What are the must-have accessories for a new PS5 owner?

Question

So I finally caved and picked up a PS5 Slim after being strictly a PC guy for like a decade and man the haptics are cool but the battery life on this controller is actually tragic?? I’ve been gaming since the PS2 days so I know my way around a console but this whole new generation of peripherals is actually stressing me out because everyone says something different. I’m trying to get my setup locked in before next Friday because I’m taking the console with me on a two-week trip to my cousins place in Vermont and I need to be fully geared up by then.

My main concern is the storage because the actual usable space after the OS is a joke and I’ve already filled half of it with just Horizon and God of War. I know I need an M.2 NVMe but do I really need one with a heatsink or is that just marketing fluff? Also I need a headset that actually takes advantage of the Tempest 3D audio engine because my old HyperX ones sound kinda muddy on this thing for some reason.

Here are my constraints:

Budget is around 300 bucks total for everything

Need stuff that is durable for travel since I move around a lot

Needs to be available for fast shipping to the East Coast

I mostly play single player RPGs but I do dabble in some shooters

Specifically looking for recommendations on:

An SSD that wont overheat but doesnt cost more than the console itself

A charging dock because I already forgot to plug it in once and it died mid-boss fight

Better thumbstick grips because my hands get sweaty and these feel a bit slippery compared to my old Xbox controllers

A travel case that actually fits the Slim model without it rattling around inside

Is the DualSense Edge worth it or is that just for pros because 200 dollars for a controller seems insane when I could buy like four games instead. Honestly just feeling a bit overwhelmed with the options in the store right now and I dont want to buy junk that breaks in a month...

WeekendVillain · Accepted Answer

^ This. Also, compare Western Digital WD_BLACK SN850X 1TB vs Crucial T500 1TB. WD has better sustained speeds, while Crucial's more efficient. TL;DR: prioritize heat management for the Slim model.

CatHerderPro · Answer

Ngl, the battery life on the DualSense is a massive letdown compared to the old days. I've had issues with mine dying in under six hours, which is just tragic for a modern controller. Regarding the storage, sadly, the heatsink isnt marketing fluff. Sony specifically recommends one because these Gen4 drives get hot enough to throttle your speeds or even crash the console during long RPG sessions. I'd skip the cheap brands and grab the WD_BLACK SN850X 1TB NVMe SSD with Heatsink. It's been way more reliable in my experience than the Samsung 980 PRO 1TB NVMe SSD with Heatsink which felt a bit overpriced for what you get. For the charging, dont waste money on third-party docks that feel like hollow plastic. The Sony PlayStation 5 DualSense Charging Station is basically the only one that doesnt feel like a total ripoff and actually clicks into place properly. Your HyperX sounding muddy is unfortunately common since they arent tuned for that Tempest 3D engine. The Sony Pulse 3D Wireless Headset is a decent fix, though the build quality feels a bit flimsy compared to PC gear. As for the Edge? Honestly, save your cash. It doesnt even fix the battery problem—it's actually worse than the standard one somehow. Just get some KontrolFreek Performance Thumbsticks Galaxy for PS5 for the sweat issues. For the trip, the Orzly Travel Carry Case for PS5 Slim is solid enough to keep it from rattling. Just sucks we have to spend an extra 300 bucks just to get the console where it should've been at launch, tbh.

FernFable · Answer

Honestly it is so ridiculous how much Sony expects us to shell out just to make the console usable!! I love the haptics but it is amazing how fast the battery dies... its like they didnt even test it. It drives me crazy that we pay $500 and the storage is still basically non-existent. Its such a scam!! And dont get me started on the overheating risks with these SSDs, its actually terrifying thinking your expensive console might just fry because of bad airflow. Everything feels like a cash grab lately and its exhausting trying to figure out what wont break or melt. I move my gear around a lot tho and the build quality just isnt what it used to be... companies really dont care about durability anymore as long as they get your cash!!