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Sony won't offer option to disable PS4 DualShock 4 light bar

j-wood said:
To everyone in this thread:

Set your controller to auto turn off after 10 minutes. Does not pause Netflix when it does.

Problem solved.
Click to expand...
To Sony:

Was ridiculous that this wasn't the default. And they probably should patch it in as the default to avoid this criticism in the future.

j-wood said:
Also, like i've said previously, I think the people having a problem with the light on the TV is because of how you hold the controller. Set the Dualshock on a flat surface...the light actually points DOWN.

At least for me, when I play, I don't keep my elbows and the controller tilted up. So the light has always pointed downwards for me, and never been an issue.
Click to expand...
Saying people are holding it wrong isn't really an excuse.
 
Qassim said:
There's also the point that it reduces battery life:

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=723148&page=6
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doesn't that disable more than just the LED? from my reading it disables the micro usb board as well, it's hard to judge just how much battery the LED sucks up when you're disabling other things as well as it

and we know from experience with other devices that LED itself does NOT suck up much battery life so I'd be really surprised if the DS4 is somehow different
 
The light bar doesn't really bother me because my T.V is elevated, but this is truly a terrible response by Sony to a very legitimate problem.
 
Live Free or Die said:
Privacy is a whole different issue than some lightbar on a controller.
Click to expand...
Exactly. And that was fixed by Microsoft before release. The DS4 was released like this and they never hinted at the possibility of offering a option to turn it off. And someone already gave a good reason for the light to stay on (knowing the controller is on) in this thread.

You can say, and I agree that it is a design oversight, and that it should have another way to know it is on.
 
Jomjom said:
Don't do this Sony. This reeks of post PS2 arrogance.
Click to expand...

Doesn't seem that way to me. It reeks of incompetence and a general lack of know-how. Same for the inability to figure out how to allow users to change their PSN IDs. Sony has no reason to be arrogant about either situation. Some things they're really good at, others they're not. I've accepted that about them. Just like I accept the failings of MS and Nintendo.
 
CalebW said:
Doesn't seem that way to me. It reeks of incompetence and a general lack of know-how. Same for the inability to figure out how to allow users to change their PSN IDs. Sony has no reason to be arrogant about either situation. Some things they're really good at, others they're not. I've accepted that about them. Just like I accept the failings of MS and Nintendo.
Click to expand...

Every empire has its cracks.
 
Konosuke said:
Exactly. And that was fixed by Microsoft before release. The DS4 was released like this and they never hinted at the possibility of offering a option to turn it off. And someone already gave a good reason for the light to stay on (knowing the controller is on) in this thread.

You can say, and I agree that it is a design oversight, and that it should have another way to know it is on.
Click to expand...

in a potential 'light off' setting, the light could come on for the first ... oh .. 15 seconds when the controller is on and then shut off. it could flash when the PS button is pressed, etc... and then just be off completely during regular use. how can you tell the controller is on? well, if you're using it, you know it's on and if you're not, press the PS button and it will flash.
 
lol, this drama.

The light doesn't bother me one bit, I actually like it.
But Sony should allow users to turn it off, since its apparently a life or death situation for some drama qu....people.
 
Konosuke said:
You have the option of not buying it.
Click to expand...
I am currently taking that option, and it will continue to lessen my interest in purchasing the system until they provide the option to dim/disable it.

By all means, force it on when required. I really enjoyed the Move on PS3 - the glowing sphere was annoying, but I accepted it as a necessary part of the technology, so I did my best to ignore it. I always turned off the Move controller immediately after I was finished to be rid of the distracting light when playing other games. The PS4 on the other hand, rarely uses the light for tracking, yet it insists on glowing all the time. It is not quite as bad as the Move's sphere, being only on the one side of the controller, angled away from glaring into your face, but it's still very bright for tracking purposes just like the Move controller. But this is no alternate motion controller. This is the main controller, which fails to justify the glow the vast majority of the time, therefore it should have the option to be disabled (or at the very least, dimmed) until it is required for tracking again.
 
Kinyou said:
His point is more about that having options really doesn't hurt anyone
Click to expand...

I have to assume the reason they are insisting is that it adds controller functionality that Sony has promised to developers to have across-the-board.

I don't think that well-intentioned LED test is gospel though, I have a hard time believing they suck anything significant. They are bright but c'mon these are LEDs. I've got a self-contained 4-LED white LED light over a picture that's been running on a AAAs for a few years and they're way way brighter.
 
