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

@Jaysonguy:

Doesn't matter. My point is, that the batteries are replaceable despite moronic posts in this thread.

And if anybody is programmed, it is you for wasting money on batteries for your wireless controller to begin with. As I've said for the third time now. I rarely use wireless because wireless controllers underperform. The only time I even use my controller wireless is when watching something like Netflix. I shouldn't have to buy an adapter or waste my money on disposable or rechargable AA's to do this

So there you go. People like you are programmed into using inferior technology whether its a wireless controller, wireless headset or wireless Internet.

@Murderstyle75:

Just because something might be a little slower doesn't make it inferior. If you don't like it, don't buy it, plain and simple. I happen to like wireless and rechargable batteries. Sucks to have to plug the darn thing in all the time.

@rrjim1:

How is slower not inferior?

Wireless = input lag

Wired = no input lag

Its pretty cut and dry. But unfortunatly we now live in an age where convenience trumps quality.

wow people will pick on the stupidest things. It's all preference people. Had MS forced us to use a battery pack I would have something that I didn't prefer. I'm happy I have the option to choose what I want to use. By the way, wasn't the lack of options one of the biggest things people complained about the last few months? You all sound like a bunch of immature kids crying over such ridiculous nonsense. Seriously, you want rechargeable, you have options, you don't, then you have options.

I for one am happy I don't have to plug my controller in every night, or have to charge it while I play. Having a 2 and 6 year old running around the house doesn't make having a corded controller very convenient.

To the guy that says he has a 2 year old and has nothing in his house that takes batteries: what the hell kind of lame toys are you buying your kid?

@angryguy77:

I said nothing in the house takes AA's besides his toys which rarely ever need replacing. I also wouldn't put AA's in anything that didn't have a safety feature on the battary compartment such as with the Xbox controller.

And I love how blind and loyal consumers mistake accessory scams for options. For the 10th time now. If it had anything to do with options, the play & charge would already be in the box. They instead sell it seperate because people will bend right over.

I brought my ps3 to my summer house once forgetting the charge cable. It was late at night, Best Buy was closed, and,well I'm not going to buy another charge cable anyways. I prefer the option of using double A batteries.

The eighties were a great decade. M$ deserves a lot of credit for keeping them alive and well by requiring AA batteries in their controller. This whole rechargeable fad will blow over once people come to their senses and realize what a much simpler & wonderful time it was before the Berlin Wall came down, you'll see.

@Murderstyle75:

Simple solution: Put your controller out of reach and problem's solved. That's what I do to things I don't want my kids touching.

This whole argument is silly. It's freaking batteries for crying out loud. Some people like a charge pack, some don't care or would rather not have one.

You people act as though this adds so much to the gaming experience. What I find funny about you drones is how you say MS is nickle and diming us and then praise Sony for it's new PS Now where it will charge you to play games you already paid for. Sony fans are the most hypocritical gamers in the industry. MS makes "cable box" according to you people, yet it's so cool that the PS has an app for Dish Network.

Just stop, grow the hell up and recognize both companies have created systems that will provide people with a lot of fun.

what I want to know is how MS is "ripping people off" by having people buy batteries that are made from battery companies that have no connection to MS. If anything, rechargeable controllers are ripping people off by having them by first party equipment to keep the controllers charged.

My DS controller only gives me 6-8 hours at that point i'm forced to plug it in. I hate having to plug in controllers. MS isn't making money on it, if you don't buy it. I got 4 AA rechargeable batteries. they charge in like 8 hours and last 18-24 hours of usage time and always have a fresh pair ready. I'd never want to give up the option of my rechargeable batteries for a built in pack

@angryguy77:

Put the controller out if reach? Of course that would be your answer. Why am I not suprised? Because its the exact same answer the Sony shills give when I slam their precious Pulse Elite headset and the wireless USB dongle that Sony offers no replacement for if it gets lost or damaged.

They even went as far as to lie and say each dongle is unique to its specific unit which has been proven wrong countless times. But just like the fanboys in this thread who defend accessory scams, they defend Sony to the death because any suggestion that the fangod might be doing the wrong thing is completely absurd. Brand loyalty is lame and you all seem to suffer from it. You let a corporation control your thoughts based on a purchase decision.

