When there were severe shortages of PS5 consoles, the console itself wasn't the only hardware where only scalpers seemed to have any stock: the DualSense charger was as rare as hen's teeth too, and people were charging more than £50 for them. Finding mine took months because I don't do scalpers, but even then it felt like I was paying too much. But I do think it's a must-have accessory, and it's finally down to a sensible price that means you don't need to search the scalpers or buy a no-name clone that you fear might go on fire.
Amazon is currently selling the PlayStation 5 DualSense Charging Station for £16.99. That's 29% off. Other retailers appear to be cutting the price too, although so far Amazon's the cheapest.
Why you need this particular DualSense charger
This isn't just about buying the brand name. There's a real difference between the Sony dual charger and many of the other ones on the market, not just in terms of how it looks but in terms of how it works. Many chargers want you to stick a dongle into your controllers that in turn connects to the charger; in my experience they're incredibly flimsy and the life expectancy in a home with kids is measured in weeks rather than months or years.
With the Sony there are no dongles; you simply put the controllers into the charger until you feel it gently click into place. And that's it. And unlike many third party controllers they don't wobble and disconnect easily; once the controllers are in, they're in. So if you're looking for a great accessory for yourself or as a gift for a PlayStation owner, I reckon this is ideal.
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Writer, musician and broadcaster Carrie Marshall has been covering technology since 1998 and is particularly interested in how tech can help us live our best lives. Her CV is a who’s who of magazines, newspapers, websites and radio programmes ranging from T3, Techradar and MacFormat to the BBC, Sunday Post and People’s Friend. Carrie has written more than a dozen books, ghost-wrote two more and co-wrote seven more books and a Radio 2 documentary series; her memoir, Carrie Kills A Man, was shortlisted for the British Book Awards. When she’s not scribbling, Carrie is the singer in Glaswegian rock band Unquiet Mind (unquietmindmusic).
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