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[VGC] Xbox controllers are still using AA batteries ‘because of long-term Duracell deal’, spokesperson claims [Update: Eurogamer debunks]
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I don't really think you say that though. We have no idea how long the deal is or anything. If they change controller designs and stop needing batteries, there might be penalties, or they may have to pay out money for the remainder of the deal. The prospect of having to pay their old supplier a bunch of money on top of whatever they'd be paying a new company is absolutely the kind of thing that might keep them from switching to internal batteries.
Rechargable batteries are way cheaper over time. I always have some on the character ready to go so it's just quick swap.
Not a fan of having to use AAs at all. I understand why people want them, but I'm not one of those people. I've never had problems with internal rechargeable batteries, maybe with some old phones, but never had a problem with internal rechargeable batteries in controllers. Kinda annoying if this is the reason why the'yre constantly pushing it.
Just want to say that the examples you gave for arguments on both sides of the spectrum are actually on the same side. Both of them are in favor of rechargeable batteries.
Are they? I've never had the battery die in a controller. Literally never.
*touch wood*
Here to remind folks that all batteries lose their maximum capacity over time, including rechargeable ones. Depending on use the batter usually fails before the mechanical or electronic parts of the controller. Therefore I'm always in favor of having user replaceable batteries like AAs, especially when Eneloops are so good and so cheap.
I'd also like to add that keeping a second set of AAs charged and ready is much easier than a second controller. If and when a controller dies during a session, it's easy to swap AAs. Not so easy to plug in the controller when the console is > 6 feet away and the included cable is 3 feet long.
I'd also like to add that keeping a second set of AAs charged and ready is much easier than a second controller. If and when a controller dies during a session, it's easy to swap AAs. Not so easy to plug in the controller when the console is > 6 feet away and the included cable is 3 feet long.
What an obnoxious statement. If you don't have a good argument then I guess you have to resort insults.
How much did the charger cost you? One certainly isn't included with the console.
I mean talk about you missing my point LOL.
Your argument was people shouldn't complain about charging a controller when they don't complain about charging phones. There is a huge difference between the two which is why one is not a bother and the other isn't. As I said in my point when you have a family you don't always have the luxury of stopping your gaming sessions and putting everyone away and to charge. Sometime you put down the controller to deal with stuff and never come back. It's not convenient to always have to remember to charge something you only use on occasion.
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Well then there's good news: you never had to use AAs at any point. It was always a choice. Your choice. You always had other options for batteries.
Also this report seems fictitious, Microsoft is denying it and also reiterates that which batteries you use have always been your choice as well: https://www.eurogamer.net/amp/2021-...x-controllers-because-of-a-deal-with-duracell
Just buy all these other things for each variant of controller you own to make non-removable proprietary batteries more convenient than just having a bunch of charged AAs at the ready that work in basically every portable electronic device since the '50s.
but MS doesn't bundle the battery. Also the charge kit is very overpriced as well. It needs to come with the controller otherwise we are still stuck with AA batteries.
Extra cost? Ok. I'm fine with the higher price (8€ for 4 batteries) of the Xbox controller then, as it's the better controller imo. I overall prefer the Xbox hardware over anything PlayStation though. And having replaceable batteries in a controller is a plus worth the price of 4 envelop knockoffs for me.
I'm a fan of keeping double A's. I invested in a bunch of Eneloop's a few years back and it's been fantastic. They still hold a charge well, and definitely outlast my most recent PS4 controller charge, which has to get plugged in pretty regularly at this point.
This is triggering nightmares from those 360 [Charge Packs?] that were convenient but 100% would die on you in a few months, horrible horrible junk.
As someone who recently bought an Xbox wireless controller to replace my old, dying DS4, the convenience of an open battery controller that supports both rechargeable batteries and battery packs is far superior to a closed controller with none of that functionality.
I don't care what anyone else prefers but I use eneloops for my XSX controller. They last a pretty long time and are super convenient. I keep 4 of them charging next to my console at anytime. As soon as the low battery notification pops up, I grab two batteries fully charged batteries and replace them with the nearly dead ones. Mindless and done in less than 30 seconds.
You. Don't. Have. To. Plug. It. In. To. The. Console.
So you have to buy a long cable, or a power bank or sit close to a power outlet with a charger. In any case you have to use a cable
Buying batteries and chargers is OK, but a USB cable is too expensive, lol. I didn't even buy a cable, just used one from a digital camera I bought in 2010.
I'd wager most people sit near a power bank or outlet so they can charge their phone anyway.
That's amazing. Really puts into perspective how wasteful (environmentally and financially for the consumer) regular copper-top batteries are
I didn't say it's expensive. I just say that you'll need a cable connected to your wireless controller while playing. Replaceable batteries are the much better option, imo
Like most gamers, I don't own 40 years worth of retro consoles and dozens of controllers I need to keep charged so I can play with one of them spontaneously. I get that this is a niche, enthusiast forum, but that's just not how most people engage with games. And it's got nothing to do with the absurd amount of money this kind of deal and MS's continued use of AAs costs gamers.
It's not an insult, it's what you're saying. Putting a controller on a charger when you're done is just basic picking up after yourself. Ya'll have repeatedly mentioned throughout the thread that kids forget to charge controllers when they're done, and then you have a bunch of dudes who are arguing in favor of batteries for the exact same reason.
Lol. "Anyone who uses AAs is an unclean male". You're so disingenuous.
Everyone always closes their ears when someone mentions "rechargeable AAs". Literally every advantage of non-removable proprietary controller batteries is also an advantage of rechargeable AAs. Except that you can replace them whenever you want in seconds, don't ever have to plug it the controllers, and can use the batteries for plenty of other things around the house if needed.
