Skip to main content

Review: The DualSense Charging Station from Sony works like a charm

Sony made another great accessory to pair with your PS5, but you might not want it if you only have one controller.

Sony released a handful of accessories alongside the PS5, and I was eager to test them all out. I recently reviewed the Pulse 3D wireless headset and found that while it provides great audio, the mic is less than adequate. I now had the chance to test out the DualSense Charging Station that Sony offers on the side for an additional $30. For what it is worth, it's another great accessory that does its job. I don't see it being useful for everyone, but I think it's worth it for its price.

At a glance

DualSense Charging Station

Bottom line: There's nothing groundbreaking about the DualSense Charging Station, but it works exactly as intended. It can charge two controllers at once in about 3 hours, and it can stand beside the PS5 as a nice little accessory. Is it unnecessary for most people? Sure. But for anyone looking for a charging station, you can't go wrong.

The Good

  • Charges two controllers at once
  • Easy to use
  • Full recharge takes around 3 hours

The Bad

  • Does not charge faster than charging through USB-C
  • Glossy plastic makes for fingerprints galore

$30 at Amazon $30 at Best Buy $30 at Walmart

DualSense Charging Station What I like

It's not a complicated piece of tech, so there isn't too much to say. The charging station comes in a sleek design to complement the PS5 console itself. It charges two controllers at once and takes just 3 hours to charge them fully. While I only have one DualSense controller to test it out with, I found that 3 hour charging time to be accurate.

The DualSense controllers are placed upright on the charging station and connected through the charging terminals on the bottom next to the 3.5mm jack, and they snap in place easily. Once the DualSense is on the station, the light bar around the touchpad will start to glow to indicate its charging status. It slowly blinks orange for the duration of the charge and will turn off when it's fully charged.

For all intents and purposes, it works exactly as it should. It's a near-perfect charging station.

DualSense Charging Station What I don't like

The fact that the charging station doesn't charge any faster than plugging the controller into the console through USB-C is a huge downside for me. If I'm going to pay extra for a charging accessory, I'd like the added benefit of it charging noticeably faster. I personally don't need to free up the USB slots on my PS5 for much, so the charging station really only acts as a cool accessory to place next to my console. That said, I can understand why it could be convenient for people with more than one controller.

Going with a glossy plastic black was also a poor choice, in my opinion. It definitely matches the PS5 well, but it's also prone to a lot of fingerprints. Unlike the console, the charging station is something that you'll be physically handling frequently, whether to move it from one area to another or just to place your controllers on it. This is a minor gripe on my end because I know most people can probably ignore this, but I found myself having to wipe it down too often for my liking.

The competition

When it comes to DualSense charging stations, the competition isn't really anything special. You can find third-party charging stations on the market for a bit cheaper, but they provide essentially the same functionality as the official charging station from Sony.

Collective Minds offers a DualSense charging station that's a bit taller than Sony's but still charges two controllers at once. This one boasts that two controllers can be charged in just under 5 hours, and it's $10 cheaper than the official station, coming in at $20.

If you're looking for something less conspicuous, there's also the Benazcap Charging Station. This one is a flat pad with USB-C plug-ins jutting out and a slightly raised surface to cradle the controller while it's charging. Coming in at $19, it's about as much as what Collective Minds offers. You should see controllers fully charge in 3 to four and a half hours with this one.

DualSense Charging Station Should you buy it?

You should buy this if ...

  • You want a cheap charging accessory
  • You want an official product from Sony
  • You own two DualSense controllers

You should not buy this if ...

  • You're ok with using the USB-C cord to charge the controller
  • You don't want to spend $30
  • You only have one controller
4 out of 5

Most people probably won't need to buy this. I think the USB-C cable that comes with the console should suffice when charging, especially since the charging station doesn't offer an advantage in terms of faster charging times. That said, if you have more than one controller, I can definitely see the charging station coming in handy.

There are cheaper charging stations on the market, but I wouldn't call $30 expensive, to begin with. It's definitely worth the asking price, and it's a nice accessory to go next to your PS5.

