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PS3 controller owners, have you had the Dual Shock/Sixaxis battery die on you?

Leonidas

Member
I bought a bundle of PS3 controllers a while ago and am testing them now in my once in a while battery checking procedure.

Turns out that 3 of them (2 Sixaxis, 1 Dualshock 3) seem to have a bad battery, I go to charge it and it says charging for a few minutes, then it says charge complete, but when I remove the charge cable there is no charge. Pretty sure that means the battery is dead.

Anyone here go through the battery change process? Do aftermarket batteries last as long as the original?

I wonder if it's even worth me repairing all 3 batteries at once. I have 4 controllers that are already working, if I end up replacing the 3 batteries right now it might be years before I actually use them, at which point, the aftermarket LI-ON battery may have already degraded...
 

Crayon

Member
I plugged in the ps3 last year and found both my controllers were dead. I got a two pack of batteries to replace but have not got around to it.
 
yes all of them are dead, including my limited edition god of war controller.

this is exactly why AA with the option for battery packs is by far the best way to make a controller

I'd much rather replace the battery once or stop using a controller after 7+ years than have to replace batteries all the time.

I will barely purchase a device if it uses AA or AAA batteries.
 

Kusarigama

Member
yes all of them are dead, including my limited edition god of war controller.

this is exactly why AA with the option for battery packs is by far the best way to make a controller
I remember someone made a thread on this topic saying that AA batteries powered controllers(Xbox) were better in long run. I disagreed and then my 2011 DualShock3 battery died and I realised they both have pros and cons.
 

01011001

Banned
I'd much rather replace the battery once or stop using a controller after 7+ years than have to replace batteries all the time.

I will barely purchase a device if it uses AA or AAA batteries.

what about OPTION FOR RECHARGABLE BATTERY PACK did you not understand here?

8bitdo controllers come with a rechargable battery, but AS AN OPTION you can take it out and use AAs



I remember someone made a thread on this topic saying that AA batteries powered controllers(Xbox) were better in long run. I disagreed and then my 2011 DualShock3 battery died and I realised they both have pros and cons.

I don't see a single pro with a hard to change, built in battery tbh
 
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Leonidas

Member
Damn, seems I'm pretty lucky that 4 of my 7 batteries still work.

I had to repair one of the controllers today (erratic button presses) and it turns out one of my controllers already has an aftermarket battery in it, I wonder if the remaining 6 have the original battery...
 
no it can't. no rumble, no gyro, home button doesn't work, and many games don't support Direct Input controllers
I knew about no rumble but did not know about the 'direct input' thing. what is a direct input game?
Another thing I know is that you HAVE to use a PS3 controller if you want to use the PS2 backwards compatibility. I've tried using my PS4 and PS5 both wired and wirelessly with PS2 games on the PS3 and it doesn't work. Once my PS3 controllers die I guess my PS2 backwards compatibiltiy dies along with them.
 
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BigStef71

Neo Member
Help me decide on this product: Brook Wingman XE Converter - Support Xbox Series X/S/One/360, PS5/PS4/PS3, Xbox Elite 1/2, Switch Pro Controllers on PS5/ PS4/ PS3 Consoles, Consoles Adapter, Support Turbo and Remap https://a.co/d/3tgMF3V

If anyone wants to try this I bought it last month and it works like a charm using ps4 amd ps5 controllers on ps3 plus you can use it wirelessly
 

Celcius

°Temp. member
Yeah I still have both of my dualshock 3 controllers and the batteries don't really hold charges anymore. I just use them wired.
 
what about OPTION FOR RECHARGABLE BATTERY PACK did you not understand here?

8bitdo controllers come with a rechargable battery, but AS AN OPTION you can take it out and use AAs





I don't see a single pro with a hard to change, built in battery tbh

Not nearly as complicated builds nor is the build quality as premium.

