It's an unnecessary step that I don't have to deal with with the default Xbox controller. I prefer not having these little extra inconveniences in my life. To each their own.
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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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ok. Nice that you like it that way. You can buy the charge and play kit too then. The much cheaper option. And it's replaceable!!! I don't know why I would want to permanently charge my controllers though. Replacing and recharge the batteries every now and than is still what I prefer.
Please.
I plugged my charger in one time: when I opened the package. It's never left its spot.
I don't have to charge batteries, the charger does that for me, where there are always 4 fully charged at the ready, with 2 in a controller. I can also use these for my Oculus controllers, and any number of other electronic device going back to the '50s that may be in my house.
Swap batteries: I can do this in less than 10 seconds. The rechargeable AAs last so long you do this so rarely the inconvenience factor is comparable to plugging in a controller or setting it on a cradle after each session.
Not to mention: I can CHOOSE to get a battery pack if I want to have the same experience you're describing.
Your argument against convenience amounts to nothing in reality.
And there's no scenario that exists where if I forget, I'm having to use a cable/cradle in order to play.
Going with an internal battery for the Elite 2 is a regression from the Elite 1. I have both of them.
That's great, but you don't represent every Xbox controller owner, especially since MS makes you buy rechargeable batteries separately. If people are given the opportunity to be wasteful for the sake of convenience, some (in this case likely milions) are going to be wasteful. Built-in batteries don't eliminate that waste, but it does reduce it significantly.
My point is that the 8bitdo includes that battery pack, but still allows you to remove it. That's how they should sell Xbox controllers, imo.
I've tried the charge-and-play kits from Microsoft as well as third party ones previously for my Xbox 360/Xbox One controllers. They stopped working in about a year in both cases. I still prefer a good internal battery than fiddling with AAs because the rechargeable solutions for Xbox Controllers tend to suck.
you're right, 100%. sorry if that came across snarky. that is the way batteries should be done.
are you suggesting that batteries are somehow better quality if they're "internal"?
the irony here is that when those internal batteries stop holding a charge, there will eventually be no way to get good oem replacements, while something made to hold AA batteries (whether you use AAs or not) is inherently more future proof.
This. I would hate for MS to switch to internal batteries especially based on the battery packs which I got in the 360 days all 3 official ones I had stopped working within a few years.
I agree with everything you said here. A controller with rechargeable AAs costs a little more up front (assuming you need to buy the $18 Eneloop starter kit), but it is much more versatile and convenient, as well as less wasteful in the long term. People are defending what they own/prefer rather than objectively weighing the benefits of removable battery solutions, which is literally always the case with these battery debate threads.
Mhmm. Take the internal tech of a Dual Sense and put it into and Xbox Elite Controller shell (that has a AA slot), and in my opinion you have the perfect controller.
They'll never do that, though, because people would get one and then stop buying controllers.
So, based on what I read, the spokesperson is actually saying that they're using AA batteries because customers like the option of using rechargeable or regular AAs, not that Duracell is holding a gun to their head.
The original article seems kinda clickbaity. That, or I'm misreading.
The original article seems kinda clickbaity. That, or I'm misreading.
My only issue is that the total cost of controller + some sort of rechargeable solution is higher than I'd like.
The base controller costs the same as the Switch Pro controller, yet I need to spend an additional $30~ AUD up front on top of that before I have a complete setup (USB-C MS solution is $29.99AUD, Eneloops + Charger is a tad higher). The real cost for somebody on first time investment is >= $120AUD. This is more than the significantly more feature-rich DualSense.
Also, those that are worried about internal batteries failing over time - I suspect other components like the analog stick are more likely to cause issues over internal battery drain for most consumers, no?
The base controller costs the same as the Switch Pro controller, yet I need to spend an additional $30~ AUD up front on top of that before I have a complete setup (USB-C MS solution is $29.99AUD, Eneloops + Charger is a tad higher). The real cost for somebody on first time investment is >= $120AUD. This is more than the significantly more feature-rich DualSense.
Also, those that are worried about internal batteries failing over time - I suspect other components like the analog stick are more likely to cause issues over internal battery drain for most consumers, no?
So what's the alternative for charging a controller while playing?
Never got the big deal. I like that I have the option. Would it be better if the play and charge kit came with the system? Absolutely. Other than that it's not a big deal to me
you can use any usb power source such as a phone charging brick. I have outlets by my couch that are more accessible to me than running a wire to the console.
are the eneloops worth the price? I feel I only get 5-7 hours of playtime from my energizer rechargables
Honestly I don't care either way. By the time the internal battery on a controller won't hold a charge people will have moved on to the new gen and forgotten about it. Saying that I don't mind AA's for the Xbox because it allows myself and my wife to act as a conduit to the kids being able to use their Xboxes since we control the batteries. For younger kids this isn't an issue since they're usually agreeable but the older kids complain. We just shrug our shoulders and move on.
There's 2 reasons this makes no sense.
