Playstation 4 controllers do all kinds of cool things, but those nifty features can drain the battery pretty fast. This video shares nine simple tips for getting the most out of each charge.
In this video from kipkay’s YouTube channel, the popular DIYer shows off some helpful hints for squeezing a little more game time out of your controller before you have to plug it in. Most of these require very little effort and can be done in the Playstation 4’s menus.
For example, you can turn the controller’s speaker volume all the way down, turn down the brightness of the Light Bar, and set the automatic controller shutoff timer to go off after only 10 minutes of inactivity. Some of the tips are a little more DIY-like, and should only be attempted if you’re willing to void your controller’s warranty. Still, even if you only use a couple of these, you’re bound to get some more time with your controller.
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42 responses to “Nine Tips To Make The Battery In A Playstation 4 Controller Last Longer”
My controller is always plugged in. Haven’t played with it unplugged in months.
It’s funny, I bought one of those play’n’charge cables for mine because I was getting a Steelseries Siberia headset that drew power from the controller, but the controller battery life is still very acceptable for me, regularly lasting 6 hours at a stretch. It might be that the games I play generally don’t use the rumble feature a lot and aren’t intensive like a lot of FPS games are as well.
Hey Patrick , thanks for the link to the video. Just letting you know it’s generally polite to post the nine dot points of the video in your article of its a “top 10/list style” video. It helps those of us that have a cheeky look at kotaku at work.
1. turn controller speaker down.
2. turn controller lightbar down to dim
3. set controller turn off to 10 minutes
4. power down the controller by holding playstation button 10 seconds
5. turn off vibration
6. upgrade internall battery
7. disable the LED for lightbar by unsoldering
8. Rest mode the console
9. use a USB wall charger
Thank you, appreciate it
MVP.
Hey thanks for that. Very cool of you
Don’t forget the razor blade endorsement at the end. Wouldn’t want to miss that.
IDK if it’s in the video but, for those interested, if you really want you can open up the controller pretty easily and disconnect the light safely. It should save a little juice and you’ll be able to reconnect it again later if you need it. I haven’t permanently disconnected it myself but I have completely dissembled a DS4 out of interest. It’s just a tab you can pull out/ slide back into the connector.
I honestly don’t mind the battery life. It’s better than my WiiU pad at least. I have the charging cradle so my pads are always full when I pick them up and I normally get ‘game fatigue’ when the pad still has a bar or two left after a few hours solid play.
I’m like you – Always got two on charge anyway so if i have a crazy session (which is rare these days) i just get off my arse and swap controllers over.
I just didnt think it was this much of an issue?!
I have a pair of them and one of Sony’s charger cradle things. As long as I remember to return the controller to the charger, I never have problems, and if one of them runs low I can just throw it onto the cradle and swap to the other one. I think it set me back about $30, really good investment.
I do the exact same thing! Bought the second controller for co-op, but mostly ends up in my singleplayer rotation.
+1 – swapping/reassigning controllers is a breeze with the 4 vs the 3
hell, i’ve even got the cradle on a table next to the couch so i just…have….to…..stretchhhhhh a bit
I do the exact same thing!
Same.
I wanted to like the PS4 controller. It’s much better in design than any of Sony’s previous controllers (for someone who has giant hands). But it suffers from having too much technology jammed into it. Gyroscope? Fine. Rumble? Sure. Touchpad? Unnecessary. Speaker? Unnecessary. A LIGHT?!?! WHAT?!?! AND WHY?!?!
I just see it as ‘better to have and not use than not to have and never have the possibility of using’. Although I do feel that it’s stupid to include a speaker but no microphone, honestly.
Edit: At the risk of being completely ridiculous, if they wanted to go all in, then why not have a camera and rear touch pad as well to offer complete Vita cross-compatibility. Just saying.
I think that if a gimmick is unnecessary, don’t implement it. The touchpad now has to be in every game because of innovation for innovation’s sake.
Sure, that’s why it’s used in ‘every game’ this gen! Don’t hyperbole, it’s just silly.
If there’s a good use for it we’ll see it. If not, then not. So far I’ve found it to be a nice inclusion in games that use it to control their map screens, although I’d like to see it more widely adopted.
I’ve also enjoyed using it as a track pad when hooked up to my pc and hope Sony implement it into the menu/ web browser of the PS4 someday. So far it’s made for a nice addition but nothing essential, but without it we wouldn’t be able to have the possibilities for ‘different’ experiences like Tearaway, a Vita re-make with a heap of new content which just came out, I’m sure there ‘cold’ be more to come in time.
Every game on the PS4 then. Happy?
