Engadget: PS5 DualSense lasts 6–12 hours per charge; Edge model shorter
Engadget report: PS5 DualSense lasts 6–12 hours per charge; the Edge lasts 5–10; stick drift may hit within warranty.
The report attributes the battery drain to power-hungry components such as the light bar, speaker, adaptive triggers and haptics. Games that make heavy use of these features, like Astro Bot and Returnal, can push battery life down to near six hours. Engadget suggests keeping a second fully charged controller or a long charging cable on hand.
Sony's $200 DualSense Edge packs a smaller 1,050mAh battery, compared with 1,560mAh in the standard controller. The smaller capacity was chosen to fit extra hardware including rear paddles, removable stick modules and trigger stops.
Stick drift, a defect in which the analog sticks register input even when untouched, may eventually occur due to natural wear and tear or sweat seeping into the controller. Frequent players are more likely to encounter it than occasional users. Cleaning the stick bases with rubbing alcohol or compressed air, as well as installing firmware updates, can help address the issue.
Sony will repair or replace a DualSense controller free of charge if stick drift occurs within its one-year warranty. After that period, owners may need to seek third-party repairs or buy a replacement.
Engadget noted that the Xbox Wireless Controller has a battery advantage over the DualSense because its design is not built around an internal battery.