6 ways to extend the battery life of your PlayStation 5 DualSense controller

The PS5 DualSense Wireless Controller is one of the most advanced controllers ever. It offers a variety of features that enhance your gaming experience, such as haptic feedback, adaptive triggers, in-line mic/headphone jack, speakerphone, and more. However, the features that set this controller apart from others on the market depend on the controller’s battery, and this is where things start to get complicated.

What irks PlayStation 5 gamers, who have received positive feedback about its performance since its release, is the DualSense controller’s battery life. With the PS5, Sony sells two different controllers, the DualSense and DualSense Edge. The DualSense, which we know as standard, comes with a 1,560mAh battery. On the other hand, the more affordable DualSense Edge is offered with a 1050mAh battery.

About the original DualSense controller, Sony promises 12 to 15 hours of battery life. Some reviews claim the console’s battery life lasts an average of eight to ten hours, depending on usage. On the other hand, about the DualSense Edge controller, the company mentions that it lasts for about six hours on a single charge. That’s not to say PlayStation 5 owners can’t settle for the DualSense’s poor battery life. If you are a new PS5 user or maybe looking for settings that will extend the battery life of your DualSense controller. We’ve listed 6 ways to improve the battery life of your PS5 DualSense controller.

#1 Change haptic feedback and trigger effect

While the technology that makes the PS5 DualSense controller’s adjustable actuators work excellent, the additional actuators require additional power from the battery. The same applies to the tactile features of the DualSense controller.

Fortunately, you can tweak these features by making a few tweaks to the PlayStaion 5’s labyrinthine menus. Here’s how to find them 👇

• Press the PS button to access the Control Center from below.
• Enter the “Accessories” option.
• Access the Console Settings section from the menu here.
• Then select the controller whose touch properties you want to adjust.
• From here you will see settings for “vibration intensity” and “trigger effect intensity”.

You’ll find a couple of self-explanatory options, including features to turn off adaptive or haptic triggers entirely. I find that even with the trigger effect intensity set to Weak, the resistance of the L2/R2 triggers still conveys the novelty of the feature (and I guess without being all that annoying).

The intensity of the vibration controls the overall intensity of the console contact. The best battery saving is achieved by turning off both the adaptive trigger and touch features completely.

#2 Make sure your console is turned off

Another way to save battery life is to automatically turn off the controller after a period of inactivity. To use this feature, you can follow these steps:

• From the home screen, enter the Settings section.
• From here, enter the “System” section.
• Then go to the “Power saver” tab.
• The third option here would be “Set time until consoles turn off”.

Here you have your controller at three different time options, 10, 30 or 60 minutes (and never). The correct setting for this depends largely on your use case.

If you mainly use your PlayStation 5 console for gaming, there shouldn’t be many scenarios where your console isn’t used for 10 minutes or more. If there are many situations where you are away from your console frequently, it is best to turn off your console after only 10 minutes of inactivity.

Manually turning off the console can also help if you think you don’t need it for a while (say, while the console is downloading a big game or update). To turn off a controller, use the PlayStation button to access the Control Center and navigate to Accessories > DualSense Wireless Controller > Off. Try to get in the habit of doing this when you don’t need the console for a while.

Finally, if you’re using your PS5 to watch something, turning off the console after a TV episode might bother you a bit. Here, a 30-minute auto shutdown might be the best option. However, if you are using the PS5 as a media center, you should really consider getting a media console. This will make it easier to control various services and the DualSense battery life will only be used for gaming.

You may be interested in: Push the Limits! 14 must-try PlayStation 5 features

#3 Make sure your controllers are charged when the PS5 is resting (and make it a habit to plug in the controller)

If your PlayStation 5 console turns orange after turning off, your console has entered sleep mode. For your console to enter rest mode:

• Use the PlayStation button on the controller to open the Control Center.
• Go to the power icon.
• Select “Enter rest mode”.

Now let’s make sure that the DualSense controller is charged in rest mode. To do this, follow these steps: Go to Settings > System > Power saver > Set features available in rest mode. Here you can choose whether you want the front USB ports to be on all the time or just for three hours after entering rest mode.

If the LEDs on your DualSense are blinking slightly orange, your controller is charging in rest mode. It’s up to you to set it to charge for three hours or “always on”. But the DualSense controller can usually be fully charged in three hours.

Finally, in the same Power Saving settings, you’ll also find settings for keeping your PS5 connected to the Internet while it’s in rest mode. This option means that your console will download updates while in rest mode. Not only will this feature improve the battery life of your DualSense controller, but it will definitely save you time.

#4 Turn off your DualSense speaker

The small speaker on the PS5 DualSense controller sure makes for a great experience. But the real problem is that this requires battery power to work. You can adjust the overall output to reduce the high volume so that you can use less battery power. Follow these steps for these settings:

Press the PlayStation button and go to Accessories > DualSense Wireless Controller > Controller Settings > Controller (General) > Controller Speaker.

As you move the volume here, you’ll hear the volume change on the console’s speaker. Here you can adjust the volume level that suits you best. It actually seems like the sound is turned off at the lowest level. Some games use the DualSense’s built-in speaker. Therefore, you must make sure that the game console speaker is turned off in the game. Make sure that your DualSense speaker is turned off in the settings for the various games you play, such as sound, remote control, and accessibility.

#5 Turn down the brightness of the lights on your DualSense

Although you can’t turn off the DualSense’s light completely, you can set it to a less distracting brightness level if you’d like.

to select the light brightness level for your console; Press the PlayStation button to open the Control Center, then go to Accessories > DualSense Wireless Controller > Controller Settings > Controller Indicator Brightness.

Although there is no option to turn it off completely, here you will have the option of bright (standard), medium, or dim. Here you can choose the brightness that best suits your environment and mood.

You may be interested in: Step-by-step guide: Short explanations and solutions to PlayStation 5 error codes

#6 Get a long USB cable

The charging cable that came with the PS5 will do the trick, but it’s a bit short. To tell the truth, the battery life of the PS5 DualSense controller is good compared to its bigger brother, the DualShock 4, but it lacks impressive battery performance. So you will have to charge the console more. Sometimes the best solution is to play wired games as before.

There are also some urban legends that say the USB-C port on the front of the PS5 charges faster. But it’s nice to use USB-A to charge the DualSense, as the USB-C connection is better used for things like ultra-fast external storage.

Source: 1