Katarzyna Petru
Sony quietly launched a refreshed model of the DualSense controller (version V2 – CFI-ZCT2W). Without fanfare, without a conference, without a press release. At first glance, it is the same controller we have known since the release of the PS5. But its actual capabilities have changed enough that many players are even talking about a "new generation of DualSense." And it's hard to disagree with that.
15 hours of battery life. Yes, you read that right.
Until now, the biggest drawback of the DualSense was obvious – 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 Modyfikator89 shows a result that sounds like a joke:
over 15 hours of continuous operation with all functions of the controller active.
This is not a mistake. This result was achieved in a long, simulated session, including Astro’s Playroom, Fortnite, Darksiders II, and several other games that continuously engaged the full capabilities of the DualSense. The tester had to “trick” the controller to maintain a constant load because manually checking power consumption became too tedious. And even with a very conservative assumption – subtracting 20% for margin of error – we're still talking about around 12 hours of actual gameplay. This is absolutely unprecedented in the history of the DualSense.
Five years of quiet improvements have yielded results
Tests show that Sony has systematically optimized the design of the controller over the years, moving from the BDM-010 models all the way to the BDM-060. Importantly – the battery remains identical: 1560 mAh. The entire gain is pure engineering and improved energy efficiency. Thanks to these enhancements, the new DualSense:
lasts several times longer than the first versions,
outperforms even the professional DualSense Edge, whose battery life was one of its biggest drawbacks,
runs cooler – thermal imaging from tests shows a charging temperature of just ~26°C.
In practice: Sony has not only improved performance but also stability and the operation quality of the controller.
Why doesn't Sony brag about this?
This is probably the most interesting element. There's no major advertising campaign here, no "New DualSense 2.0." The manufacturer introduced improvements… just like that. Quietly. Gradually. So that only thorough tests reveal the scale of changes. And the scale is truly significant. If someone buys a PS5 now, they get a controller that, in terms of battery life, surpasses the first model by a whole era.
Is it worth buying the new DualSense?
If you make intensive use of haptic features or play for long periods without breaks – yes, the difference is huge. The new DualSense V2 can finally be considered a full-fledged premium controller that does not require constant connection to the console with a cable. It's still the same great design, but under the hood – after five years of improvements – it's a completely different piece of hardware.
