MS really can't just give me a rechargeable controller....

I dunno, probably shouldn't irritate me as much as it does, but I'm considering returning my xbox1 on principle. Especially considering the first thing I pull out of the box is a little pamphlet saying "Hey, go buy a play and charge kit now." Why is it that Sony can package their console with rechargeable controllers from day 1 of the ps3, and MS still packages their console with AA's?

Did this irritate anybody else, or is it just me?

Not so much, but they are nickel n dimming us. They make up profits from their official accessories, they make a killing on selling us a $60 controller, $25 battery and cable. It helps them absorb the money the lose on selling the system itself.

Now with that said I have the play n charge kit, since I installed it my controller randomly disconnects. I leave it plug in all night so it should have a full charge. I don't mind having replaceable batteries because over time those rechargeable batteries will die. If their built into the controller you'll more then likely need a new controller. My issue is if you're going to sell it make sure it works as mine just doesn't.

No, I don't know why you like inferior things

Go buy a set of rechargeable AA's and have the best possible way to power a controller

You like Sony's cheap way to power a controller? You like the ability not to select larger capacity batteries to play for longer and not have to worry about a controller?

Stop complaining about good things

on principle ~ understandable, I feel ya. Now for me I think AA rechargeables is the best choice. Look at DS4 right now battery is 800mha... Thing gets 8 hours of life then your screwed that you gotta go back to playing with fucking cable. Always gotta put it on the charger at the end of the day. Then in the past i had two of those packs for 360 die on me which made me switch to rechargeable AA's and i have yet to have one of these die on me.

I have 16 batteries so 8 pairs, I charge all them in one day and set to game for the next month or two

Microsoft's approach is better in my opinion. If your PS4 Controller has any battery issues you're completely screwed, where as for the Xbox One you can just get a new pair. Also there's other accessories besides the play and charge kit all rechargeable.

Not to mention if you just want to use regular batteries the controller will last forever. My first week with my Xbox One I lasted the whole time playing several hours a day without replacing them, I was shocked how long it lasted.

They are funneling our money out of our pockets. Xbox One $524.99 and the games end up being around $80. Wow we got screwed.

PS3 controllers lasted an incredibly long time without needing a recharge. There was never any worrying to be done, especially since you could easily turn one off and turn on another and easily have it know it was 'you'. Xone should have gone this route.

You don't have a PS4 do you?

@Jaysonguy:

I don't have a PS4 either so I cannot comment on the battery life vs the PS3 however the PS 3 controller really did its job and when one of my batteries was past its prime, it was a $5 fix.

I've games primarily on the Xbox for a very long time and its certainly the nickel & diming that has me not buying an Xbox One.

What's interesting is the name for Sony fans on System Wars is Cow because of all money Sony was milking on accessories from memory cards to multitap to Ethernet adapters to hard drives. However from the 360 era to now, those roles seem to have reversed.

Kind of sucks that on top of buying play & charge kits, I had to remove the shield from my 360's A /V cables in order to use the Skullcandy SLYR hesdset I bought my son for Christmas without having to buy (you got it) another adapter. I won't even get into DLC pricing/policies or hard drive prices.

With the PS3 you have to purchase two controllers to be always wireless. With the 360 all you needed was to use the rechargable batteries you already own with the original controller. I wonder which way is cheaper?

Why would you buy play and charge kits?

Rechargeable AA's should already be in your house if you have any sort of tech and if you don't they're ten bucks for 4 of them plus charger during the holidays

There's no reason at all to have specialized batteries, hell even my cordless phones from Panasonic use rechargeable AAA's

I use batteries and they last me a good while.

I agree TC.

I don't like the Xbone "buy your own and maintain your batteries" approach either, especially considering the competition on other machines (Wii U, PS4, PS3), smartphones, and handhelds (3DS, Vita, PSP, DS) includes rechargeable batteries. The official Play and Charge kit is $25, so It's obvious they didn't want to short that stream of cash they saw on 360.

