Here's A Comparison Between The DualShock 4's Lightbar: Brightest To Lowest Settings

GearNuke: "We decided to compare the lowest lightbar settings to the highest and see how dim the light can get."

[Cha0tik]

LOL that difference isn't enough to actually help the battery.

[BitbyDeath]

It's an LED, it won't help the battery even if turned off. The dim option was for those complaining about the light reflecting off the TV.

[Cha0tik]

Oh, mine doesn't reflect off the TV so I didn't even know this was an issue.

[ZodTheRipper]

Me neither but at least a handful of people have nothing to complain anymore. I won't change the light, never had any problems with it.

[BitbyDeath]

Same, probably just those that sit really close.

[gatormatt80]

My newer LED TV has the shiny and reflective surface. I really only notice the lightbar reflection during dark scenes or when I game in the dark. My older Samsung LCD TV from 2007 has the nonreflective surface. I don't game on it though cause it's only 720p. The lightbar reflection wasn't a big enough issue for me to complain about but as a new feature and option I will gladly take it.

[Kidmyst]

I can see my lightbar reflect on my TV but only if I am actually looking at it. Once playing there is so much else to look at I don't notice it, some I think are just nit picky.

[Christopher]

Yeah. I game on a monitor 3' away and oftentimes late at night when it's dark. The light is distracting. This will at least reduce the intensity.

[zeee]

This is one problem that almost every PS gamer (who doesn't own 2 controller) faces. The battery life on DS4 is indeed terrible compared to DS3. In the future version of DS4, they should change the battery quality/size. Whatever it gets to give us at least 15-20 hours of uninterrupted gameplay.

I have turned off that little microphone and also turned off the vibration yet, I still have to recharge the damn controller every now and then. It's downright annoying!

[XisThatKid]

I'm SOOOOO glad I'm not affected by this both our TV's are wall mounts and I use a projector for my PS4 anyway.

[DeathOfTheFanBoy]

The difference is very subtle.

[EverydayGuy]

Shu told us about there is no difference already. Hopefully this will help with the glare issue some are experiencing.

[Cra2yey3]

At first, you can barely tell the difference. After giving it a good look, the slight difference is there. Don't know how much battery life it will actually save tho...

[ziggurcat]

considering that it had zero effect to begin with, it won't save any battery life.

[Volkama]

Looking directly at the LED isn't really a great comparison. Looking at the reflected image off a glossy TV screen in a dark room, that's where the change will hopefully be more evident.

[GeofferyPeterson]

What I don't understand is why they gave us the option to just dim the light, and not the option to completely turn it off.

[admiralvic]

Well, it could be because the bar indicates which controller it's (similar to how the DS3 has a small indicator) and which controller is on, so they wanted to keep people happy without causing confusion and so we ended up with this.

Beyond something like this, I haven't a clue.

[nevin1]

Who would get confused by which player they are.

A quick press of the button also reveals what player they are on PS3.

[Baka-akaB]

Still that's a lot of tiny uses being disabled by an off setting . Sure maybe they shouldnt have to begin with used only the light for those ... But it's still used in games , the way you differenciate pads without going into menus , the batterie's state display etc

[Volkama]

They did say previously that they can't turn it off, they literally do not have "off" as a valid setting the controller can handle. They could only control the colour.

I would imagine a firmware update on the controller may resolve that, but there is probably no user friendly way to do that.

[ravinash]

make the colour black.

[Melankolis]

Maybe (just maybe), DS4 active controller indicator is a part of a-fixed-design industry,

turning it off need hardware/software re-engineering or anything related to the law (patent, etc),

and (maybe) those are millions of dollars of money needed...

"Turning the lights off may not as easy as we think"

[Apex13]

Errrrrrrrrr, what's the big fricken difference?

[mogwaii]

Time for some 3rd party controllers, im getting sick of having to charge to charge the thing after every session

[Fishy Fingers]

That's one lengthy session.

(Please, no "that's what she said")

[GeofferyPeterson]

"I got Fishy Fingers." (That's what He said.)

[IndoAssassin]

An Led diode is 2mA. The battery is 1000mAh. So it would.take 500 hours to drain the battery.

[mkis007]

Correct sir thank you for pointing this out.

[dantesparda]

Are you sure its 1000mAh?

[IndoAssassin]

I read it on Neogaf when they were trying to figure out why the battery life was so bad.

I have a feeling it's due to the TouchPad and a firmware problem with it constantly sending audio cues for the speaker and the earphone plug even when it's not plugged in that's causing the shitty battery life. But that's just me speculating.

[ironfist92]

How many hours does the battery last till it needs a recharge?

[mkis007]

About 8-10 hours....though i usually just play with my cable plugged in unless im in bed...I bought a usb extender.

[ironfist92]

Thats not too bad.

[Ripsta7th]

I can see the difference from dim to bright but the middle options not really . still good update but not many features as I kept seeing.. Anyone know if we can play music yet?? From USB and stuff? Thanks in advance as I have 1 bubble lol

[Cra2yey3]

That was funny for some reason having 1 bubble lol

[StoneyYoshi]

There has been photographic proof of multiple people including Shu himself using an music app demo on their ps4's. we thought it would have been available in this new update but it looks like its not here yet.

Since this update made it possible to insert your own music from a usb drive to add into videos you edit in the share factory app, I don't see why it isn't possible to just put the app out into the store for people to download. That would probably be a hassle for people who don't really pay attention to the gaming news like all of us do. So its probably just gonna be in the next update.

[beepbopadoobop]

As much as I adore my PS4 the controller battery life is a tad annoying, I can live with it but it does go down allot quicker than id like.

