Sony has revealed further details of its new DualSense Edge wireless controller for the PlayStation 5, but one particular point stuck out the most.
In a hand-on preview, The Verge noticed that battery life was noticeably worse than the base DualSense controller, and this was later confirmed to the publication in a statement.
“The DualSense Edge wireless controller’s operating time is moderately shorter than the original DualSense wireless controller,” a Sony spokesperson said. “We wanted to strike a good balance between wireless operating time and delivering robust, high-performance features.”
This shortcoming is noticeably absent from the official PlayStation Blog post on the controller.
Most hilarious of all, Sony’s statement ended by reminding owners that they’ll get a long-braided USB cable if you want to avoid wireless connectivity altogether:
“Additionally, the longer USB braided cable is also great for competitive players who prefer playing with a wired connection to avoid wireless interference – this option preserves battery life.”
I can’t find any official numbers anywhere on the average battery life of the DualSense controller or indeed this new DualSense Edge model, but from my experience, I can’t go further than five hours at the most without a recharge.
Your experience will vary based on the extent the games you play utilise the controller’s features and whether you have a headset plugged in, but anything lower than the already short battery life of the original DualSense feels like a trade-off I’m not willing to make.
The DualSense Edge wireless controller for PlayStation 5 release on 26th January for £210 in the UK.
