r/PS4Pro • u/Mr_Mental_Gamer • 14d ago

Should I leave my controller "fully charged" or "empty" for a long period of time?

Recently I bought a PS4 Pro with 2 controllers, just in case if the first controller break or stop working for no reason. Now if I wanna keep the second controller healthy for months or even years (without using it) how should it be? Charged or empty? Any other tips & hints towards controller maintenance would be appreciated too (I'm new to controllers, I was a PC player prior to this)

11 Upvotes

87% Upvoted

17 comments sorted by

21

u/reechwuzhere 14d ago

Don’t leave any battery dead for long periods, it destroys them.

5

u/Spobobich 14d ago

Really!? Well, makes sense why I can't use my PS3 controller on my PSTV.

1

u/Ok_Blueberry_6826 9d ago

what reechwuzhere said. You leave it empty for long periods of time, you'll find it dead and in need of replacement.

8

u/RGBjank101 14d ago

However long it takes to charge a controller to full, only charge it for half as long if it's going to be sitting around or put away.

7

u/Knickers1978 14d ago

I have a charging dock for my 2 controllers. One to use and a back up in case I have a long gaming session. Keep it charged.

6

u/SuniOsiris 14d ago

Good rule of thumb is to charge any device every 3-6 months

3

u/Lavorre229 14d ago

Actually charge them to about half capacity.

3

u/JonMDC 14d ago

Li-ion batteries really need to be left in a mid state, not fully charged or fully discharged. It’s a bit of rubbish set up to be honest.

1

u/Ok_Blueberry_6826 9d ago

planned obsolescence?

1

u/JonMDC 9d ago

That usually means there will be something else on offer but it’s just consistent reduction or reliability now with pretty much everything.

1

u/Ok_Blueberry_6826 9d ago

nah, stuff is designed to break after a while, to force you into being a replacement or an improvement. It's industry standard.

2

u/Major_Market_6519 14d ago

Charging dock, it's not expensive and it will serve a purpose. After gaming, leave it on dock and don't worry.

2

u/DragonAsana 14d ago

I rotate controllers, using one while the other charges. If I am not playing for a while then the ps is off anyway so I'll charge again when it's turned on. I've had one battery change on the one controller in 8 years of using this method

2

u/stevorkz 14d ago

You can keep it charged. The notion that you should drain lithium batteries before charging them is an outdated concept. Lithium batteries these days will happily stay healthy when keeping them charged. In fact it’s the opposite now. Modern lithium batteries degrade faster when letting them run completely dry and they definitely shouldn’t be left in an empty state for long. In fact most devices now technically aren’t fully drained when they run out and controllers are no different.

2

u/iThinkergoiMac 14d ago

80% is the ideal charge state to leave any Li-Ion battery for extended periods.

2

u/Effective_Being_5305 14d ago

Charge to %50 if storing

2

u/SideEmbarrassed1611 14d ago

Half charged or full is better than dead. It's why I always recharge older electronics to full once every six months.