Well guess what? I have a 12 year old as well. Should he not be allowed to play because he is a child and will not always remember to put the controller up and out of reach of the 2 year old?

@vl4d_l3nin:

How are they ripping people off? Because the intent is not to get you to buy rechargable AA's. The intent is to get you to buy a Play & Charge. If you go to the support page for the XBox One controller, they even refer to rechargable AA's as generic. It's not really any different than them putting that extra hunk of plastic on the 360 AV cables so you couldn't use a stereo headset without buying their $50 adapter. Want to know how I got mine to work? I just took the shield off and the problem was solved. I basically had two choices. Buy an unnecessary accessory or remove the shield. I bet the shills here will have some other excuse to defend the Xbox 360 audio adapter.

lol, people complain about the most stupid things,

if they did include the battery internally, then people would complain u can't replace them, lol

what ms did was give u the choice, either use AA batteries which last alot longer then having to connect the cable to your controller every 2 nights of playing. or if u dont want to use AA batteries, u can still buy the play and charge cable,,

I stick with double a's the play and charge kits are great, but I don't EVER want to play and charge at the same time. I only want to charge when im not playing, and when im playing, i want to play.

I've been thinking about getting a recharging base, but with the 360 i had an energizer one that the controllers kept falling out of lol...

@Murderstyle75:

So I guess your desire trumps everyone's. And if a company doesn't give you exactly what YOU want, that means they are screwing you over. I could just possible be they can't please everybody could it? Maybe MS just wanted to give people options and maybe keep costs down. I could say that Sony is the one that's ripping you off because you have to buy their battery or controller if something goes wrong with the power supply. But I won't do that, they most likely felt this was something the majority of their gamers wanted.

As I stated earlier, I'm happy I don't have to plug my controller in for a couple of reasons: Corded controllers don't work well when you have a 2 year old that likes to run in front of you while you're playing. It was very frustrating when I had one for the 360. Not only did my kid trip over it, he also found it highly entertaining to unplug it while I was playing. I'm sure you've experienced that with your own. Further, I really don't want to have to remember to charge the thing as well. Now that's just for me. Sure, there are people like you who prefer a rechargeable battery pack , but there are many like me who don't.

What's funny is you saying I'm blindly loyal to a company because I happen to prefer a way they do something, while you sit there and claim this is just a money making scheme on the part of MS because they are not copying Sony. So who's the fanboy here?

Further, there are ways to child proof your controller if you are worried your kid will swallow batteries. Besides the fact no 2 year old could open that thing up on his own unless he chucks it against a wall, you could put some tape or something else over it. Not great, but childproofing a house isn't always pretty either.

So you must not let your 12 year old own anything that your 2 year old could get a hold of and harm himself with? That's what I'd really like to know above anything in this discussion.

So get out of here with this "I'm above you all attitude" because you do not see things more clearly than anyone else here.

@angryguy77:

It has nothing to do with copying Sony and if you have read my entire posts instead of speed reading, you will see where I slammed them too with their Pulse Elites that all their fanboys praise to the death. And cutting down on costs? Even a $10 smart phone has a rechargable battery included. Just because retail prices are high for the play & charge doesn't mean it didnt cost pennies to make. And just look on Ebay. You can find two packs of 3600mah xbox batteries with charging cables for about $10. It really wouldn't have cost hardly anything for them to include a rechargable battery like the rest of the world does in 2014. Fools in this thread even seem to think that for the battery to be included, it would have to be included.

The only reason they sell this crap seperate is because people are dumb enough to pay for it. Even worse, they defend it.

And you still have not responded with any input on a similar scam which was the Xbox Audio Adapter. The funny thing is, I even got removed from the Ambassador program for showing somebody how to make their headphones work on the 360 without the official adapter. Putting extra plastic on the A/V cables doesn't sound like shady business to you?

Here's what they wanted you to buy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuBEsEBSaGQ&app=desktop

Here is all you have to do

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grRiGidAhbA

Pretty pathetic that they purpously did this to the shield just to sell a $30 to $50 adapter, don't you think?

@Murderstyle75:

I did read your post entirely.