Just have to deal with this battery issue another generation I suppose. Some people will passionately defend this decision as loyal hardcore fans/PR fiends, which is their passion and right. Myself as a gamer with a variety of machines would prefer the rechargeable route, but the Xbone is the oddman out this gen.

*Shrugs*

@Jaysonguy: Inferior? Clearly AA's are past tech and are being phased out for a superior rechargeable system that virtually every other device and console uses. Nintendo, Sony, smartphones, tablets, even my headset uses a rechargeable battery source. Your solution to my complaint is that I should go spend more money because they gave me a piece of obsolete hardware.

WTF?

Rechargeable batteries are current tech

Way to not understand basic things

@Jaysonguy:

I can't think of anything in my home that uses AA batteries except for a few toddler toys where the batteries usually last longer than the toys themselves. I can't remember how many years it's been since I've had a landline and even when I did, my cordless phones all had their own rechargeable packs. Don't even use a TV remote anymore because it can all be done right from our smartphones. And speaking of smartphones, even a $10 Tracfone has a rechargable battery.

Use rechargable AA's you say? Sounds like something I used to do on my Sega Genesis and PSOne. Further more, I wouldn't use them anyway. I to have a toddler and Xbox controller battery compartments are not child safe. Wouldn't risk my 2 year old swallowing a rechargable AA because a multibillion dollar corporation wants to run a cow milking play & charge scam.

Looking around my house, I can't find a single thing right now that takes AA or AAA batteries. Not my cell phones, not my Bluetooth, not my eCigarettes and not my laptop. Sorry but I don't own electronics from the 1990's. Wait a minute. I did find something. Yes. It appears that my wall clocks take AA batteries. I think I change them about every year or two. So do my 360 controllers but I actually bought into the play & charge scam. Only did that half way though since I made sure they weren't licensed adapters.

I've been in this same debate countless times since 2005 and the only people who defend the practice are blind loyalists who couldn't find anything wrong with the console if it bit them and even defended horse armor.

These kinds of people are not just limited to Xbox fans either. Its the exact same logic that cows used when they said games didnt need rumble and the same logic they use now to defend shitty accessories like the generic soundingPulse Elites which come with no warranty beyond 30 days and offer absoutely no repair options at any price. No matter what the issue is, loyalists will defend with pride. The only difference in opinion has to do with the persons product of choice.

And speaking of headphones, should I really have to buy some kind of chat adapter when available in order to use my Audiophile grade headphones which work perfectly fine on a PC, Xbox 360, PS3 and PS 4? I already mentioned the adaptor scam so my son can use his Skullcandy SLYR's on the 360. Thanks but no thanks. No more accessory scams for me.

But you'd have at least two controllers anyway, just because you'd need a second to have someone else join. It's not like it was an added expense just for convenience.

Yeah the battery time on the new X1 controllers is sick. It felt more than double the amount of time the 360 controller used to last. Also, I agree, I much prefer being able to use my own rechargeables because you can easily replace them after a while when they don't last as long. With the built-in rechargeable, you're stuck with the same battery for the life of the controller.

Ok, you're living more of an ummmm, minimalistic lifestyle

I mean people who live regularly should have plenty of AA's and some AAA's

@Jaysonguy:

How's my lifestyle minimalistic? I own many electronics and pretty much anything that isn't wired either to the wall or powered by USB uses Li-Ion or NiMH such as my DAC/Headphone Amp, portable stereo/docking station, Dewalt power tools, etc, etc , etc. Maybe you just need to stop buying all your tools and electronics at Kmart, Big Lots and CVS.

Even Nintendo has phased out AA batteries. Everybody except for Microsoft trying to sell you accessories that should already be included.

You're hmmm, ok you're casual and that's fine. Companies have convinced you that their special battery which holds less power is good because it's not like those old fashioned AA's. I have no problem with that. You're not that "techy" and I can't fault you for that.

Nintendo added their own specialized battery and their controller life shrank by 80%

I'm going to throw out some jargon but I'll keep it basic.

