Katarzyna Petru
Sony quietly launched a refreshed version of the DualSense controller (version V2 – CFI-ZCT2W). Without fanfare, without a conference, without a press release. At first glance, it's the same controller we've known since the launch of the PS5. But its actual capabilities have changed enough that many gamers are even calling it a "new generation of DualSense." It's hard to disagree with that.
15 hours of battery life. Yes, you read that right.
The biggest flaw of the DualSense has been obvious until now – the battery. With full use of haptics, triggers, the speaker, and the microphone, older versions could drain in 4-6 hours. Meanwhile, the latest independent test by Modyfikatora89 shows a result that sounds like a joke:
over 15 hours of continuous use with all functions of the controller active.
This is no mistake. This result was achieved in a lengthy simulated session, involving Astro’s Playroom, Fortnite, Darksiders II, and several other games that constantly engage the full capabilities of the DualSense. The tester even had to "trick" the controller to maintain a steady load, as manually checking power consumption became too tedious. And even with a very conservative estimate – deducting 20% for margin of error – we're still talking about around 12 hours of real gaming. This is absolutely unprecedented in the history of the DualSense.
Five years of quiet improvements has paid off
Tests show that Sony has systematically optimised the controller's design over the years, moving from the BDM-010 models all the way to the BDM-060. Importantly – the battery remains unchanged: 1560 mAh. All the gains come from pure engineering and improved energy efficiency. Thanks to these enhancements, the new DualSense:
lasts several times longer than the earlier versions,
even outperforms the professional DualSense Edge, which had one of the biggest drawbacks in its battery life,
operates cooler – thermal imaging from tests shows a charging temperature of just ~26°C.
In practice: Sony has not only improved performance but also the stability and the working culture of the controller.
Why isn't Sony bragging about this?
This is probably the most interesting element. There isn’t any big advertising campaign, no "New DualSense 2.0". The manufacturer has introduced improvements... quietly. Gradually. So much so that only proper tests reveal the extent of the changes. And the extent is really significant. If someone buys a PS5 now, they get a controller that, in terms of battery life, far exceeds the first model by a whole era.
Is it worth buying a new DualSense?
If you make heavy use of the haptic features or play for long periods without a break – yes, the difference is huge. The new DualSense V2 can finally be regarded as a fully-fledged premium controller that doesn’t require constant cable connection to the console. It’s still the same great design, but under the hood – after five years of improvements – it's a completely different piece of hardware.