Sure if you look at an added .50 cost, it doesn't seem like that much. But, multiply that by millions of units made and the cost goes up exponentially. That's how businesses look at things, and when you are selling a product where profit margins are slim, a company will cut costs where it can. They already have the more expensive system, they need to stay competitive price-wise. Now, whether this was the reasoning behind it no one can say for sure. Maybe you are right, but does that make them inherently evil? Is it wrong for a company to provide incentive to sell more product to make a greater profit? Of course not. Companies sell extended warranties for their products, is it a scam that they don't give you more than one year? No, they give you one and you have the choice to pay for the perk of having 2 more years.

Tbh, I'm not aware of the whole audio thing. Thing is, MS isn't forcing you to do anything you don't want to do. They are not forcing you to buy added products to play or use the system out of the box. Nobody has to buy a TB headset to use the system. If what they were charging for the adapter is too expensive, then a person could wait for a deal or buy used. Does it really surprise you they took your ambassadorship away? What company in it's right mind would want someone working on it's behalf telling customers ways it can avoid purchasing it's products? I'd love to have Colonel Sandars' recipe so I could save a few bucks and make their chicken at home. But I hardly doubt KFC wouldn't fire someone on the spot if they were telling everyone who walked through the door how to DIY.

Having a rechargeable battery doesn't increase your fun, nor does it give someone an advantage over the guy who doesn't own one. MS isn't the only company that sells a product with proprietary parts. If you don't like that, then buy a computer to game on.

Again, like most companies, they would rather you buy their product than act like Mcgyver. A mechanic isn't going to teach you how to fix your car if you asked because he would rather you pay him to do it. Yet, your logic would say he's ripping you off if he declined your request. He's not going to give you a price for a part and then proceed to tell you that down the road you can get it for a lot cheaper. That's not unethical, it's smart business.

Just because they are not giving you exactly what you want, doesn't mean they are ripping you off. Like most business, MS made a product that works and left it up to you if you want to "upgrade" what you purchased. MS and Sony are in the business to make money and charge the most they can to maximize profits which is what they should do if they want to stay in business. If you are going to say MS is screwing you because they are not giving you something that sony is, then one could make an argument that Sony is doing the exact same thing because they didn't include a camera in the package.

But why stop at battery packs. There was a time when systems used to come with 2 controllers, now it's one. If we are going by your logic, both these companies are ripping you off because most times, people need more than one controller. You can pick from a whole list of things a company could add but doesn't and call them greedy if we employ your reasoning. I'd been very happy if they had included a clip or made the kinect in a way so it can sit atop my TV, but they didn't. Oh well, I knew that going into my purchase, now it's up to me if I want to pay extra for what I preferred. One thing is for sure, I'm not going to call their decision to not include one a "scam."

People railing about this sound like entitled children throwing a tantrum because they are not getting everything they want. This is very reminiscent of the whole DRM debate. It's as if MS was holding a gun to our heads forcing us to buy their product whether or not we liked what they were selling.

When it comes down to it, you have 2 companies that are offering different things for a similar experience. If one doesn't have what you want, then go to the one that does. If consumers are not feeling they are getting enough value out of MS' system, they won't purchase it. It's not MS' fault people are choosing to pay extra for a rechargeable batteries when there are other options.

BTW, you never answered me about if your 12 year old can't have things that your 2 year old could hurt himself with. If not, then your whole argument is invalid based on inconsistency.

@angryguy77:

The only reason you have to be a Mcgyver and mod the A/V cable is because they purpously added a notch to the plastic to sell you the accessory. This serves absoutely no purpose aside from making you buy an adapter. You could also file down the plastic and it would to the exact same thing.

As for my 12 year old? I'm not some kind of nazi parent who wouldn't allow him to use the family game system because kids are going to be kids. They market the Xbox as a family device yet are too cheap to include a child safety screw? They could probably get 100 screws for a penny.

These debates always go nowhere because in the eyes of the loyal fan, its defend the corporation at all costs. Opinions change however although not until the company says so.

It is funny to me though how you guys defend this crap. Sony fans defend their own crap as well. You guys are really all the same. Remember when Sony fans said rumble is an unnecessary feature when defending their fangods side of a lawsuit? Now the tech is imbedded in their lame ass $40 hesdset that sells for $150.

