Longer battery life is always a good thing. One thing that bugs me about playing on PS4 is the controller having integrated batteries, and I don't have a good setup to have the controller plugged in if it runs low and keep playing. Sometimes I forget to recharge it overnight, only to have to stop playing part way through my next session when I realize the battery is almost dead. A longer battery life would alleviate this issue on PS5.

Though my personal preference would be for Sony to release a model of their controller that utilizes regular AA batteries. I always have a supply of rechargeable NiMH AAs for various things around the house, and I'd much rather take the few seconds to swap batteries out and get right back to playing.

I'm shamefully bad with electricity, but doesn't higher voltage mean the battery is capable of discharging more quickly, i.e. it can empty more quickly? If so, wouldn't actual battery life increase be more along the lines of 'just' 37 %?

When it comes to controllers, I buy on an as-needed basis, especially considering how, unlike software, they've gotten progressively more expensive over time. I've never actually bought a second controller for a single PlayStation system I've ever owned, except to replace ones that fell apart on me (which I've done once for my PS4), as I've only ever had PS systems for certain single-player games (well, except Destiny for about the first 15 months after it came out, but it doesn't support local split-screen play). I have bought extra controllers for several of my Nintendo systems as well as my 360 & XBO as I've done a lot of co-op and local MP on those systems.

I just always preferred controllers with rechargeable AA batteries because of how quick I can swap them out, plus I can use those batteries for other things around the house besides game controllers, so the money feels better invested in something with more versatile utilitarian value and greater convenience. Also, if an integrated battery died permanently you may need to just replace the whole device, depending on how easy it is to replace said battery. When I first bought my 360, I initially used one of those Play & Charge kits, which while removable still needed to be plugged in, and at $20 it was a bit pricey to me for something that's only good for using on that one device. Once rechargeable NiMH AAs got cheap and readily available, I ditched the P&C kit and never looked back (it also saved a ton of money on batteries for Wii Remotes). I liked that I had that as an option.

Still, with the PS5 having a longer battery life that means more play sessions before my forgetful self has to recharge it after it runs out of power.

Maybe I just need to invest in a longer cord. Do good-quality USB cords compatible with PlayStation controllers come in 20-foot/6-meter length?

It's nice, but it's worth noting that PS5's controller may use more power than PS4's due to the added features like haptic feedback, resistance motors in the triggers, and the microphone. Also, it still might not be possible to fully disable the light bar. So even with the bigger battery, battery life might not increase much over PS4. We'll have to wait and see.

I prefer to have 2 controls so from time to time I can do some multiplayer. Plus if the control had a higher battery life it would change the fact that you forget to charge it.

Probably costs more over time to purchase new rechargeables than to just have a second controller, or just put it to charge and watch something else, or play with it charging either with a bigger cable or putting on a usb outlet near your couch.

If swapeable batteries was something so many PS owners wanted probably several third parties would have offered controllers with it.

I'm shamefully bad with electricity, but doesn't higher voltage mean the battery is capable of discharging more quickly, i.e. it can empty more quickly? If so, wouldn't actual battery life increase be more along the lines of 'just' 37 %?

I find there controller wears out way before the battery. Especially the gripiness and texture of the left thumb sticks and also goes loose over time.

Btw its quite easy to replace battery of the DS4. All you need is a small screwdriver, something to pry the controller open and a few minutes of your time. I personally haven't needed to but here's a quick video I found on Youtube -

<SNIP>

I'm looking at bigger packs like 2000/2200mah on Aliexpress to replace my old ones when they go bad. Hopefully the DualSense allows for this as well. But if the battery is good enough I probably won't have to.

Oh, yeah 4 hours sounds like more than enough to charge the controller. Could there be an issue with leaving the controller to be charged while it's already fully charged? Maybe that can have an effect on the battery. Though I don't imagine it would cause it to be empty the next day.

Have you tested if the controller actually charges properly in standby mode? By either checking it as soon as it's fully charged, and do it a couple of times in case the problem happens inconsistently. Or start charging it normally while the PS4 is on, and then see if you get the same issue with low battery when you turn on the controller the next day.

When it comes to controllers, I buy on an as-needed basis, especially considering how, unlike software, they've gotten progressively more expensive over time. I've never actually bought a second controller for a single PlayStation system I've ever owned, except to replace ones that fell apart on me (which I've done once for my PS4), as I've only ever had PS systems for certain single-player games (well, except Destiny for about the first 15 months after it came out, but it doesn't support local split-screen play). I have bought extra controllers for several of my Nintendo systems as well as my 360 & XBO as I've done a lot of co-op and local MP on those systems.

I just always preferred controllers with rechargeable AA batteries because of how quick I can swap them out, plus I can use those batteries for other things around the house besides game controllers, so the money feels better invested in something with more versatile utilitarian value and greater convenience. Also, if an integrated battery died permanently you may need to just replace the whole device, depending on how easy it is to replace said battery. When I first bought my 360, I initially used one of those Play & Charge kits, which while removable still needed to be plugged in, and at $20 it was a bit pricey to me for something that's only good for using on that one device. Once rechargeable NiMH AAs got cheap and readily available, I ditched the P&C kit and never looked back (it also saved a ton of money on batteries for Wii Remotes). I liked that I had that as an option.

Still, with the PS5 having a longer battery life that means more play sessions before my forgetful self has to recharge it after it runs out of power.

Maybe I just need to invest in a longer cord. Do good-quality USB cords compatible with PlayStation controllers come in 20-foot/6-meter length?

The material of the thumbstick wearing out is why I had to replace mine.

Huh. Neat. I would have guessed it was something a lot more complicated. I'm not good with fixing anything with computers, but this actually doesn't look too difficult.

I'm shamefully bad with electricity, but doesn't higher voltage mean the battery is capable of discharging more quickly, i.e. it can empty more quickly? If so, wouldn't actual battery life increase be more along the lines of 'just' 37 %?