Options are good you can turn the controller into one that has an internal battery with a play and charge kit. It would be nice if the controller was cheaper because of it tho.
Reminder: AA batteries were first introduced in 1907, and standardized in 1947. That is a huge history of use, and it is unlikely they will disappear any time soon. Contrast that with custom batteries, even going back to the 1990's, and the solutions are far more limited. AA batteries (when not stored in the controller!) are great, so far, for preservation of your controllers. Not only can you still get them, but you can also remove them before damage occurs, and without potentially damaging the hardware in doing so (especially as plastic becomes more brittle over time).
Makes me shake my damn head every time I have to replace the batteries in my Xbox controller, and even more so when so many people cling to outdated, wasteful tech like this as if it's somehow better than a modern built-in battery with USB C charging. How many millions of dead batteries do y'all think have been discarded from Xbox controllers alone since 2005?
I was pretty OK with using batteries when the usb port on my controller seemingly broke one day and stopped accepting a charge to the play and charge battery. Turns out having options is good shit
How many batteries in phones haven't been recycled properly because people just throw them out?
People throw out dead AA batteries far more often than they throw out a phone. The difference is they're throwing away dozens (or even hundreds) of batteries for a single device.
How much does this cost me? I have a set of batteries I bought for less than the PS5 charging dock during the Xbox 360/Wii generation that are still in use now.
We have eight Xbox controllers in use regularly in our home, so I'm not about to get charging docks for each of them when we can much more easily swap the batteries for the next ones ready to go.
Only if a) they use non-rechargeable AA batteries and b) they don't recycle them. My region specifically collects batteries twice a year for recycling so I can't say I've thrown out a battery in at least 15 years.
i like when people post this 8bitdo controller as some kind of revelation when xbox controllers have offered this solution for literally 15 years.IMO the perfect happy medium would be to have removable batteries, but to bundle in a play & charge kit, rather than just a couple AAs. Some of the 8bitdo controllers do this.
Overall, though, I'm much happier using my XSX controller with some Eneloops I have to change like twice a month, compared to my DS4 that felt like it was almost constantly needing to charge.
friendly reminder that if you argue against a battery that's easily user replaceable you're literally going to bat for screws, the shape of the battery, and even more planned obsolescence.
People on this forum seems to forget that there are countries like Brazil, where eneloops and akin are very pricy.... AA batteries simply is a hassle for me and many others. With internal the controller simply stays recharging when Im not playing. It NEVER is a problem.
You can't go from arguing "Kids don't remember to charge controllers" to "I don't remember to charge my controllers", and not have someone comment on it.
Others have pointed this out, but I'll do it again- a lot of people outside enthusiast forums like this don't use rechargeables, they use regular old AAs. Which is almost certainly why Duracell is so happy about this stuff.
D-do you know there exists rechargeable AAs? It's surprising, isn't it.
Just charge it after every use!
Just get a long cable!
Just get a charging dock for each controller variant!
Just buy new controllers and and pretend the dead ones!
Just disassemble the controllers and replace with a new proprietary battery that may or may not be available in the future!
Planned obsolescence is less wasteful than open standards!
Makes me shake my damn dead every time.
And those people are just as bad as the ones here that think proprietary internal controller batteries are somehow less wasteful than rechargeable AAs. That's why options are fun.
Someone says: "Use rechargeable AAs"
People like you respond: "No one uses rechargeable AAs"
I'm saying: "Well, they should use rechargeable AAs, that's the point I'm making"
We're not really disagreeing here to be honest.
Again: Every advantage of proprietary internal controller batteries is also an advantage of rechargeable AAs. Except that you can replace them whenever you want in seconds, don't ever have to plug it the controllers or put it on a dock (that only works for one variant), and can use the batteries for plenty of other things around the house if needed.
I don't follow on your first point so I left it out. If you want to elaborate I'm interested, though. Not saying I disagree with you.
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You're making a lot of assumptions here and then drawing conclusions based on those assumptions. First of all, when you say "Putting a controller on a charger" what are you talking about? The PS5 doesn't come with a charger you put the controller down on. Since the PS4/5 only come with cables it seems you're talking about another piece of hardware you need to buy and if so how is that any different than buying rechargeable batteries? As simple as it is to plug in a cable it's still an inconvenience to have to do it constantly. I have Xbox's and Playstations so speaking from experience having to constantly remember to plug in my DS is an annoyance I don't have to deal with with the Xbox controller.
Since I'm constantly having to go in and out the room due to family I don't always know when my gaming sessions will end. So I will often have to stop playing without having the controller plugged in. Using your own "taking off your shoes" example, sure it's easy enough to take them off when you get in the house and put them on when you leave if you go out. It's a simple task, right? But if you're forced to go in and out house every 15 minutes then a simple task become an inconvenience. Having that opinion doesn't mean you don't know how to keep a clean house.
You have to plug in a charger, and charge batteries, and swap batteries, which is a lot more effort than simply resting my Elite Series 2 controller on its cradle.
I never have my Elite Series 2 controller connected to a cable while playing.
Again, $180 controller so it comes with a cradle. The packed in controllers don't come with the convenience of a cradle.
Yes, charging cradles are convenient, but controllers with built in batteries don't typically have those.
You can add the option for charging cradles to Xbox's controllers BECAUSE they don't include built in batteries, though.
The cradle is nice, but plugging in the USB-C cord directly is a very tiny step down.
That is what I do with my Switch Pro controller.
Plus, you can buy a nice cradle, with rechargeable batteries included, for $30, same as the Dualsense charging cradle.
I charge my Elite Series 2 in it's case, and my standard Xbox controllers and Dualsense controllers in their respective cradles. Works great.
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