I don't believe the 8bitdo ultimate has a replaceable battery
 

Antwix

Member
PS3 controller batteries were so good. They lasted foreverrrrr. After I sold my console though, I found a controller in a drawer that I had forgotten about awhile later. Turns out the battery was kinda shot. I had it on a charger for like 48 hours straight just to get it to turn on. Drove my ass to gamestop real quick and traded it in.
 

01011001

Banned
I knew about no rumble but did not know about the 'direct input' thing. what is a direct input game?
Another thing I know is that you HAVE to use a PS3 controller if you want to use the PS2 backwards compatibility. I've tried using my PS4 and PS5 both wired and wirelessly with PS2 games on the PS3 and it doesn't work. Once my PS3 controllers die I guess my PS2 backwards compatibiltiy dies along with them.

one where I personally found it doesn't work was Yakuza 5.

I think Super SF4 also doesn't support direct input, but the og SF4 does funnily enough I think.

pretty sure there is a list onlin to look if a game is compatible with direct input
 

Aenima

Member
Both my dualshock controllers still work fine. The battery just dont last as long as they used to when they were new, but still last long enough (~8h)
 

01011001

Banned
Not nearly as complicated builds nor is the build quality as premium.

as premium as what? a Dualshock 3? those things break the fuck apart as soon as you open them. that plastic is super thin an brittle.
the way the shoulder buttons are made especially is just a joke. hell Sony to this day uses shitty rubber dome contacts for their analog triggers...

premium is such a useless word nowadays because it's usually used to describe the most superficial things that are almost always subjective.

also it doesn't have to be AA batteries, easy to replace flat battery cells, standardised ones preferably, would do the job as well.

the Switch Pro is pretty good about this. I think it's like 3 screws and you're at the battery, which are 3DS batteries and can be easily replaced.

most modern controllers that have similar batteries are impossible to open without looking up a detailed YouTube tutorial that shows how to not break stuff while opening them, and even then it's usually an absolute nightmare to do so.


I don't believe the 8bitdo ultimate has a replaceable battery

it doesn't, and that sucks tbh.
 
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Drew1440

Member
I knew about no rumble but did not know about the 'direct input' thing. what is a direct input game?
Another thing I know is that you HAVE to use a PS3 controller if you want to use the PS2 backwards compatibility. I've tried using my PS4 and PS5 both wired and wirelessly with PS2 games on the PS3 and it doesn't work. Once my PS3 controllers die I guess my PS2 backwards compatibiltiy dies along with them.
DirectInput was an older controller API that was used for PC games. It was developed by Microsoft as part of DirectX and predated the XInput protocol for the Xbox 360.
 

kiphalfton

Member
I had a PS3 Bluetooth headset I got with Warhawk on clearance at kmart, that I thought was dead (tired to charge it multiple times, and no go). Somehow someway though, after trying to charge it however many times I finally got it to take.

That was years ago though, but maybe you'll be lucky if you keep trying to charge the controllers (also try different chargers and not just the USB connected to the console, but an actual ac adapter).
 

Filben

Member
No. My controllers still work today. On the other hand it was never my main platform so I didn't charge them as often as someone mainly playing on that console.
 

phaedrus

Member
To this day, I still can't believe Sony removed PS2 backwards compatibility from PS3
Let It Go Disney GIF
 

shaddam

Member
I bought mine in 2010 and it is still working. I rarely use it, but I just bought the riddick game so that will change in the future
 

01011001

Banned
To this day, I still can't believe Sony removed PS2 backwards compatibility from PS3

the shocking thing isn't that they removed it, the shocking thing is that they never reintroduced it, they eventually had a software emulator that could play more than a thousand games perfectly, but it was only ever used for PS2 download games
 
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Lions Gate

Member
i replaced it with some cheap aftermarket battery, still works great after 4 years. battery change process is super easy btw you can find guides on YT
 
