You might not have realised it but you can charge your PS3 controller by plugging the USB charging lead into a bog standard USB port on a PC or Mac.
No need to have the PS3 powered up and draining your household electricity. Much better to use that PC you’re checking your email on and browsing the net. 
Yes, I’ll freely admit I hadn’t thought of this, mainly because the controllers last quite a while and it’s usually when I’m playing a game that I notice there’s one bar of power left.
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Alex M. (22 comments.) on September 2, 2010 at 8:39 am.
Heh, this is the one and only way I charge my PS3 controller.
David Nicol (210 comments.) on September 2, 2010 at 8:45 am.
Yup, me too. Although there is miniscule advantage to connecting the controller to the PS3 and that is to remove/reduce input lag from the bluetooth (although if you’re that pernickety about things like that you’d be playing wired anyhoo).
Alex M. (22 comments.) on September 2, 2010 at 8:47 am.
Oh, so it actually does send the signal over the USB connection? I wondered if it bothered to or not.
Mark (14 comments.) on September 2, 2010 at 10:42 am.
It does and we found this because when playing it would kill the signal from the router to the laptop – a distance of some 20ft. Plug controller into lead and signal came back. This was an older router and I forget what I tried but I could replicate every time. With the current router all is okay.
mjwhittle (51 comments.) on September 2, 2010 at 10:29 am.
I tried to charge my 4G iPhone on the playstation last night but it crashed it. The phone completely shuts down the PS3. Un plugged the USB cable and it work perfect. How strange
Conor on September 2, 2010 at 11:40 am.
I have two controllers so I always leave one to charge and use the other one. Never had to turn the ps3 on just to recharge or had to stop a game to recharge. I also leave a usb in the ps3 at all times which stored only the backups of my ps3 saves. After the yellow light of death last christmas I am not getting caught again. It did show me what games I could get rid off as I wouldn’t play them again.