Every gamer would like an easier way to charge their controllers. The recently released Power Station for Xbox One (our review here) is a perfect solution, providing gamers with a convenient charging station for the system and two rechargeable batteries. Since the PS4’s Dualshock 4 controllers are sealed and can't be provided with replaceable batteries, NYKO had to try different tactics.... and they didn't succeed.
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It's odd that they settled on this for the PS4. The Modular Charge Kit comes with two retractable Micro USB cables that work just like any others, except they're skinnier and feel more fragile than most. Since the system comes with a wire that is longer than these retractable ones, they seem useless. The retracting feature itself is finicky and if you pull on your wire accidentally when it's plugged in it will begin to retract, making you extend it again until it clicks and stays in place.
They're too short to use while charging, so the one thing they're handy for is hanging off the system- their retractability means you won't have wires hanging off of the system, just a little dongle.
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They're also easily hidden in the Modular Charge Kit itself, which attaches to the right side of the PS4 the same way the Power Station does to the left side of the Xbox One. Of course, the Power Station serves a purpose, as it needs the USB port on the left side of the Xbox One. What’s the purpose of extending the size of your PS4 just for a box to hold charge cables?
Well, to make up for its needless girth, Nyko has added a cleaning brush to the top of the accessory that can be used to clean the PS4. This brush is actually pretty nifty and has a lip that can be clicked out in order to get into the crevices of the middle of the PS4. It works surprisingly well at picking up dust and is useful for cleaning your entire entertainment system, so if you're looking to put a brush nearby that lets you dust whenever you get the hankering, this might be your best bet.
But $20 for two tiny micro-usb cables and a brush isn't exactly easy to swallow, especially when you consider that this is a better cleaning accessory than charging solution.
(If you want something from the company that makes it easier to just charge your controllers I'd look into Nyko's Modular Charge Station instead, which is the same price and lets you plop your controllers onto the station on top of the PS4 to charge them. We haven’t personally tried this product ourselves and can't vouch for it, however.)
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The Modular Charge Kit was reviewed from a unit provided by Nyko. It's available in stores now.