However a top tip for those of us who sit too far from the PS4 to connect the controller for charging while playing. I use my phone charger which fits the ps4's micro usb, plugs into the wall next to where I sit and dont have to worry about a flat battery anymore :)

[mo241]

the led doesn't make a lot of change it's the damn refelection which is annoying.

[beepbopadoobop]

Yeah I know the light has not much to do with it, but I was just mentioning the charge in general. I actually dont mind the light at all, its come in handy a few times as a mini torch when playing in the dark haha

[StoneyYoshi]

He didn't even say anything about the LED... lol

[TimeSkipLuffy]

Why can't we just turn it off again???

[mo241]

because players are so stupid, they can't distuingish which controller belongs to them or they can't find the option in the menu to turn it back on.... NOT

[TimeSkipLuffy]

Did SONY say gamers are stupid or are you just implying that? <__<

[mo241]

it was sarcasm

[StoneyYoshi]

Yeah that comment screamed sarcasm. I dont get how you missed it.

[johny5]

Hopefully they release a version 2 with better battery life!

[TimeSkipLuffy]

+ better quality material overall, especially the thumb sticks

[isarai]

well they already have, ones manufactured later have a much higher quality in the materials used. Noticed it when i brought my DS$ to my friends house so we could play some trials together. He got a launch model(day 1) and it feels very light and the rubber feels like it has detached from the plastic(there's like an air bubble under the rubber) and there's constantly rubber rubbing off on my hands, while my DS4 (i got mine in Feb this year)feels much heavier and the rubber still feels like it did day 1

[mo241]

wow this made me more mad then how it first was. This is a complete slap in the face. Don't be so naive sony with this bullshit every night session this is reflected by the tv. If we forget which controller belongs to which player we just turn it on again not ffing hard. What about the people with different controller colors like me or people with just one controller?

edit: I was darn happy the ps 4 power button and eject button had no light like the ps 3 and xbox 360 controller , because the little kid around always used to push the colored buttons. And the ps 4 he touches the top lol, but now every time he wants to take the controller which is in my hands because of the damn light. everybody got his own reasons for this so it's alway nice to have an option.

[hellzsupernova]

Buy a toasty sticker or some black tape stop complaining and move on with your life

[mo241]

well If you say so. No this is still not an option this is just one thing over the other, but hey it is sony right I am not allowed to complain.

[StoneyYoshi]

Go back to school please. My eyes are bleeding after reading that post...

[WitWolfy]

Its official I'm gonna take some black Vinyl and just apply over that darn thing.

[finito82]

pretty cool i guess not a big deal of a feature i think

[Buzz7S]

How about addressing this issue?

http://images.lazygamer.net...

I think that is more of a worry than a lightbar.

[WeAreLegion]

They did. Only a couple of months after launch, Sony released controllers into stores with better rubber around the analog sticks. They did it silently, but they're much better now.

[No_Limit]

Disappointed, I was really hoping that the light was the cause of the short battery issue. 4-5 hours per change is just really bad and I constantly have to use a usb cable to keep playing during the middle of a game. Hope a larger battery version is on the horizon.

[djplonker]

4-5 hours is still better than disposable batterys though!

[StoneyYoshi]

I would prefer disposables than 4-5 hours on a internal battery, but I understand the point you are trying to get across. :)

And my DS4 lasts a good 10 hours on average so I'm happy. I like to be tidy with my gaming area so when I'm done playing I plug the controller in right away.

[twdll]

SONY.... LISTEN UP... I'd buy another controller if it had a better battery. Again (like the ui) this is another instance where the PS3 is superior. My DO lasts for several days. Get with the program.

[R_aVe_N]

Sorry to disappoint you, but Sony is not listening to you here... This is N4G not the Playstation Blog...

[twdll]

Maybe, maybe not. Well see. I'd hope that someone high up is listening.

[RiPPn]

Though the images don't show it, the difference is quite a bit when playing in a dark room, really like the dim option.

[ForgottenProphecy]

I think it's hilarious that this doesn't effect battery life. It's pretty much the only reason people hated the light (some have the glare in the TV, but they're in the minority from what I see on N4G)
The battery life isn't an issue for me. I just pop my controller on a charger whenever I'm not using it.

[Baka-akaB]

OF few of us told you you'd be dissapointed by the effect of the LED on the batterie

[Mikethejew]

"UpdateYosp clarified that Lightbar intensity has no effect on the battery. It will remain the same as it was never the cause of shorter battery life. "

This makes sense, I always wondered why everyone thought turning it off would save battery life, LEDs are very energy efficient. I guess we'll have to wait for the upgraded dualshock that comes with a bigger battery.

[heisenberguk]

Dimming's pointless! We need the option to turn it off!!

[TitanUp]

seriously didnt know so many people had an issue with the light bar.

im ok with it, doesnt reflect on my tv.

[Predaking77]

I never had any problems with the current light bar setting and as for the battery, I have 2 DS4, when one Is out of battery the other is ready at full battery.

[redcar121]

I want to turn it off how hard is that sony

[SPARTAN3]

Could we get some different colors and a bigger battery? Its like having a wired controller for my ps4 that thing dies so fast.

[iagainsti120]

If anyone thinks that N4g is bad they need to read the comments under the article. Man the troll is strong with them.

me - Wow it like here times 2356.
Other person - My God, that's... I don't even know what that is!
Me - Nobody does!

Edit - Opps was looking at this http://gearnuke.com/xbox-ha... but still holy schnitzel

Ok so I looked at afew other pages on this site I think I will never click on a link for Gearnuke again.

[static360]

thats cool but hardly a noticeable difference