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01011001

Banned
The only pro that comes to my mind it that it's ready to use. You don't have to buy recharchable AAs + a charger or a battery pack. But other than that...

that's a packaging issue at best. 8bitdo controllers that support AA batteries come with a regular rechargeable battery pack preinstalled
 
as premium as what? a Dualshock 3? those things break the fuck apart as soon as you open them. that plastic is super thin an brittle.
the way the shoulder buttons are made especially is just a joke. hell Sony to this day uses shitty rubber dome contacts for their analog triggers...

premium is such a useless word nowadays because it's usually used to describe the most superficial things that are almost always subjective.

also it doesn't have to be AA batteries, easy to replace flat battery cells, standardised ones preferably, would do the job as well.

the Switch Pro is pretty good about this. I think it's like 3 screws and you're at the battery, which are 3DS batteries and can be easily replaced.

most modern controllers that have similar batteries are impossible to open without looking up a detailed YouTube tutorial that shows how to not break stuff while opening them, and even then it's usually an absolute nightmare to do so.




it doesn't, and that sucks tbh.

Building a hatch and release mechanism in these complicated controllers increases cost, reduces build quality, and increases production time, for something that doesn't really matter.
 

mrmustard

Banned
that's a packaging issue at best. 8bitdo controllers that support AA batteries come with a regular rechargeable battery pack preinstalled
It's a money issue. Xbox controllers only come with 2 non recharchable AAs. If you don't have rechargable AAs + charger at home you have to pay extra.
 
I used the Switch Pro Controller as a good example. a few screws and the back is off where the battery sits and is easily replaceable.



Yeah and this controller isn't nearly as complex as the dual sense.

It's all a matter of priorities.

There is no hatch here, it's moderately easier to replace the battery, and it isn't as complex, but is about the same price.

You can't have it be easily modular, complex, good build quality, and cheap.

I think most of us will take the complex features and top build quality over replaceable batteries or more easily replaceable batteries.

70 dollars over 7 years, maybe some of you guys need to get better jobs if this is really breaking you.
 

Spyxos

Gold Member
I had 2. one no longer turns on and the second digipad works only 50% of the time and the batteries last 1 hour max.
 

Miyazaki’s Slave

Gold Member
I bought a bundle of PS3 controllers a while ago and am testing them now in my once in a while battery checking procedure.

Turns out that 3 of them (2 Sixaxis, 1 Dualshock 3) seem to have a bad battery, I go to charge it and it says charging for a few minutes, then it says charge complete, but when I remove the charge cable there is no charge. Pretty sure that means the battery is dead.

Anyone here go through the battery change process? Do aftermarket batteries last as long as the original?

I wonder if it's even worth me repairing all 3 batteries at once. I have 4 controllers that are already working, if I end up replacing the 3 batteries right now it might be years before I actually use them, at which point, the aftermarket LI-ON battery may have already degraded...
The battery replacement process is a breeze. You can find batter packs that come with the appropriate screwdrivers as a bundle on Amazon or Alibaba.
 

marquimvfs

Member
All my DS3 still has their original batteries and lasts longer than my DS4. But it doesn't matter since the batteries are cheap and easy to replace. Replace them and you'll have your controllers working for another 7 years easily.
 
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dave_d

Member
My sixaxis only seems to hold a charge for 30 minutes. (It's the one I got with the system back in 2007) I guess I should look to replace it at this point. (Previously I could game with it for 20-30 hours before it'd need a recharge.)
 

EverydayBeast

thinks Halo Infinite is a new graphical benchmark
Todays battery standards PS3 controllers wouldn’t last, meanwhile PS5 has the super edge controller that doesn’t hold a charge.
 

ChoosableOne

ChoosableAll
No, it's perfectly fine after 11 years. Only issue I had was random button presses, which I solved wtih this video: youtube. Oh, and analog sticks got a little soft and deformed too. There are many problems controllers may encounter until the battery fails so I'm good with rechargeable batteries.
 
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