Updating PS5 DualSense Controller – It Should Be Easier

Got a notification to update the DualSense controller on your PlayStation 5 console? Then you should update it right then and there. If you choose to do so later, here’s the thing – you cannot manually perform the update.

I ran into this issue when I was notified of an update for the DualSense controller after updating my PS5. The update requires the DualSense to be connected to the PS5 through a USB cable, and once that’s done, I only needed to press X to start the update.

At least, that’s what I was supposed to do. Instead, I accidentally dismissed the notification with the O button, which I did out of habit. After all, O was previously the confirmation button for PlayStation consoles outside of the Western market for the longest time.

Anyway, after this little incident, I decided to dig through the settings page to try to manually update the DualSense. Unfortunately, there’s no such option. I’ll need to wait 24 hours after dismissing the notification – as shown in the screen above – for the PS5 to prompt the update again.

There is a workaround to this, but it does require you to jump through a couple of hoops. As The Verge pointed out, you’ll need to disconnect the PS5 from the internet, skip the internal clock 24 hours forward, and voila: you’ll get the notification again once you’ve rebooted the console or reconnected the DualSense controller.

Of course, this is not a particularly big issue, but it’s odd that users cannot manually perform the DualSense update without needing to trick the console’s internal clock. Anyway, lesson learnt: always press X instead of O for confirmation on the PS5.