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

TGO

Hype Train conductor. Works harder than it steams.
Nope still working, last longer then new controllers
 

EDMIX

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...

No. I've never had one die on me.

But I do have many, many PS3's so lol I think during its run, I probably bought like 6 of them or something. Of course the launch OG, MGS4 Gunmetal version, some silms, a super slim etc Shipped 1 to Haiti and one to Canada and one to France as my cousins are all gamers and always have some crazy list of things they want for birthdays, chrismas etc lol So I have many PS3 controllers laying around, the one I have used the most is the Gunmetal MGS4 one and that one never died, but its charge got super low and I replaced the battery a few years ago.

This wasn't a 100% NEEDED thing as by then I wasn't really using it as much as I was gaming mostly on PS4, but I changed to get a better charge.

From my experience, the Gunmetal PS3 one literally lasted me almost 10 years before I even CHOOSE to change it out, of course I'm not using it as much as I was back then, but its still working just fine, I'd even argue after market batteries are probably superior to the ones that launched with the ones you are using now.

Its worth the upgrade as they are cheap as fuck and its an easy swap.

01011001 01011001 lol, did you not know there is an option to replace PS3, PS4, PS5 batteries? The fuck are you talking about? lol
 
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All mine died years ago. Also tried to use a USB micro wire and thr lights just blink. They don't work even with that. I had to buy a aftermarket controller and connect that with micro USB cable as my Bluetooth and wifi no longer works.

Also the controller sticks the rubber is melting, they are all tacky. Anyone else have this? Didn't happen when in use.

Really sucks as I have a ton of ps3 games I'd like to play. Also it's the only way to really play mgs HD collection, Mgs4, resistance, Killzone, infamous, etc... So many exclusive never made it to ps4/5, pc, or switch
 

Leonidas

Member
I hate dealing with these PS3 controllers too many issues when repairing

-fuck the extra plastic piece between the bumpers/triggers on Sixaxis
-fuck the small pieces of plastic that broke off opening the Sixaxis
-getting the bumpers working on Sixaxis for the first time was very tedious
-had to clean the sensors on DS3 as a few buttons weren't working correctly, second time I've had to do this (once on two different controllers)
-prior owner stripped multiple screws on one of the controllers so I was only able to fix two of the 3 batteries
-getting the controller back together with everything in place can be tedious

At least in doing this my ability to repair PS3 controllers has improved.

And now I have backup controllers if needed.

I wish the controllers were as easy to deal with as Xbox 360 controllers...
 
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Virex

Banned
Luckily my Dualshock 3 controllers all still work and charge fine. They still look new as well after all these years. But I do use my PS3 still fairly regularly so they get used a lot.
 

cireza

Member
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.
Putting rechargeable AA batteries is actually much more practical than having a battery that requires buying a specific replacement and dismantling the controller to replace it. This is common sense.
 

Leonidas

Member
Just fixed the last controller (where the prior owner stripped screws) in the most janky way possible. Since I don't have the proper tools to fix stripped screws this badly, I opened the controller as much as I could while some screws where in place. Eventually I was able to fish out the old bloated battery (all 3 batteries that stopped working were bloated BTW) and somehow managed to with only a small window into the controller was able to insert and connect the battery (using various tools that allowed me to reach into small places).

Surprisingly the controller seems to still be working fine, though I did break off some more plastic inside the controller in the process...
 
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
Pay Me The Simpsons GIF


Sony is not interested in letting you easily play your old games when there are new games to sell you.
 
Since we're having this debate once again I'll reiterate that my eneloops I bought with my XB1 still give me 35+ hours per charge, and take 30 seconds to swap out.

A battery charger with 4 batteries cost like $20. That will last you a decade.
 

Business

Member
If you must replace the batteries pray you don’t accidentally disassemble the triggers when opening the controller, these things are an absolute nightmare to put together.
 

Lasha

Member
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.

The dual sense's complexity has nothing to do with its lack of battery access. The battery is easily replaceable if you have a spudger. All of the complex gubbins are on the opposite side of the board from battery access. Its definitely a design choice rather than because the dual sense is more advanced.
 

Ozrimandias

Member
All of my PS3 Controllers died.

I could use my Dualsense but the HOME button and others doesn't work properly, wich is really annoying. I looked up for the RetroFighters Defender Bluetooth but, the home button works to return to XMB?
 
Not yet and I got a early 2007 model that I got in Iraq of all places. It’s a phatty with all the BC glory, the controller is being held together with tape and whatnot but it still fucking works and charges.
 

Susurrus

Member
My 6 dualshock 3s, my 1 sixaxis, and 2 move controllers all still hold a charge. idk what y'all are doing wrong. Now, a couple of those dualshocks have other issues, but all hold a charge.
 
My 6 dualshock 3s, my 1 sixaxis, and 2 move controllers all still hold a charge. idk what y'all are doing wrong. Now, a couple of those dualshocks have other issues, but all hold a charge.
I suspect a lot of them are dying just from not having been charged in years, while one’s that have been charged periodically over the years have a much better chance at surviving.
 