DualSense Charging Station

$30 at Amazon $30 at Best Buy $30 at Walmart

There's nothing groundbreaking about the DualSense Charging Station, but it works exactly as intended. It can charge two controllers at once in about 3 hours, and it can stand beside the PS5 as a nice little accessory. Is it unnecessary for most people? Sure. But for anything looking for a charging station, you can't go wrong.



Source: androidcentral
Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

The hidden cost of food delivery

Noah Lichtenstein Contributor Share on Twitter Noah Lichtenstein is the founder and managing partner of Crossover , a diversified private technology fund backed by institutional investors, technology execs and professional athletes and entertainers. More posts by this contributor What Studying Students Teaches Us About Great Apps I’ll admit it: When it comes to food, I’m lazy. There are dozens of great dining options within a few blocks of my home, yet I still end up ordering food through delivery apps four or five times per week. With the growing coronavirus pandemic closing restaurants and consumers self-isolating, it is likely we will see a spike in food delivery much like the 20% jump China reported during the peak of its crisis. With the food delivery sector rocketing toward a projected $365 billion by the end of the decade, I’m clearly not the only one turning to delivery apps even before the pandemic hit. Thanks to technology (and VC funding) we can get a ri
Read more

Cyber Monday Canada: Last-minute deals for everyone on your list

Best Cyber Monday Canada deals: Smart Home Audio Phones, Tablets & Accessories Wearables Laptops & PC Components Amazon products Gaming Televisions Cameras Lifestyle & Kitchen Toys & Kids Cyber Monday Canada is here, and retailers are rolling out the red carpet for customers who want to shop for everything from tech to kitchenware to games and everything in between. Unlike years past, Cyber Monday Canada deals look a bit different than normal. Instead of retailers trying to pack their stores with as many shoppers as possible, we're seeing tons of online deals that you can take advantage of from the comfort of your home. We've rounded up our favorites below, so feel free to browse through the best of what Canada Cyber Monday has to offer! This list is being updated with new Cyber Monday deals all the time, so check back often. Spotlight deals It's a Switch Nintendo Switch Fortnite Edition bundle $399.95 at Amazon It's a Switch.
Read more

iPhone 13 Pro vs. iPhone 15 Pro Buyer's Guide: 50+ Differences Compared

The iPhone 15 Pro brings over 50 new features and improvements to Apple's high-end smartphones compared to the iPhone 13 Pro, which was released two years prior. This buyer's guide breaks down every major difference you should be aware of between the two generations and helps you to decide whether it's worth upgrading. The ‌iPhone 13‌ Pro debuted in 2021, introducing a brighter display with ProMotion technology for refresh rates up to 120Hz, the A15 Bionic chip, a telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom, Macro photography and photographic styles, Cinematic mode for recording videos with shallow depth of field, ProRes video recording, a 1TB storage option, and five hours of additional battery life. The ‌iPhone 13‌ Pro was discontinued upon the announcement of the iPhone 14 Pro in 2022, but it is still possible to get hold of it second-hand. Our guide helps to answer the question of how to decide which of these two iPhone models is best for you and serves as a way to c
Read more

Slack’s new integration deal with AWS could also be about tweaking Microsoft

Slack and Amazon announced a big integration late yesterday afternoon. As part of the deal, Slack will use Amazon Chime for its call feature, while reiterating its commitment to use AWS as its preferred cloud provider to run its infrastructure. At the same time, AWS has agreed to use Slack for internal communications. Make no mistake, this is a big deal as the SaaS communications tool increases its ties with AWS, but this agreement could also be about slighting Microsoft and its rival Teams product by making a deal with a cloud rival. In the past Slack CEO Stewart Butterfield has had choice words for Microsoft saying the Redmond technology giant sees his company as an “existential threat.” Whether that’s true or not — Teams is but one piece of a huge technology company — it’s impossible not to look at the deal in this context. Aligning more deeply with AWS sends a message to Microsoft, whose Azure infrastructure services compete with AWS. Butterfield didn’t say that of course
Read more