Where do the people complaining hold their controller while gaming?, in front of your face?, up to your chest?... i don't see how this is a problem. Is the telly on the ground?
 
Forsete said:
lol, this drama.

The light doesn't bother me one bit, I actually like it.
But Sony should allow users to turn it off, since its apparently a life or death situation for some drama qu....people.
Click to expand...

I don't understand why people who want the option to turn it off are suddenly labelled as drama queens. Depending on your TV and your set-up, the light from the controller can be pretty distracting, especially when you turn the lights off. It doesn't bother you, great, but it bothers others. It's not a massive issue but it's an issue nonetheless which should have a simple solution.
 
RoboPlato said:
Goddammit. Can we at least get an option to dim it? Fucker clearly shines through the tape I put over it and reflects in my TV.
Click to expand...
Its quite easy to mod controller at home and turn LED off completely.
Can't be bothered looking source link for that mod cause i don't have PS4 yet and im lazy :P
 
They probably just think we're idiots that can't tell which controller is on or something.

"Don't give the cavemen more options, it will only confuse them and anger them."

Look, if simple drivers on the PC allow you to tweak the light, the PS4 should let you do it too. It's not a make or break deal I agree, but since when did more options hurt people?
 
Nerfgun said:
I have to assume the reason they are insisting is that it adds controller functionality that Sony has promised to developers to have across-the-board.
Click to expand...
I don't think it would be very complicated to program it in a way that a game could force it on when it needs to make use of it. But to have the light on while the game isn't even using it seems pointless.

I guess controller identification could also be solved by having the light flash up for a second after hitting the PS button or something like that.
 
Why can't they let you turn it off? It should be a simple boolean in their code or something.. otherwise it's just a big engineering mistake.
 
There are two kinds of people in this thread:

1. People bothered by light
2. People bothered by people bothered by light
 
As with all past Sony gimmicks, I look forward to Media Molecule being the only people who ever find a good use for the light bar and the touchpad.
 
I can't comprehend why they're not willing to give us the option to turn to LED off. All it does is use more of the, already low, battery life. And having it on would create a very annoying glare on my TV.
 
This baffles me. It can't be a difficult thing to change with a tiny patch, and it's such a minor thing that primarily serves to create problems - why are they so obstinate about keeping it?
 
I always find it funny that in threads about wanting the light turned off there are always people that say it doesn't bother them. That is not the point, no one cares if it doesn't bother you.

There should be an option to turn it off, no question, no debate. The light has no functional use. If players want to identify controllers if they are using more than one then have the colors flash when connecting and be done with it.

Playing Killzone in the dark on my plasma I could see the colors changing when my health went low (Green, yellow, red) and while it wasn't distracting if I looked for the reflection I could see it and it is just not something that should be there given the size and vibrancy of the light.
 
Possible reasons why sony do not give the option of turning light off.
It is in the bottom of to do list. They have shit ton of things to do to ps4 fw that are order of magnitude more important to them.

AzerPhire said:
There should be an option to turn it off, no question, no debate. The light has no functional use. If players want to identify controllers if they are using more than one then have the colors flash when connecting and be done with it.
Click to expand...

Casuals propably find it cool and Sony do not give a flying duck if some gaffers have problem with the LIGHT.

AND wether you care or not THE light has functions.
 
j-wood said:
To everyone in this thread:

Set your controller to auto turn off after 10 minutes. Does not pause Netflix when it does.

Problem solved.

Also, like i've said previously, I think the people having a problem with the light on the TV is because of how you hold the controller. Set the Dualshock on a flat surface...the light actually points DOWN.

At least for me, when I play, I don't keep my elbows and the controller tilted up. So the light has always pointed downwards for me, and never been an issue.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tip on auto turn off.

Are you telling people they are holding the controller incorrectly? LOL No really?
 
It's ok. I've got a piece of black card blutacked onto it. I can still see a bit of light if I look down so I can check battery level (when connected to my PC) but it stops the reflection off my TV.
 
This seems like a silly thing to take such a firm stance on. Just give us the option. We somehow survived without giant controller lights for decades.
 
lynux3 said:
You don't have a PS4 do you? When turning the controller off in Netflix the video pauses.
Click to expand...

I have my controller set to turn off if inactive for 5 min (or whatever the shortest time is) and that doesn't make Netflix pause.

EDIT: Beaten a while ago...
 
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