Sony DualSense V2 controller leaked ahead of release by Best Buy Canada, promises way more battery life

A shot of the DualSense V2 listing as it appeared on Best Buy Canada's website.
A shot of the DualSense V2 listing as it appeared on Best Buy Canada's website. (Image credit: Best Buy Canada (orig listing), TechPowerUp (preserved screenshot))

It seems an improved PlayStation 5 controller may be incoming. Best Buy Canada listed and then quickly delisted a Sony PlayStation 5 DualSense "V2" controller, denoting a refresh of the stock DualSense design, as noted by TechPowerUp. The pricing was identical to the original DualSense in Canada ($89.99 CAD), but there actually are some nice improvements that come with this refresh.

The biggest change is definitely to the weight, which is given as 280 grams versus the original DualSense's 360 grams. That's a roughly ~22% reduction in overall weight. The original DualSense wasn't particularly heavy, but this should serve to improve long-term comfort while gaming even further. It's even lighter than the 331-gram DualSense Edge.

Another major improvement to the DualSense V2 will be in battery life, which is advertised as 12 hours. Under heavy use, the original DualSense can be depleted in as fast as 6 hours or less, so this could be a major improvement. The DualSense Edge is even worse in this regard, depletable in as fast as 4 hours.

Reportedly, DualSense V2 controllers also are going to be bundled with a DualSense Charging Station, which can charge up to 2 controllers at a time. Since this is normally a separate purchase and you otherwise need to plug in the controller to charge it, this is a nice way to reduce strain on USB ports and make things slightly more convenient for PS gamers. This is particularly pertinent because while battery life is seemingly improved with the DualSense V2 refresh, it still isn't even close to the high-end of what you get from competitors.

This refresh should prove beneficial to the PlayStation 5-owning audience it serves, as well as PC gamers who prefer the PlayStation gamepad layout. For the same price as the original controller, a lot of improvements have still been made, and if all the refreshed units actually do come with free charging stations, that does help mitigate the battery issue versus other consoles.

The appearance of this refresh could also mean that the announcement of the PlayStation 5 Pro is closer than we think, following whispers of devkits being sent out in December. The PS5 Pro would definitely make the most sense shipping with these refreshed controllers compared to the original DualSense or the $199 DualSense Edge, but we'll have to wait and see how that all plays out.

Christopher Harper
Contributing Writer

Christopher Harper has been a successful freelance tech writer specializing in PC hardware and gaming since 2015, and ghostwrote for various B2B clients in High School before that. Outside of work, Christopher is best known to friends and rivals as an active competitive player in various eSports (particularly fighting games and arena shooters) and a purveyor of music ranging from Jimi Hendrix to Killer Mike to the Sonic Adventure 2 soundtrack.

  • emike09
    I wish hooking it up to PC was as simple as the XBox controller (w/wireless adapter). Pair the adapter to the controller, and you're done, and everything is fully supported.

    Dual sense uses the DirectInput driver, while XBox controller uses XInput, which is supported almost globally in games. Steam makes things a little easier, but if I want to play outside of Steam, it gets more complicated.

    Then there's the issue that BT support is finicky, controllers frequently disconnect, and no special features are supported over BT; just basic functions. Who wants a 9-foot cable running from their PC to their couch in a living-room TV setup?
    Reply
  • setx
    emike09 said:
    Then there's the issue that BT support is finicky, controllers frequently disconnect, and no special features are supported over BT; just basic functions.
    I've never heard that DS's BT support is "finicky". For full game support you need additional software, but my hardware works absolutely without any issues. No BT disconnects ever.
    Reply
  • Heat_Fan89
    I have been using Sony's controllers since the original Playstation back in the mid 90's. The PS5 controller has become my favorite. I just love the weight and feel of it. What I find funny is that prior to the Playstation 3 launch there were mock-ups of the "boomerang controller" and it finally appeared with the PS5, well it's not actually boomerang shaped. It just looks like it. 🤓
    Reply