Personally, I’ve never used it. I find it a battery-eating pain-in-the-arse.
It’s not used in every PS4 game, not even close. but clearly, just because you haven’t used it obviously means it’s a lousy inclusion for everyone. Secondly, the more pointless light bar eats more power than the touch pad. Thirdly, the DS4’s battery life is (Unfortunately) not much better or worse than most battery powered controllers.
Look, in all friendly honesty, if it’s bothering you that much (Which is perfectly ok with me, you’re entitled to an opinion) then you can always disconnect it. You wont use much functionality, and most games will still be playable. You could also buy yourself a larger battery and pop that in there. The battery is just a pin connector and it’s really easy to get to.
the touchpad adds the ability for extra buttons or at least shortcuts to menu items.
And swiping!
So add other buttons. Yeah, it doesn’t look as cool, but it’s less expensive and uses less power. Or better yet, remove the sodding Share button.
I find that light kinda cool for some game like Last of Us remastered where they use it with the torch and stuff but I agree it’s hardly a needed feature (just a nice addition).
Touchpad I love though, makes typing anything soooooooo much quicker when you get used to it.
But if you’re like me, and don’t normally use the IM function, or the internet browser, or anything that requires typing for that matter, the touchpad is a nuisance. It doesn’t help that every game has to shoehorn it in.
Never found it to be a problem. People always seem to complain about the Wii U gamepad as well but I’ve never had a problem with either. I mean, at worst it’s like 3 or 4 hours worth of juice, why don’t you just plug it in when you aren’t using it? Do you routinely play longer than like 3-4 hours at a time?
At 4 hours I routinely had to charge it while playing, even if I charge it between sessions. But since buying the official larger battery (8 hours) I’ve had no issues.
Larger battery? Please enlighten me!
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00EZPU0E2/
Unreleased in Australia, but can order from Amazon/eBay. Be sure to order one with the box in the link as they’re official. (And personally confirmed as amazing).
It’s kind of comical when you replace it – the stock battery is half the size of the compartment. Apparently prior to launch they changed the size to save money.
I got the larger battery pack by calling nintendo australia and ordering over the phone with a credit card. Was a while ago but I’m pretty sure it was $30 with free shipping. Never have i had the gamepad drop below like two bars since haha but tbh i almost always put it back on the charging cradle when not in use. The other thing to note is that it makes the gamepad noticeably heavier (which i prefer).
yes, and the stock usb cord is tiny :[
Wii U gamepad annoys me personally because I’ll watch netflix for a while which forces the video output on the gamepad screen, then I try play a game and it’s flat already :\
Would be nice for a ‘turn off/standby gamepad’ button.
Call nintendo australia and ask to purchase the larger battery for the gamepad. Don’t quote me but pretty sure it was $30 including shipping. Makes the battery last significantly longer.
Didn’t even know they sold one. Thanks, might have to do that 😀
You’re welcome 🙂
It’s the pos touchpad and built in amp
http://community.us.playstation.com/t5/PlayStation-General/GUIDE-Improve-Your-Dualshock-4-s-Battery-Life/td-p/43519980
No idea why people find it worthwhile to rip their controller apart just to extend the battery life, its not bad at all. I turned my light back up, I actually enjoy it. I do play for long periods of time and it has never bothered me. Only negative is the how short the stock usb cable is but I can still play with it plugged in, plus its easy to replace. Not trying to start some console arguement but the fact Xbox didn’t have the heart to include the play n charge for their controller is shit. Encouraging players to purchase something that is an essential item just to have a decent experience is rubbish and so is encouraging waste by purchasing batteries, that’s actual rubbish. The amount of times I’ve had to drive my fat ass out to get batteries only to have them eventually dumped in the bin is stupid. I’d love a controller comparison on here even though there’s probably been one and I’ve missed it. What a joke the elite cotroller is going to use batteries as well…
I go with the “One in Hand – One on the Dock” style. Having the thing run out and require a change is good opportunity for a break, stretch the legs, get some air – and no I don’t keep the dock at the bottom of the garden 😉
Every time I have my PS4 controller go flat (which seems to happen more often than it should), in a cruel twist of irony I have to look at my unstoppable Wii U Pro controller sitting on the shelf, unused.
I ended up voiding my controllers’ warranty within the year when I changed the thumbsticks to ones made out of a dark aluminium because the rubber started wearing out. It was pretty much a breeze to take the controllers apart and put them in so I would feel pretty confident about replacing the battery when then need arises. Like others here I haven’t found battery life a huge issue as yet so I don’t see a need to fix something that isn’t broken yet.