Why does the ps4 controller battery life suck so bad?

[BjPenn2017]

For real the battery life in this controller is awful. I get like 3+ days usually out of my ps3 controller gaming lots. My ps4 controllers I'm usually lucky to get 5-6 hours out of, dim light bar and all, which I know also affects battery but that can't be the only reason for the awful battery life can it?

 

[Mr. Shickadance]

That's weird I feel it has a way better battery life than the Xbox one controller

 

[Madmick]

That's weird I feel it has a way better battery life than the Xbox one controller

Perhaps, but it definitely can't go a full day off the wire.

 

[Mr. Shickadance]

Perhaps, but it definitely can't go a full day off the wire.

Yeah I guess I don't play too many games on it since its my roommates, so I'm usually just watching Netflix or something.

 

[Dizzy]

I have three in rotation on a dual charger so I never really notice.

Do that, is my pt.

 

[MardyBum]

Have a charging dock for both my controllers, can just switch as needed.

The actual answer is probably a combination of the light on the controller and the built in speaker draining battery life faster? Not sure though i'm sure a 5 second google search could likely answer that.

 

[Madmick]

Have a charging dock for both my controllers, can just switch as needed.

The actual answer is probably a combination of the light on the controller and the built in speaker draining battery life faster? Not sure though i'm sure a 5 second google search could likely answer that.

The audio driver takes a fair bit of power, and so does the light, but the real battery killer is the vibration. He might be playing a rumble-heavy game.

Beyond that, it's simply about them wanting to make the controller light, so the battery in it just isn't very big. It's only 1000 mAh. The typical smartphone these days runs ~3,000-3,300 mAh battery. Also, and I don't understand this beyond the most primitive level, but battery conditioning means that the faster you make the charge (all the rage in smartphones) means that it will tend to drain a bit faster, though more critical that the longevity of the battery will be diminished. Slower charge = longer life. That's one of the reasons iPhones lag so hard in charge time. The lack of an easily/cheaply removable battery means they want it to last at least a 18 months or so without severe impact to battery life, or people will get pissed.

5-6 hours is pretty normal, I'd say. That's about what I get. Maybe 8.

 

[BjPenn2017]

Have a charging dock for both my controllers, can just switch as needed.

The actual answer is probably a combination of the light on the controller and the built in speaker draining battery life faster? Not sure though i'm sure a 5 second google search could likely answer that.

I have a charging dock and 2 controllers its not really so much an issue just seems weird to me the ps3 controller I get half a day of gaming tops and the ps3 I get 2-3 days if not more of heavy gaming. I also turn rumble off on most games and mute the speaker and it doesnt seem to give me much more life, maybe 45 mins if I'm lucky. Just thought it was weird when you compare it to the ps3 controller which had insane battery life.

 

[Dizzy]

PS3 battery life was ridiculous. Went days without needing a charge.

 

[GSP_37]

They should let you turn the PS4 front light off. Not everyone has nuclear reactors for electricity.

 

[LuchaBear]

My Xbox One controller gives me at least 15 hours before it dies. This is with Hyper X Cloud gaming headphones attatched to it.

Are you using batteries or the battery pack things?

 

[GSP_37]

I read the version 2 PS4 Dualshock 4 with the thin LED strip at the top has better battery life than the original. Is this true?

 

[Madmick]

My Xbox One controller gives me at least 15 hours before it dies. This is with Hyper X Cloud gaming headphones attatched to it.

Are you using batteries or the battery pack things?

Rechargable battery via USB (phone charging cord).

Batteries are not an expense with the Dualshock 4 controller.

 

[SaiWa]

My Xbox One controller gives me at least 15 hours before it dies. This is with Hyper X Cloud gaming headphones attatched to it.

Are you using batteries or the battery pack things?

Have u never owned a PS console (any version)?.. the controllers were either corded or with an unchanged battery that was charged via usb..

At least I don’t ever recall swapping out batteries for any of my ps controllers...

 

[HereticBD]

Yeah, I don't know what kind of sorcery they were conducting when they made the PS3 controller battery, but it's pretty crazy. Not only does it last for days, but even when that shit got low, you could charge it for like 5 minutes and get five or six hours out of it.

 

[bandicoot]

Yeah, I don't know what kind of sorcery they were conducting when they made the PS3 controller battery, but it's pretty crazy. Not only does it last for days, but even when that shit got low, you could charge it for like 5 minutes and get five or six hours out of it.

Lol, this.
"Oh, damn, PS3 controller is getting low. Better charge it while I take a piss."

Comes back and games for another 3 hours.

 

[MASShole]

I always have my cord plugged into my laptop that sits right in front of me when I game for this reason. The battery life is terrible. I want to turn off the light.

The other thing that's stupid is that when I plug it into my laptop, my laptop thinks it's using external speakers, but the speaker on the controller only uses sound from the games, so it doesn't even work. So dumb.

 

[Garnett Silk]

For real the battery life in this controller is awful. I get like 3+ days usually out of my ps3 controller gaming lots. My ps4 controllers I'm usually lucky to get 5-6 hours out of, dim light bar and all, which I know also affects battery but that can't be the only reason for the awful battery life can it?

Planned obsolescence? No matter WHAT you do you your battery is designed to die because you may charge it too frequently?

 

[GSP_37]

Double checked the internet re: the version 2 Dualshock 4 having significantly longer battery life before ordering the new transparent DS4 for $39, which both Best Buy (red) & Walmart (blue) have on sale now.

The newer version has the thin LED light on the top of the touchpad.