PlayStation 5 users don't realise this common habit is damaging their controller's battery health
Many people consider the PlayStation 5's DualSense controller to be among the greatest in gaming, yet you could actually be damaging it with one extremely common yet harmful habit.
It's hard to imagine gaming without a wireless controller these days, as the advantages that cutting the cord brought in the seventh console generation have certainly been appreciated amongst players.
That does still come with its downsides though – especially as the controllers themselves have become more complex – as while the flashy lights and impressive haptic feedback of the PlayStation 5's DualSense controller often inspire awe, it can take its toll on the battery life.
Anyone who plays for at least a couple of hours every night will know the frustration of that low battery notification, as it can bring your sessions to a halt and even ruin a memorable moment in a multiplayer game where you can't simply pause to plug in a cable.
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The common solution for most PlayStation fans then is to charge the controller overnight, either via the console's rest mode function or an external USB-C outlet, yet that does come with a potentially major issue of its own that you'll want to avoid.
As shared by BGR, charging your controller overnight might not be too harmful in isolation, yet if its a regular habit it can actually damage the controller's internal lithium-ion battery cells causing it to degrade over time.
That means that your controller's battery will die faster, perhaps even then prompting you to charge it overnight at an increased rate which in turn damages the internals even more.
This is because lithium-ion cells are harmed by overcharging, and while the DualSense – like many modern gadgets – has failsafes built in to slow down charging past the 80 per cent mark and cut charging altogether once it's full, a third charging phase known as 'trickle charging' is where the damage is really done.
Once your controller reaches 100 per cent the charging will be disabled, but that kicks right back in as soon as it drops below that point with a minimal yet still active power flow.
This produces heat within the device, which if left over a six to eight hour period can start to damage the controller's battery, and charging it every night (or even every couple of nights) for a long period of time is bound to cause harm.
Considering the already hefty price of controllers that's only likely to increase as price hikes hit PlayStation products across the board, cutting out this harmful habit could save you money and frustration down the line.