PS4 controller capacity is 1000 mAh

The batteries I'm running in my Xbox 1 are 2450 mAh

My Xbox 1 controller lasts a heck of a lot longer than my PS4 controller does.

Here's the other thing. I have remotes around my house that are universal and specific and they all take AA's or AAA's. The remotes I have for my house lights take batteries. Even stuff like Minecraft blocks need batteries.

There's certainly exceptions to be made when it's allowed to use a unitasker like a power tool battery but overall people who buy things with specialized batteries have had the wool pulled over their eyes.

@Jaysonguy:

I don't go out of my way to buy rechargable products. That's just how almost everything comes. Like I said. I don't use TV remotes. I use my smartphone. Maybe that should take AA batteries too. As well as my Garmin GPS and the fan and lighting system in my Colman tent. Perhaps when I go camping, I should pack extra shit like rechargable batteries and charger.

And even when I did use my tv remotes, how often do you have to change them? Certainly not nearly enough to need rechargable batteries. You can even put batteries that are almost dead into a TV remote and it will work for weeks if not months.

And I'm casual now because things like my gaming controller shouldn't use AA batteries as the out of the box option? Just because you perfer rechargable AA's, that was not Microsofts intensions were not to give you a Rechargable AA option. Its intended to sell millions of people an accessory. Just because you like your option doesn't mean the Play & Charge shouldn't automatically come with the console and controllers. I really don't have much use for wireless controllers to begin with since my "Casual" ass doesn't like input lag when I'm playing online. My casual gaming habits also require a very "Casual" $550 AKG Q701/ Astro Mixamp headphone/mic setup.

But in the instances that I do play wireless which is rarely ever since my audio system is wired, I shouldn't have to buy extra crap. Even if I want to play wired I have to buy extra crap or depend on my own USB cable.

Now since companies have convinced me that I need a device that carries a special battery, I better sell these and buy some shitty product from Turtle Beach or Tritton. Maybe I'll do the "techy" thing and get some Beats by Dre,lol. I could use rechargable AA's. Couldn't I? While I'm at it, I think ill research that AAA battery smartphone right after I return the Traxxas RC car I got my son for Christmas and replace that with something techy that takes AA's. I think they sell Em at Toys R Us. As for the phone? Maybe I can talk Microsoft into making one with a play & charge add on, optional.

I really don't know why you are defending Microsoft in this arguement because they certainly could have still gave you your rechargable AA option without screwing everybody else who prefers a plug & play charging option through an add on accessory just like they are with the chat options in my audiophile headphone setup. The funny thing is, on the Xbox.com info page for the controller you keep defending, they called your rechargables generic. Giving you that option was never their intentions.

My original intentions of this thread wasn't even about Batteries vs battery packs. Its about the bullshit nickel & dime tactics that never existed on the original Xbox.

I went from Xbox 360 to Ps4 simply because Microsoft isnt giving me what i want. They're too focused on what they need rather than what we want. Xbox One is Next gen in multimedia but ps4 is next gen in Gaming.

I'm glad MS went the way they did with the X1 controller, it lets everyone have it there way. I use the packs/charger with my 360 controller and hope MS makes that option available with a charger. This way I just swap out a pack when it needs charging, never having to plug the controller in.

I don't care for the products with a built in battery because I never remember to charge the dam thing, this way I can just put in fresh rechargable batteries. I have two Golf GPS, one that has the battery built in and one that uses rechargable AA batteries, guess which one gets more use!

Funny, I'm a veteran over at the Gametrailer forums and have recently joined the IGN forums and obviously here as well... point is, these forums have one thing in common, lots of people raggin on the Xbox One. Honestly thought it was jus GT but I guess the Xbox brand has lost a lot of its luster with the One

@Jaysonguy:

and the xbox1 didn't come with any form of a rechargeable battery, way to make my point for me.

Only thing in my house that I can find that still uses AA batteries are my tv remote, which gets changed every couple of years, and my xbox1 remote. That's it, everything else has and came with a rechargeable source, not a pamphlet saying "hey, go buy this, it'll bring our inferior product up to date."