@Murderstyle75:

I get why you have to jerry rig it to work, but what I'm saying is while it may suck, it's not evil. Look at how much money Sony and MS invest into making these systems, yet they sell them at a loss, or a laughably low profit. So of course they are going to try an recoup money where they can. Companies do this all the time, they sell their product cheap and hope to make up the lost profits elsewhere. If they didn't, they wouldn't be making these systems as they wouldn't make enough to justify the costs. They don't make these systems for you to have a good time and save money, they make them to make a buck, keep investors happy and make payroll.

I'm not defending a corporation, I'm defending a practice done by most companies.

I find it rather arrogant of you to act as though your above "us guys" because we don't seem to have our panties in a bunch because MS/Sony hasn't given us everything in their package to save us $. And that what it comes down to. You're upset because they didn't design a system or peripherals to make it as cheap as it can be for you.

As for including a screw, that would annoy that absolute piss out of me. It's annoying enough on kids toys, let alone having it on mine. As I already said, tape is an easy fix to this problem. Now see what's not exactly good for you, it's good for me. Just because your desires are not meant, doesn't mean there's some evil conspiracy.

The reason I asked about your other kid is if you let him have things your 2 year old could choke on, it's seems awfully odd why you would target the X1 controller when your youngest could get his hands on other potential hazards. It's seem like a lot of manufactured outrage to me as with most things this generation.

Don't lump me in with some blind loyalist, it's not like I'm praising MS and bashing sony for their respective design choices. I've just had enough with the constant whining that's been present ever since MS' E3 show. It's either about the kinect, batteries, headset, resolution, HD space, or the overblown DRM controversy.

@angryguy77:

How is it not evil? Its deception and deliberately restricting something that works perfectly fine. Even after already getting paid for the original product since its a licensed accessory. If only they figured out a way to restrict toslink and HDMI at the same time as well.

And maybe they wouldn't need to recoup money if not for poor engineering creating the RROD fiasco and spending billions on in game marketing companies like massive incorporated only to dismantle them a year later. But you seem to think we should pay for this.

Microsoft would be making a fortune off these products if not for these things and there is really no reason we should be paying them extra for scams like accessories. Do you even know how many billions dashboard advertising is making them on top of selling $60 a year subscriptions, digital game, movie and music sales/rentals, third party subscription services etc? Don't think for a second that M$ allows Netflix, Hulu, Sony Pictures, etc on their platform free of charge.

Charging a fortune for accessories and purpously sabotaging things to sell them is so 1990's. There's really no reason for it anymore.

And while you might be sick of the complaints, they are valid complaints and much of what Microsoft was doing us very anti consumer. Some people will just bend over easier than others. Luckily the average consumer wasn't as dumb as they thought.

And the reason I brought up the screw thing is because of the first ever battery elitest I encountered in this thread saying we should all be using rechargable AA's. I don't want to use that. I want to use the play & charge for the rare occasion im unplugged. I don't want to pay extra for it though. I shouldn't have to since almost all electronics now days include a rechargable battery.

You can keep defending Microsoft like they are some kind of poor innocent victim in a world of angry consumers but they know exactly what their intentions are. And just as I gave Sony the big **** You in 2006, I'm now doing it to Microsoft. I really to hope this product fails. I hope it fails just enough for them to pull their heads out if their asses and make it great once again.

Wow, they really see you coming don't they?

You are the most gullible consumer I've ever seen around here

"But...but I want to pay more for a specialized battery that does less"

This is why I try to help casuals whenever I can. They just don't know any better.

@Jaysonguy:

Pay more for a specialized battery? The Dualshock 4 and Xbox some controller are the exact same price. Dualshock 4 comes with the specialized battery, Xbox One controller does not.

Dualshock 3 is $8 cheaper than the 360 controller. Again. DS3 comes with the specialized battery, 360 controller does not. Even worse, the more expensive wireless 360 controller cannot pass data through the charging cable meaning even when you are plugged in, you are still stuck using the casuals wet dream which is wifi.

Using rechargable AA's doesn't make you some kind of hardcore consumer. It makes you a casual consumer sold on inferiority of a wireless world.

