Everything You Need to Know About PS4 USB Ports

Every PS4 gamer is clear about the great significance of USB ports on the console. Though, many of them actually have not had a comprehensive understanding of these ports. For exemple, some think that it would be better if there are four or more PS4 USB ports, which essentially may have a negative impact. To learn more about these ports, you should not miss this post. Here we are going to let you know everything about PS4 USB ports, such as their supported devices and the correct way to use them. If you are interested in these matters, let’s read on.

What Are PS4 USB Ports

PS4 USB ports are the ports located on the front side of your console. As a place for you to plug the USB cable, the USB port enable you to connect other compatible devices and transfer digital data, making the console more versatile. In addition, they can also serve as a charger to supply electric power to ensure your device can run well. Scroll down to know more details about this part.

Source: PS4 Storage

How Many USB Ports on PS4

There are totally two USB ports on a PS4 game console, whose pattern and design are the same as the previous versions of the PlayStaion consoles, such as PS2 and PS3. However, it should be noted that Sony added an additional USB port on the back of the PlayStation Pro version along with the AUX, HDMI, and LAN ports.

What Are the PS4 USB Port Basic Features

Some of you may have not known clearly about what can PS4 USB ports do in practice. Now let’s explore the major features of PS4 USB ports in detail. Generally speaking, these ports have three basic functions as follows:

• USB 3.0/3.1 Generation 1

Both PS4 and PS4 Pro boast USB 3.0/3.2 ports. This type of USB has a SuperSpeed transfer rate of 5 Gbit/s with a size of 625 mb/s in reality. This design considerably improves the efficiency of data transfer between your console and other devices and makes PS4 much faster than the previous versions. The USB 3.0/3.1 port may be not so fast as the USB 3.1 Gen 2 or the USB 3.2, whose transfer rate is up to 10 Gbit/s, but it performs more suitable for PS4 or PS4 Pro.

• Bi-Directional

The PS4 USB 3.0/3.1 is bi-directional, which means that it can read and write data at the same time. This feature offers you more convenient service, because it allows you to download a file from your console and upload data to it simultaneously with no need to wait for the former task to complete. For instance, you can download movies and also upload photos on your PS4 all at once.

• Power-Saving

The USB 3.0/3.1 port has a power-saving utility. If you connect another device to your console through the USB port and the device is not in use, it will enter the sleep mode so as to save more energy.

What Are the PS4 USB Port Supported Devices

The major purpose of designing USB ports is to create connection with other devices and thus it is essential to find out the compatible devices that can be connected to your PS4. Below are a list of devices that PS4 USB ports support to work with:

• Controllers

The PS4 USB port is of course designed to connect its controller. You can not only use them to play the games you like, but also charge the battery to provide enough power.

• External Storage Devices

The USB ports on your PS4 also can support your external storage device, including USB flash memories, USB external SSDs, and USB external hard drives. Through connecting these devices, you are able to easily expand your storage and backup your data.

• USB Hub

When you would like to increase the number of your PS4 USB ports, you can choose to plug a USB hub to one of the existing ports. However, in this case, you cannot employ external storage devices as extended storage but only as backup storage. Also, PlayStation VR is unable to work when the USB hub is attached.

• Keyboard and Mouse

Your keyboard and mouse can be connected to the PS4 console through the USB ports so that you can navigate the PS4 system menu, type texts, browse the web, and do many other things. To do this, simply go to Settings, select “Devices” from the menu, and then click “External Keyboard”.

• PS4 Accessories 

There are a variety of USB devices that can work with PS4 and help you gain better gaming experience, such as PS VR and headsets. You can use these accessories by plugging them into the USB ports.

What Is the PS4 USB Port Transfer Spead

Considering usually PS4 is equipped with USB 3.0 while PS4 Pro uses USB 3.1, there are acutally some differences in terms of the USB port transfer speed. Here is the detailed explaination:

• USB 3.0

This transfer speed is known as SuperSpeed USB, too. Compared with USB 2.0, USB 3.0 achieved significant improvement on performance and speed. Besides, it also refined power management and enhanced bandwidth capability. The two unidirectional data paths enable you to read and write data simultaneously in a easy manner. By these changes, USB 3.0 can support a transfer rate that is up to 5.0 GBps or 640 MBps. Due to the issue of USB 3.1, now USB 3.0 is officially renamed to “USB 3.1 Gen1”.

• USB 3.1

USB 3.1 is known as SuperSpeed+ as well and it is the latest version of the USB protocol. With a high transfer rate of 10 Gbps, at present this version is widely used in many devices for improved performance and speed, including PS4 consoles.

How to Use PS4 USB Ports

With a USB cable, you are capable of connecting a USB device to your PS4 console directly through the USB ports on the front side by pugging each end of the cable to the port and the device.