As far as the rechargeable batteries you bought lasting longer than a built in, that really shouldn't be an issue. Most people are fairly busy and aren't going to be sitting in front of their tv's for 5+ hours nonstop, so they have time to charge their controllers.

Worst response ever

So you're ok with an inferior lifespan because it gives you more chances to charge them in your busy life.

Work harder if you expect a response next time please?

@Jaysonguy:

Why is it a bad response? Just like pretty much every other wireless piece of electronic in today's world, the play & charge should have been included.

How people wish to charge their controllers is a matter of preference and while you might like rechargable batteries, there is no reason why Microsoft couldn't have included a AA cartridge for you as well as the play & charge. Had they included both, this thread wouldn't even exist and everybody would be happy.

While the play & charge scam might not apply to you, this same business model is still screwing you somewhere.whether its through some kind of adapter, game & content pricing and policies, forcing double subscriptions on people who don't play multiplayer, etc, etc, etc. The more you defend things like the included AA batteries, the more of a fanboy you look like.

They're money whores. To me, I think it was a slap in the face to Microsoft when the PS3 had rechargeable controllers and then the Xbone didn't, when the PS4 did. Like I said, Microsoft is a group of money whores. That's all they're after. Money.

@carcassplays: every company that's selling you something is doing it for a profit. The ps3 came out a year after the 360, even the wii had regular batteries. This time around I do think they could have gave us built in rechargeable batteries, but they would have been really cheap low end to save cost. I have the ps4, and I can tell you the battery doesn't last more then a day. You have to plug it in every night. There are pros and cons to this. With the xbox you can buy whatever quality of battery you like, you are not restricted to a cheap built in battery pack ala ps4.

It is a bit absurd that MS is charging $60 for a controller that is 3 generations behind in tech. Nintendo got it right with the pro controller, light as a feather and 80 hour Li ion battery for $50.

That's all any of them are after, considering it's their legal obligation and all. The entire industry has become very anti-consumer. Don't pretend it's just MS.

id like to see you 10 yrs from now when your ps3 rechargeable controllers battery just dies and wont hold a charge,

at least rechargeable batterys should be around for ever if not a way longer time , so you don't need a entirely new controller if even that is possible lol

Yup, my PS3 controllers are starting to get poor recharge times. If that happens to my XBOX controllers I replace the rechargeable batteries.

@jetjetjaguar:

Yet you can buy a replacement battery for the Dualshock for under $5.

And just because the Xbox controller uses a battery pack, it doesn't mean it should have been sold seperate. Removable or not. It should be included.

@Murderstyle75: Thanks for the tip. I don't use battery packs. I use rechargeable batteries in all my devices. They are standard sizes (AA, AAA). One day I hope my PS devices will standardize on them as well. Happy gaming.

This made me laugh, some guy who spends $500 dollars on an amp setup but is moaning about spending $25 dollars on a play and charge kit. I couldn't care what type of battery is in something as long as it lasts a reasonable amount of time, 4-8hours is not a reasonable amount of time for a controller to last.

@ccagracing: true, people will complain just because. I don't mind the play n charge kit, I bought one. Mine for whatever reason was disconnecting randomly after about 2 hours of play time. I've used it more and leave it plugged in all night. For the last two days it's worked without any issues. It would be nice if the xbox one had a feature that showed you the battery level just like the 360, but oh well. As long as it works properly I don't care if the battery is built in, rechargeable or just regular old fashion batteries.

@ccagracing:

Its the principle of the whole thing. Just because I have money to spend doesn't mean I should be taken advantage of. Its also the reason I can afford nice things to begin with. Maybe if you guys had this mindset and quit bending over for the fangod, the general Xbox gamers audio system could stretch beyond a shitty pair from Turtle Beach or Tritton.

And it's not just the battery pack. Its the entire business model. I mean this is a company who was charging $100 to $150 for $40 to $70 hard drive upgrades on the Xbox 360. Had I woke up sooner, I could be gaming with a pair of Denon D7000's instead of AKG Q701's.