To be honest, I prefer Microsoft's approach. I have the PS4 and the controller doesn't last long at all, you constantly have to keep charging it. And if you sit further than 4 feet from your console, then you're going to find yourself sitting on the floor while using that ridiculously short USB cable. Also, if the battery loses its charge (which it eventually will) you would have to purchase a new controller. It's cleaner to have the batter installed, but more inconvenient when playing games.

Yes, the Xbox One uses AA batteries, but that's a good thing in my opinion. You have the option of just using regular batteries, purchasing the play and charge kit...or you can just do what I do and purchase rechargeable AA batteries with a charging dock, which is about $10-$15 altogether. It's simple to just swap out the batteries and not have to deal with any cords. AA batteries last way longer than the battery in the Dual Shock 4.

To be honest, I prefer Microsoft's approach. I have the PS4 and the controller doesn't last long at all, you constantly have to keep charging it. And if you sit further than 4 feet from your console, then you're going to find yourself sitting on the floor while using that ridiculously short USB cable. Also, if the battery loses its charge (which it eventually will) you would have to purchase a new controller. It's cleaner to have the batter installed, but more inconvenient when playing games.

Yes, the Xbox One uses AA batteries, but that's a good thing in my opinion. You have the option of just using regular batteries, purchasing the play and charge kit...or you can just do what I do and purchase rechargeable AA batteries with a charging dock, which is about $10-$15 altogether. It's simple to just swap out the batteries and not have to deal with any cords. AA batteries last way longer than the battery in the Dual Shock 4.

@a55a55inx:

Why does everybody think you would have to replace the controller? All you have to do is replace the battery. You can get a battery right now with twice the charge for about $5

Wii to Wii U = 85% reduction in controller battery life

PS3 to PS4 = 66% reduction in controller battery life

Xbox 360 to Xbox One = 0 reduction in controller battery life

@dualblades: Getting annoyed by this is a micro, short-term concern. In the long haul, over the course of a generation, you may find that you're actually glad that you can replace the batteries. I went through numerous PS3 controllers, and am glad I can just buy a new battery pack in 3 years when my current Xbox One pack loses it's life. With PS4, you will need to buy a brand new controller in a few years, and the battery life is lousy to begin with. So in the grand scheme of things, I actually much prefer the Xbox One controller battery solution.

While anecdotal, that experience is peculiar because I never had to replace any PS3 controller, nor any GBA SP, DS, DSLite, Vita, PSP, or 3DS controller due to battery life. Rest assured all generation from 2006 launch I was told to be ready...Funny thing is, I've seen videos and you wouldn't have to buy a new an ENTIRE NEW PS3 controller, you can just replace the PS3s controllers batteries very easily. That might have been a solution you should have pursued instead of buying multiple PS3 controllers if that was the case. I can also show you I played my PS3s a lot due to my Trophy numbers, so it's strange I never had issues and had PS3s since 2006 launch and played as much as I did (more than most) and I didn't run into the replacing battery problem. In fact, none of my close friends, cousins, sister, or two brothers who all own PS3s had that battery problem. We are talking over 25+ PS3's that I know about first hand in RL. I can also tell you about that same number of 360s my family/friends have, the majority have had issues with the 360 play and charge kits dying.

To be fair, I have also played a ton of 360 games attributed also by my large gamerscore, which could explain why I went through more batteries than most gamers. On the plus side, by having a huge gamerscore, I got a free copy of Killer Instinct for Xbone.

That isn't even mentioning the business aspect of this removing internal batteries move, as it generates revenue for Xbone, it not only saves on manufacturing, it's a peripheral purchase add on that does great in sales with the mass market.

Currently Nintendo's Wii U has joined the internal battery game we saw with their handhelds and Sony's PS3/PS4, along with Laptops and Cellphones of course.

After dealing with the headache of batteries and play and charge kits all generation on the Xbox 360 from launch 2005 till today, I would much rather the Xbone controllers had internal batteries.

At this point looking at the gaming companies, Xbone is the odd man out when it comes to having to use the consumers batteries or buy new play and charge kits.

At least Sony makes controllers and remotes that work properly...

@The-Apostle:

So what you're saying is they are the anti-Ted Thompson of the gaming world.

Not sure what you mean by that...