You can simply plug USB cables into the ports no matter whether the two or more devices are turned on or not. What you should pay attention to is make sure that you follow the instructions provided by your equipmemt before you unplug the cables. If you diconnect the USB cable when your PS4 is running, a damage can happen to the device or the files being used, which leads to data loss or other potential risks. Therefore, it is recommended that you eject your USB device safely before unplugging it from the port.

If you want to apply a USB hub on your PS4, just plug it into one USB port. Once done, you are able to use multiple USB devices at the same time. Please adopt their corresponding USB cables to connect each of them to the ports on the hub separately. Note that when your USB hub is working, your external hard drives can only serve as a backup storage. If you want it to work as an extended storage, you will have to plug it directly into your PS4 USB port.

What Happens When a PS4 USB Port Is Not Working

In general, assuming you insert and remove a USB device repeatedly and quickly, your PS4 USB port is much likely to stop responding, which indicates it will not be able to recognize USB devices anymore and will not work normally. 

Somtimes it may be confusing to confirm if a PS4 USB port is not working. You can notice the following phenomena that implies your USB port may be not at work:

• The device cannot be detected.
• The PS4 system sends an error message that is relevant to the device.
• The PS4 does not turn on or close down in accordance with your instruction when it is connected to a USB device.
• The PS4 turns slow or freezes when the extended storage is being used.
• The PS4 shuts down suddenly.

Moreover, you can take care of the below error messages that will be displayed when there are issues with USB connection:

• Too many USB devices connected.
• Connect a USB storage device containing an update.
• The USB storage device is not connected.
• Cannot Start the Application (CE-30005-8).

How to Fix a Damaged PS4 USB Port

When you are unfortunately facing a damaged PS4 USB port, you must implement a physical examination on the device.

First of all, you should make sure that the malfunction appears on the USB port rather than your PS4. To check this, attempt to connect this device to the other USB port. If it works, then the previous port should be damaged or corrupted; if it remains undetected, then either your device is faulty or the first USB port is defective. Under the latter circumstance, we suggest that you plug the USB device into a computer to verify the problem source by observing whether it is recognized by the PC or not.

If there is a problem with your device, you should consider the ways below to address the issue:

• Restart your PS4 console.
• Update the PS4 system software and firmware by navigating to “System Software Update” in the Settings menu and following the on-screen instructions.
• Rebuild the database in the Safe Mode.
• Reformat your USB drive.
• Replace the USB drive.

If you confirm that there is something wrong with your USB port, you will need to turn off the console and check how it has been damaged. Then you could try clearing it with a compressed air spray or a clean and soft cloth, because dirt and dust in the port can reduce the performance. Cleaning dust regularly is a good method to make your ports stay in good condition. If that still cannot help you, you should try to contact with professionals to fix your damaged port.

Bonus Tips for PS4 Users

With USB connectivity, you can back up and transfer game data, charge controllers, and expand storage space. But for some power users, the applications of USB go even further. Get the most out of your PS4’s USB connectivity by checking out some of these handy tips. And don’t forget to jailbreak your system if you want to push your PS4 to its limits!

• Use a USB hub to connect multiple devices if you need more ports. Choose a powered hub for the best performance.
• Connect your PS4 controller to a phone charger via USB when the battery is low to charge it faster.
• Backup your game data periodically on a USB drive to avoid losing progress if data gets corrupted or deleted.
• Use a USB keyboard and mouse for easier text input and navigation in menus.
• Connect a USB audio card for upgraded sound when using headphones.

FAQs

Does PS4 use USB 2 or 3? 

The USB ports on standard PS4 and PS4 Pro are USB 3.0 and USB 3.1 respectively. With transfer rates that are up to 5 GBps, they have a higher speed and better performance compared with the previous versions.

What are the ports on the back of the PS4?

There are five ports on the back of the PS4, which include one AC port for power cables, one DIGITAL port for audio output, one HDMI port for video output, one LAN port for the network, and one AUX port for cameras. If you are using a PS4 Pro, there is an additional USB 3.0 port on its back.

Can I use a USB splitter on a PS4?

Yes, you can use a USB splitter on your PS4 ideally. However, this may pose some risks to you because USB splitters might not be able to provide enough power for all the devices connected if they exceed what their original ports can offer. Thus it is more recommended you use a USB hub, which is less likely to result in issues.

Conclusion

There is no doubt that PS4 USB ports offer strong utilities to this popular game console. Through these port, we are able to obtain more wonderful gaming experience so it is necessary to have a full understanding of them. Seeking to provide detailed and clear guidelines to you, this post dives into everything you need to know about the USB ports on your PS4 console. In addition to the introduction to PS4 USB ports, here we explain their usage and help you find the methods to know and deal with malfunctions on them. Hopefully you will be able to learn more about the USB ports after reading the article. If you have other questions about PS4 USB ports or have anything unclear in this post, it is welcome to leave a comment to us and we will try our best to give you an answer as soon as possible.