Are The PS4 USB Ports Always On? (The Truth)

I’m sure you love your PS4 but are the PS4 USB ports always on? If so this could make all our electrical bills that much higher, so I decided to find out the answer.

So, are PS4 USB ports always on?

Using the PS4’s rest mode you can control how your PS4 supplies power to it’s USB’s! Either power is supplied to the USB ports always, only for 3 hours after it’s on rest mode or off altogether. To change your PS4 power settings including the USB settings. Settings > Power Save Settings> Set Features Available in Rest Mode.

The PS4 having this feature is interesting as it’s completely absent in the Xbox One(see my article here) and having a USB that always has power is quite a common feature in most PCs & Laptops.

I will discuss in detail other ways you can reduce your PS4 power consumption, how long you can leave your PS4 on for and what happens if the PS4 says there are too many devices connected.

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How To Change Rest Mode Settings

Rest mode is a fantastic feature that I wrote about in detail here and only by using it can you control how your PS4 supplies charge to its USB ports but there are many other ways you can change how much electricity your PS4 uses to make it more economical.

To change your PS4 power settings including the USB settings navigate to the following  Settings > Power Save Settings> Set Features Available in Rest Mode

Supply Power to USB Port:

You have three options always,3 hours or off. With always your PS4 will always supply power via its USB ports like most devices, 3 hours you’re PS4 will supply it’s USB ports with 3 hours of charge just after it enters rest mode. Which gives just enough time for you to charge your controllers.

Off means, your pS4 will never provide power to its USB ports which is the most energy-efficient.

Stay Connected to the Internet

This enables the PS4 to stay connected to the internet to download game updates, issue system updates and download games you purchased whilst in rest mode. I recommend keeping this on, and it will save you a lot of time with installing updates and games when your PS4 is on rest mode.

Enable Turning on PS4 From Network

You can choose if you want your PS4 to be connected to the network. This is useful if you use PS4 Remote play on your Windows PC, Mac, or Android device.

Keep Application Suspended

This allows you to quickly play an application or game you were playing before entering rest mode, so you can start exactly where you left off. You should keep this on, as it saves you a lot of time resuming the game and waiting for it to load.

Check out this YouTube video for a visual explanation in case you’re getting confused

How To Charge Your PS4 Controllers Without Rest Mode/In A Power Outlet

What if for whatever reason you don’t want to use rest mode? Maybe you have pets or children and don’t feel comfortable having your console in rest mode. Since you should NEVER unplug your console whilst it’s updating.

Luckily for you, there is a cheap solution! Have you ever tried to charge your PS4 controllers in a normal outlet/plug and find it doesn’t charge? Sony for whatever reason did this on purpose so it will only charge using your PS4 USB ports but of course, you don’t want to use rest mode?

The official Sony PS3 AC Adapter(it works with the PS4) from Amazon) solves this issue! With only one outlet/plug you can charge 2 different USB devices which could be 2 PS4 controllers so you can charge your controllers without using your PS4 USB ports!

It includes a 4.92 ft USB cable so it leaves you some room to breathe, charging PS4 controllers without using the PS4 USB ports, handy right?

Is there a USB port on the back of the ps4?

It depends on what PS4 you have, the standard PS4 has two USB 3.0 ports located at the front of the console whilst the PS4 Pro has 2 ports on the rear.

The left port is a special SUX port for plugging in the PS camera that you need to PSVR(virtual reality), whilst the one on the right is a standard USB 3.0 port for plugging accessories such as charging cables or external hard drives.

How long can you leave ps4 on?

A PS4 does not run on batteries so as long as it doesn’t overheat it could be on for a very long time. Is it a good idea to have your PS4 update/download games when the PS4 is on? No, it is not.

Rest mode is a far superior option when download files as your PS4 will not have resource running other programs, so it can put its full power into downloading whatever you need. If you leave your PS4 on for many days without putting it into rest mode, you could get hardware failure due to overheating.

Personally, whenever I’m not using my PS4 I would have hit in rest mode or switch it off. There is no point in leaving your PS4 on for more than a short while if you’re not using it, as rest mode will automatically resume your applications/games where you left them.

In this Quora post, a user said they left their PS4 on for 18 hours give or take but they wouldn’t do that often. Leaving your PS4 on without rest mode will cause overheating problems.

Check out the video below for signs on when your PS4 is overheating. It will either beep loudly 3 times or show a message saying your PS4 is overheating.

Why does my ps4 say too many USB devices connected?

Certain PS4 users receive the error message of too many USB devices connected to their PS4, this is especially annoying when you have no USB devices connected! This occurs due to several reasons.

  • An abrupt logical (programmatic) error within the PS4 system itself. This is caused by a game/application file that has a problem with the PS4 system files getting corrupted. This is a common feature in gaming consoles or computers
  • An abrupt logical (programmatic) error within the PS4 system itself. Self-explanatory you are simply using too many USB devices for your PS4 to understand.
  • A defective PS4 USB port. You could have a broken/defective USB port that will cause electric shocks whenever a device is connected to it. The PS4 will understand there is an issue and the error message will appear
  • A malfunctioning USB connector The device you’re connecting into the PS4 might be causing the problem
  • A random electric surge damaged your PS4 USB ports. This causes your PS4 to be confused with understanding the signals coming from the USB ports causing the system to think there are too many USB storage devices connected when there are not.

To fix these problems have a look at this site the PS4 storage expert

How do I clean the USB ports on my ps4?

I wrote about how to clean your PS4 and stop it from sounding like a jet engine in detail here, but I will discuss how to clean your PS4 USB ports.

Now you will need a can of compressed air that you can buy from most electronic stores or this Falcon Dust off can from Amazon.

Simply take your can of air and shot short bursts of air throughout the middle area of the console, and do the same with the USB ports on the front(if original PS4

) and two on the back if you have a PS4 Pro.

After, shoot a continuous burst across the top of the console to blow off the dust build-up. Finally, use an electrical wipe such as this Endust surface cleaning wipes from Amazon to clean the whole surface area of the PS4 and wipe the dirt.

Check out this handy video on how to clean your PS4 and get it looking as good as new!

Recommended Products

PS3/PS4 AC Adaptor

Falcon Dust, Off Compressed Gas 

Endust Electronic Surface Cleaning Wipe