@gagit811

I agree the missing battery life indicator is a disgrace and it must be patched in asap.

Murderstyle

Hard drives last gen where undoubtedly overpriced by Microsoft, now they have seen sense and allow any external hard drive to be used is a great move. The same can also be said for the battery issue, you buy the various charge kits or use AA batteries such as 2800mah rechargeable, the choice is the consumers. As for your headphones that's just a personal choice as some gamers wouldn't be able to tell the difference between a $20 or $600 pair of headphones but again I would iterate the point if you spend so much on a pair of headphones would you not rather eat the $20 cost for charge kit and just enjoy the experience on the gaming system.

Old news for old gamers, Bought two-dock Nyko charging station which includes two speacial batteries so you can dock your controllers when not playing and have them on full charge and ready to go. No more annoying cables. Be good little boys and maybe your mommy will buy you one, too.

Wanna' know how to recharge your controller? It's fairly simple, go out and buy some AA batteries and insert them into the controller.

@ccagracing:

If it was just the adapter, you would have a very good point but its not and when I think about all the added expenses on the Xbox platform, I could have had even better headphones yet.

If you look at the original Xbox, there was tons of value on top of it being far more powerful than the PS2. Unlike the competition, you didn't have to spend outrageous amounts of money on accessories like memory cards, multitaps, hard drives and Ethernet cards. Even the majority of DLC was included in your $50 annual subscription. The only purchases you needed to make was your Live subscription and DVD remote if you were going to use it for those purposes.

That business model has changed however and they now milk you for everything.they can. This is the same business strategy that gained Sony fans the name "Cow" in system wars.

And speaking of headphones, Microsoft has left Dolby Digital out of the Xbox One making my. $600 setup useless to begin with since I would only be getting a watered down Dolby Headphone. While they claim its coming later, there is no gaurentee. It makes absoutely no sense since even a $20 DVD player does both Dolby Digital and DTS. Could it be possible that the most widely used surround sound technology was left out in order to sell "licensed" so called next gen headsets and dsp's using DTS?

I agree that the most widely used standards must be supported on the Xbox, like the battery indicator its a disgrace that Dolby digital is missing from the console. These should be patched in asap and there is no excuse for them not to be. Unfortunately the way the frost Xbox lost money would never be allowed to continue and the end result is official accessories, often overpriced. I don't believe we will get official headsets just for dts sound, we of course will get a whole new range of headsets, controllers and other accessories from 3rd parties.

@ccagracing:

And unfortunatly these third party companies don't know how to make headphones. If they did, I wouldn't have to use AKG's. They are all made with a closed design and they are all bass/explosion emphasized. I was half assed interested when I heard Polk was making a licensed headset. Then I saw the design and realized it was just like the rest. Hopefully Astro Gaming makes a DTS mixamp however I really don't feel I should have to upgrade from a perfectly good one already which is highly regarded by the audiophile community.

As for the original console losing money? Yes it did however microsoft also only supported it for four years before abandoning development in favor of the 360. The consoles money stream also only came from games, your live subscription and things like the DVD remote or an extra controller. They now have so many revenue streams, its crazy from the dashboard advertising which pays a fortune, movie and music services and rentals as well as countless other apps from third party companies. With all the money made from digital games, apps, marketing and services, there shouldn't be any reason for me to feel like I'm in the game section at a carnival when I use the platform whether its in the form of accessories or game/content pricing policies.

Only good thing about it is people complain the Dual Shock 4's battery life isn't very good. The Xbox One's play and charge battery lasts much longer. Granted, you have to pay for that extra battery.

@solokingxrobert:

Why are you screwed? Anybody with half a brain could take their dualshock 4 apart and replace the battery for right around $5.00. You could also get double the battery life. Its really about as easy as changing the battery on a cordless phone. You just need enough intellegence to know how to operate a screwdriver.

lol

So you can pay for another specialized battery that doesn't get anywhere close to the power of AA's

Man, you're so programmed you don't even know which direction up is anymore