Hobbies And Interests
Standard Charging
The typical way to charge a DualShock 3 controller is to plug it into one of the USB ports on the PS3. You can use it if you want to continue playing a game while it charges. Your PS3 comes with a controller and a USB cord for charging, but if you purchase another controller, you may not get a cord with it. If you want a second cable you'll need to purchase it separately.
PC Charging
Since the charging cord for the DualShock controllers connects to a standard USB port on the PS3, it will just as easily connect to a USB port on a PC. Your PC will charge the controller up while it's plugged in, so you have another option for charging controllers if you don't have access to your PS3 for some reason. The recharge time shouldn't be much different than it is on the PS3. While the controller charges, the LEDs on it will flash, and when the charging is complete, they'll turn off.
Use While Charging
If your controller is within range of your PS3, you can press the PS button on the controller to connect it and use it like you normally would. This usually isn't very practical, but the control will work just fine while charging. If you use the controller while it's charging, you can still keep an eye on the LEDs to see when the charging finishes, but instead of all the LEDs flashing, only one will flash in this case. Press and hold the PS button for a couple of seconds to display the battery charge level on your TV. Unfortunately you cannot use your PS3 controller as a game pad for a computer game; the PC will charge the controller, but it won't recognize it or interact with it.
Saving Battery Life
If you want to avoid frequent recharges, you have a few options to minimize drain on the controller's battery. Go to the "Settings" section of the XMB menu and select "Accessory Settings." You can select "Controller Vibration Function" to turn off the vibration, which will increase your battery life, sometimes dramatically. You can also ensure that the controller is set to turn itself off after a certain amount of inactivity. Select "Power Save Settings" from the "Settings" section; then select "Controller Auto-Off" to set your preference. Also, you can manually turn off your controller if you're going to leave the PS3 on but not play it for a while. Just press and hold the PS button until a list of options appears on the screen and select "Turn Off the Controller." You can do this from the XMB menu or even in a game.