'm not close to my ps4.
mine will only last about 6 hours playing Destiny,
"rumble" gets a lot of use in that game.
Tap here to load 20 comments
Leave A Comment
Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...