1) Elite V2 exists
2) People can use their own batteries lol
In the end, external batteries are better overall so no issue even if this was true
1) Elite V2 exists
2) People can use their own batteries lol
In the end, external batteries are better overall so no issue even if this was true
Tell that to my busted Move controllers that struggle to hold a charge while Sony try to make me use them for a third generation 🥲
They're so expensive to replace. I wish I could just Chuck some new AAs in those.
An alternative would be eneloops; simply swap the eneloops and stick the others in the charger. Which is what I do exclusively for my controllers, it saves a lot of clutter for devkits which already have many cords of their own.
Which is frankly what frustrates me about these discussions, people somehow thinking that a fixed internal battery would somehow be a quality of life improvement where for me it would do the exact opposite and just make desk space worse. I don't need people deciding that for me.
Yeah. It's a good thing with Xbox that I can keep using all the last-gen controllers with the same rechargeable AAs+charger I got 3 generations ago! Open-standards and forward compatibility for the win. Great move on Microsoft's part.
Don't get me wrong I love that they allow AA use especially since they allow last gen controllers. I just don't really see an issue with internal batteries since I have an Elite 2. Then again it's different because I can use this controller back and forth. Still yes I see the issue with internal for people and I don't totally dismiss it.
The Eneloop fanatics are so goddamn annoying. Congratulations, you're championing a brand that offers comparable performance (and actually slightly inferior) to several others at a higher cost. Hooray for you. Era's absurd love for Eneloops is completely beyond me. Do you people not realize Laddas give you the exact same performance at less than half the price or something?
This is a weird take given the fact that the PS Move Controller came out in 2010 during the PS3 era and is still a usable controller today on the PS5 with PSVR. Also, DualShock 4 controllers and Xbox One controllers released in 2013 are also compatible with the PS5 and Series X. Controllers are moving across generations these days which makes the ability to replace a degrading battery even more important. Not to mention these controllers work on PC too.
I kinda take 'Eneloops' as a catch all name for 'decent rechargeable batteries' at this point.
Like when people say 'hoover' instead of vacuum cleaner and 'tannoy' instead of public address system.
I think you're missing my point. The Xbox equivalent to the internal battery, the charge and play style kits that you insert, I've had those stop functioning for me. Meanwhile the internal batteries in My PS4 Controllers, Switch Controllers and Wii U Controllers, were better quality internal batteries compared to the Xbox charge and play equivalent.
I have 4 Xbox One/Series X Controllers and 2 Switch Controllers that use AAs. I'm just tired of constantly playing the game of battery organization and constantly taking batteries in and out of Controllers and having to charge them in the bases. Shit gets annoying. Its just way more convenient to plug my PS4 Controllers in the console and forget about it.
I see what you mean and it does make sense... it's just weird how loyal some people seem to be to the Eneloop brand specifically considering there's slightly better stuff on offer for significantly less asking price.
It of course is an issue if you don't want to mess around with cables while playing 🤷🏼
I could get behind that.
But then you'll get people complaining that's wasteful, too. Like when Apple decided to stop including chargers.
Hmm, what do you mean? I know Microsoft already includes AAs and a cable. Just change the AA batteries to the rechargeable battery pack.
There's no cable I've ever seen. Except with the Elite Controllers and Play and Charge kits. I guess the PC Xbox controller packs had one too if I remember? I can't remember!
I like the idea. Feel like Microsoft's deal with Duracell doesn't allow that at the moment, though?
Hmm, really? I could have sworn the Xbox One and One X I purchased had one. Are you in the US? Maybe it is that, or maybe I am wrong.
Canada. We get a poutine in box but that's it.
Edit: You made me dig out my old boxes to double-check. Can't see anything. I did find an expired 14-day Xbox Live Gold code, though.
I think you are right regardless. I just watched a couple of youtube One X unboxing videos and they didn't have one included. Dang, that is a shame. Maybe just include a pre-charged rechargeable battery pack then if they think everyone has a cable.
Eurogamer states otherwise
No, Microsoft isn't forced to use batteries in Xbox controllers because of a deal with Duracell
You may have read reports which suggested Microsoft is forced to use AA batteries in Xbox controllers because of a long…
www.eurogamer.net
I think they decided on AA batteries and then made a deal with a manufacturer. At the end of the day, replaceable batteries work out to be much more efficient when you have multiple devices that use them. Don't have to worry about a USB port wearing out or forgetting to charge the batteries between sessions.
Personally, I'd actually like it if the 18650 battery was what they used but that's not as common so I get why no one puts it in a mainstream device.
Non-replaceable batteries just make the whole controller a write-off once the batteries start going dead but I still have xbox controllers from a decade ago that still work fine because of this.
Personally, I'd actually like it if the 18650 battery was what they used but that's not as common so I get why no one puts it in a mainstream device.
Non-replaceable batteries just make the whole controller a write-off once the batteries start going dead but I still have xbox controllers from a decade ago that still work fine because of this.
I also think people have come to associate eneloops as rechargeable just like Kleenex and Xerox.
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