DualSense gets a battery health boost as PS5 Pro looms

Sony is raising the prices of the PS5’s DualSense controller, so you’ll want to make sure the ones you have last a little longer.

A forthcoming system update will help protect the batteries of DualSense controllers via a tactic we’ve seen smartphone manufactuers deploy in recent years.

The update will bring adaptive charging to the PS5 Slim and new PS5 Pro, meaning power being supplied to the controller will be metered depending on how much charge it requires, rather than consistently supplying power to the controller even when fully charged. The tactic can extend the battery’s health as well as save power.

In a blog post, Sony explained that with Adaptive Charging available, the power to the USB ports will also be cut if a controller isn’t connected, saving you a little more power along the way. Every little helps.

“Adaptive charging helps save power by adjusting the length of time that power is supplied to your controller based on its battery level,” Sony writes.

“To use adaptive charging, go to [Settings] > [System] > [Power Saving] > [Features Available in Rest Mode], and then select [Supply Power to USB Ports] > [Adaptive]. After your PS5 enters rest mode, if a controller isn’t connected, the power supply to the USB port will stop after a certain period of time.”

The new feature will work on the PS5’s DualSense, DualSense Edge, the PSVR2’s Sense and the accessibility focused Access controller.

Sony quietly put the DualSense controller’s price up by $5/£5 this week, putting it up to an eyewatering $74.99/£64.99.

Elsewhere the update will enable console owners to enable Remote Play for individual users, so if friends come over they can sign into your PS5 console and continue to access Remote Play on a secondary device when they leave your house.

There’s also a new Welcome hub enabling users to customise widgets and see information of their choosing prior to gaming sessions.