I had a Nyko drop-in charging cradle for my Xbox 360 controllers for a couple of years and always loved the convenience of being able to leave the controllers in the cradle when not in use and have them available with a full charge at any time. Alas, the relatively short battery life compared to rechargable AAs eventually made me give up a little convenience for the much longer battery life.
I never saw any need for something of this nature with my PS3 controllers, as their 30-hours on a charge battery life made charging the battery a once a week at most affair. The 4-hour charge of the Dualshock 4 is a different story. An easy to use daily charging solution was needed. For awhile I used a 4-port USB hub located on the table next to my seating area, but the frequent use of the micro-USB port worried me when it came to the frequent charging required of this generation of controller.
I looked at the various cradle types of chargers and found most had a feature that wasn't to my liking. Storing a controller upside down connected to micro-USB port on the top struck me as possibly too stressful on the port, with the port seemingly supporting the entire weight of the controller and had the same frequent insertion and removal of the USB cable as a potential problem. Perhaps this isn't an issue and I'm worrying where it isn't warranted,but the upside down positioning also seemed . . . inelegant.
The Nyko drop in charger appealed due to its familiarity with a product I liked a lot, but the dongle constantly attached to the USB port looked ungainly and caused fear of putting undue stress on the port.
The PowerA port seemed to be what I was looking for. It uses the sturdier port on the bottom of the controller, the spring-loaded design allows for easy alignment without close inspection, the controllers are stored in a more attractive (to me) upright position, and it has the drop-in functionality of my old Nyko without the dongle.
It works just as I hoped. Installation was easy - plug the adapter into the outlet, the micro-USB cord attached to it into the port on the bottom of the cradle, and thread the cord through the channel built into the side for that purpose. The separate components area nice touch. Lose the cord and you can substitute any micro-USB cord to replace it. Lose or damage the cradle and the cord will still function to charge the controller directly.
Use is simple. Drop the controller into the cradle, press straight down until it clicks. The flashing light on the controller itself tells you the charging status (flashing yellow - charging; off - charged), so there is no need for lights on the charger itself.
One last note - the Dual Shock 4 comes with a lithium battery. Unlike older rechargabley nickel cadmium batteries, lithium batteries don't become "conditioned" by frequent charging and don't have a "memory". There's no need to periodically drain them completely to refresh the battery. It's perfectly safe to recharge them after every session and leave them plugged in (cradle down position) all the time, as the controller has a built in voltage regulator that turns off the charger when the battery is full. The spring loaded design is there to ensure that the controllers are aligned properly when seating them, not for storing without connecting to the charging port.
There is no danger to storing your controllers plugged in (cradle down position) all the time, or to "topping off" the charge after a relatively short charging session. You do not have to drain the battery between charges, and shouldn't drain it completely. Lithium Ion Batteries are fundamentally different from the nickel cadmium batteries of some early smartphones, which would be damaged if left in the charger every night. This is not the case with any modern device with an internal battery, almost all of which now use lithium batteries. It can actually be harmful to fully drain them every session and they should be charged as soon as the "low charge" warning comes up rather than waiting for the controller to shut off completely. And to reiterate - there is no harm to charging your Dualshock 4 every day, topping it off, or leaving it plugged in all the time. None of this causes a lithium battery any damage or shortens its lifespan.
There is a misconception regarding frequent charging shortening the lifespan of a battery due to frequent charge cycles. A "charge cycle" isn't every time you charge your battery, it's a full charge from an empty battery, or with some devices, from the point at which you get the "low battery" warning, usually at 15-20%. Thus, draining a battery halfway and recharging it is half a charge cycle.
Store your lithium battery devices on their chargers while you're not using them. It does them no harm, doesn't shorten battery life, and you always have a full charge.
Also note that if you use NIMH rechargably AA batteries, such as with a 360 or Xbox One controller, go ahead and empty those suckers completely between charges. Different technology, different usage.
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From the brand
Play Your Way
At PowerA, we create innovative accessory
products that enhance the world's best video
game and mobile technology experiences.
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As global leaders in video gaming accessories, we take our responsibility to provide well designed and affordable products very seriously. Our passion is gaming, and our mission is to bring gamers of all levels memorable experiences that enhance the fun and excitement of gaming.
Since 1998, our headquarters has been in Woodinville, WA. Today, we have offices all over the globe, but we are proud to call this little town next to Seattle home.
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The leader of 3P controllers
20-year history delivering safe, feature-rich accessories, include console controllers, charging solutions and gaming audio headsets.
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A partner of choice
A partner of choice for leading gaming platforms such as Xbox, Nintendo, PlayStation, Blizzard Entertainment and Project xCloud.
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Trusted licensing partner
A trusted licensing partner for various gaming publishers and game titles, including Pokémon, Super Mario and the Legend of Zelda.
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From the manufacturer
PowerA Charging Station for PlayStation 4
Charge and display your DUALSHOCK 4 wireless controllers with the officially licensed Charging Station for PlayStation 4. Charging is an ease - Simply place the DUALSHOCK 4 on either side of the station, and click down to see the LED base light up to indicate charging level. When fully charged, click down to release contact and simply leave the controller on the station. Feel confident your controllers are always ready to game as it charges on display alongside of your PS4 console
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Videos
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Videos for this product
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I LOVE This Charging Dock!
Logan Stone/Shoot Showdown
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It's Been YEARS - Does This Still Work Well?
Teressa & Corey
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HONEST review of the Power A Dualshock Charging Station
HappyFive
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PS4 Controller Charging Dock Review
Pure Wyoming Productions LLC
Reviews with images
Muy bueno
Llego en el tiempo estimado y cargan rápido mis controles, primera vez que lo uso despues de ser gamer por mucho tiempo, ya que siempre los cargaba con el cable usb directo de la consola al control, le doy 4 estrellas xq no entran en la base con el forro de silicon puesto en el control, el resto todo bien.
Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States on November 1, 2014
Platform For Display: PlayStation 4Configuration: Charging StationVerified Purchase
Reviewed in the United States on January 16, 2024
Platform For Display: PlayStation 4Configuration: Charging StationVerified Purchase
Reviewed in the United States on January 25, 2024
Platform For Display: PlayStation 4Configuration: Charging StationVerified Purchase
Reviewed in the United States on March 29, 2015
Platform For Display: PlayStation 4Configuration: Charging StationVerified Purchase
Reviewed in the United States on April 20, 2015
Platform For Display: PlayStation 4Configuration: Charging StationVerified Purchase
Top reviews from other countries
AresAres
Excelente opción para cargar tus controles Move
Reviewed in Mexico on September 30, 2022Platform For Display: PlayStation 4Configuration: Charging DockVerified Purchase
Stephen Morton
Product is in Australia, but it came with a US power plug.
Reviewed in Australia on December 12, 2022Platform For Display: PlayStation 4Configuration: Charging DockVerified Purchase
Jeremy
Worth it!!!
Reviewed in Canada on August 9, 2023Platform For Display: PlayStation 4Configuration: Charging DockVerified Purchase
Edgar Ventura Soriano
Buen producto!!
Reviewed in Mexico on December 27, 2022Platform For Display: PlayStation 4Configuration: Charging DockVerified Purchase
Asbel
Perfecto para cargar sin cables
Reviewed in Mexico on August 15, 2022Platform For Display: PlayStation 4Configuration: Charging DockVerified Purchase