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Susurrus

Member
I suspect a lot of them are dying just from not having been charged in years, while one’s that have been charged periodically over the years have a much better chance at surviving.
Could be, I do periodically charge them, I think about annually if I don't use them otherwise, which I do at least use a few. Currently playing Prince of Persia (2008) actually. Got half way through the game with a (maybe) mostly charged controller before I had to stick it on the charger and swap it out.

And the Moves are used for PSVR, despite me originally getting them for PS3 use.
 
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ZoukGalaxy

Member
no it can't. no rumble, no gyro, home button doesn't work, and many games don't support Direct Input controllers
"DirectInput" -which is very PC related- on a PS3 which have massive and very specific architecture, are you sure about that ? Do you have any sources/infos that confirm that DirectInput was a thing on PS3 ?

Meryl Streep Doubt GIF
 

01011001

Banned
"DirectInput" -which is very PC related- on a PS3 which have massive and very specific architecture, are you sure about that ? Do you have any sources/infos that confirm that DirectInput was a thing on PS3 ?

Meryl Streep Doubt GIF

the PS3 supports many Direct Input PC controllers and adapters.
you can for example use an SNES to USB adapter that sends a Direct Input signal to your PS3 and play with it.

The PS3 even has printer drivers and lets you print websites and stuff. the thing was almost a PC... well at first it was literally a PC because you could install Linux on it. a feature Sony removed and which subsequently lead to the PS3 being jailbroken only weeks after it happened

I played the og SF4 on PS3 with an SNES PC adapter for example.

so if you connect a Dualshock 4 or a Dualsense to your PS3, the controller will run in an old Direct Input mode, which will deactivate rumble and special buttons.

you can try other Direct Input controllers on it too, many will work, some won't, and many will have weird button mappings
 
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ZoukGalaxy

Member
the PS3 supports many Direct Input PC controllers and adapters.
you can for example use an SNES to USB adapter that sends a Direct Input signal to your PS3 and play with it.

The PS3 even has printer drivers and lets you print websites and stuff. the thing was almost a PC... well at first it was literally a PC because you could install Linux on it. a feature Sony removed and which subsequently lead to the PS3 being jailbroken only weeks after it happened

I played the og SF4 on PS3 with an SNES PC adapter for example.

so if you connect a Dualshock 4 or a Dualsense to your PS3, the controller will run in an old Direct Input mode, which will deactivate rumble and special buttons.

you can try other Direct Input controllers on it too, many will work, some won't, and many will have weird button mappings
Oh wow OK.
I see, thanks for taking the time to enlighten me, I didn't knew that the *real* Direct Input from Microsoft DirectX was somewhat implemented into the PS3 considering the very special architecture it has all around the Cell processor. I learnt something today !
 
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My controller that was bundled with the system indeed is dead and holds no charge and it died a long time ago - the 2nd platinum one I got not long after still works fine though.
 

01011001

Banned
Oh ok, I see, thanks for taking the time to enlighten me, I didn't knew that the *real* Direct Input from Microsoft DirectX was somewhat implemented into the PS3 considering the very special architecture it has all around the Cell processor. I learnt something today !

well I assume the PS3 maps direct input controllers to their own API and don't directly have direct input implemented. like, there's most likely a translation layer there.

it's just that they do support devices that use direct input or have a direct input mode, like the PS4 and PS5 controllers do for example.
 
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all mine work. never had a battery die.
have a few US controllers and a few JPN controllers.

if there are high quality, high capacity replacement batteries available, it might be fun to replace all my batteries (and give em a good cleaning while disassembled).
 

Lambhalf

Member
My controller batteries are fine, it's the controls that get wonky. Over time the controller will just press random buttons, so I have to replace them.
 

TheInfamousKira

Reseterror Resettler
Just came in to say if this thread title was a subtle reference to penis owners, I applaud you.

If not, then I applaud random coincidence, because that shit was funny and things that remind me of it are great.

Fin.
 
I still play my PS3 every once and awhile for various reasons and both of my controllers worked fine up until a few days ago.

One of them has a DPAD that basically just constantly does whatever it wants, and the other just randomly disconnects and won't even reconnect when I plug it in. I ended up buying the new Retrofighters Defender Bluetooth and it's alright but it's extremely light and I have this weird thing with controllers where it's all just muscle memory or it feels off. Like I can switch between PS/XB/Nintendo without issue but using my Dualsense on my Switch is impossible for me for some reason. This controller feels nothing like any PlayStation controller so it messes with me.
 
Just came in to say if this thread title was a subtle reference to penis owners, I applaud you.

If not, then I applaud random coincidence, because that shit was funny and things that remind me of it are great.

Fin.
I found nothing phallic in the title after multiple readings….so I applaud you for being weird. 👏
 
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azertydu91

Hard to Kill
I dug up my old ps3 controllers, found a cable and plugged it and the battery was still half full on 2 ou of 3 adnt he last one was at 25% , I have no idea how they can still be partially charged.
 
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