Are the rechargeable Xbox One batteries li ion?

[DrJay24]

Yes, the obvious solution to not charging a controller is to buy more controllers. I also buy an extra car in case I run out of gas. I have never had a dead PS3 controller, they simply sit on a docking station and are 100% every time I grab one. I don't even know how long they last,

If really are not able to keep up with charging portable devices, like controllers you could always resort to plugging it in while you use them. It is just a USB cable.

This bad boy rocks:

 

[eastmen]

so the solution is to buy extra hardware for a controller and to constantly charge it. Batteries go bad.

 

[djskribbles]

I still have my Sixaxis from launch and it's working fine. Well that's not entirely true... the LED doesn't work, the left joystick stays pointing left sometimes, and it's cracked from my fists. But hey... it still works.

 

[RedVi]

For some counter anecdotal evidence, my DS3 from my 40GB fat, circa mid 2008, won't hold a charge as of 6 months ago. I'm only a moderate console gamer so I've probably gamed on it for around 250-350 hours all up, with around that number again spent watching movies on the thing.

What are my options? Buy a new controller... not this late in the generation, thank you. Buy a longer mini USB cable. Yep, that's what I decided made more sense for me. It's not completely convenient, but I only plan on playing another 2 to 3 games on the thing.

 

[orangpelupa]

How on earth is Microsoft giving you a choice of:

a. lithium-ion batteries (in their power pack kit)
b. normal AAs (dirt cheap at Costco)
c. any AA rechargeable batteries you care to use (enloops, whatever)

a bad thing?!

A. the battery is confirmed to be li-ion? doesnt it NiMH just like xbox 360?

with a resistor and one AA rechargeable lithium ion battery, it should be works fine. its uber cheap too.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

I still have my Sixaxis from launch and it's working fine. Well that's not entirely true... the LED doesn't work, the left joystick stays pointing left sometimes...

PS3 controllers suffer erosion around the left stick (and right if it gets used as much) where the plastic of the stick is worn away against the case that causes a groove, and this jams on the casing. The battery in Sony's controllers easily outlives the controllers themselves.

I agree with aaaaa00 though, that the choice is what's best, although I personally have no beef using a drained controller with a USB cable. I guess Sony's choice is more compact and cheaper.

 

[temesgen]

PS4 -(if like the ps3 controllers) Play games with friends , controller goes bad... use another controller or wait for it to charge up enough to play again. $50 a controller. So I'd need at least 2 controllers maybe even more if I don't allways remember to charge them all


With the xbox one . one controller + aa batteries. 20 pack is $10 bucks. Gives me 20 charges. Batteries are dead pop in another set. Takes 10 seconds maybe 30 at the most.

Senario 2 - xbox one controller is dead , put in new charge pack. Charge packs are $15. $50/15 =3 battery packs with $5 left over. So you can even buy a few AAs just incase.

Senario 3 - Rechargeable batteries . Eneloop 4 pack is $19 bucks with charger. $20 buys you a second 4 pack no charger. So your looking at 8 batteries or 4 swaps for $40.


I much rather the xbox way.

??? If my six axis controller needs charge I simply plug the USB into my laptop, its never interfered with gaming..... Why do I need another controller? You can play while the controller charges just fine.

Since everyone is bringing up anecdotal experiences my launch PS3 and 360 work fine but my PS3 controller does stick to the left slightly. Batteries are fine on the six axis whereas I've had 2 sets of rechargeable batteries for my 360 controller and these days I simply use the play and charge kit connected to my laptop as I have no intention of spending any additional money on PS3 or 360 accessories this late in the cycle.

 

[djskribbles]

PS3 controllers suffer erosion around the left stick (and right if it gets used as much) where the plastic of the stick is worn away against the case that causes a groove, and this jams on the casing. The battery in Sony's controllers easily outlives the controllers themselves.

I don't know if it's that or the fact that I was pretty rough with my original sixaxis (throwing it, punching it... you name it). My DS3 that I bought when they first released them has been used even more than my sixaxis now and it doesn't have any issues with battery life or the sticks 'sticking'. Maybe I've just been lucky.

I agree with aaaaa00 though, that the choice is what's best, although I personally have no beef using a drained controller with a USB cable. I guess Sony's choice is more compact and cheaper.

Having a choice is not a bad thing at all. I just haven't had any issues with PS3 controllers so I can't complain.

 

[orangpelupa]

for me its the xbox 360 analog that got erosion on left analog stick. Its super smooth and slippery hard plastic now :/

btw if PS3 gamepad low batt, i just plug it using long USB cable i bough for 1 or 2 dollar.

 

[TrungGap]

I use cheap Chinese aftermarket rechargeable Li-ion batteries. They use mini USB plug and come with a much higher rating (but these are cheap Chinese parts so whose know if the ratings are accurate). However the really cheap, and so far they have even outlast my controllers.

OT some of my official xbox controllers' buttons are not working. Left stick button and right shoulder button are usually the first to go..

 

[Grall]

Having a choice is not a bad thing at all.

Yes, you're certainly right there on a fundamental level, however I'm not so sure microsoft's version of 'choice' is any better than sony's version of 'no-choice'.

First off, it takes more time and effort ("effort"; first-world problem... I know) to remove old batteries out of xbone controller, hunt down new disposable batteries in some drawer somewhere and stick 'em back into the controller, than it takes to just plug a USB cable into the PS4 controller to charge it while you keep playing. I don't see how anyone could seriously think this is a preferable alternative. You're not gonna tell me you're going to be playing your PS4 somewhere where you don't have a USB port available to charge the thing if needed; there's USB ports right on the console itself for chrissakes.

Second, looking at it from a historical perspective, you're not going to get away cheaply with MS's rechargeable battery pack (which you will buy so you later can take it out and put the cartridge that takes disposable AAs back in again... ) Meanwhile, PS4 will come with mini-USB cable to charge your built-in controller battery when you buy it. Takes all of 5 or so seconds to plug it in.

I know which alternative I prefer!

 

[warb]

I used rechargable AA batteries initially with 360 controllers. The difference means that the Xbox pad itself will generaly last longer. And be wired less frequently if you're using seperate rechargables.

There's the option for the battery pack whenever.

 

[RudeCurve]

Yes, you're certainly right there on a fundamental level, however I'm not so sure microsoft's version of 'choice' is any better than sony's version of 'no-choice'.

First off, it takes more time and effort ("effort"; first-world problem... I know) to remove old batteries out of xbone controller, hunt down new disposable batteries in some drawer somewhere and stick 'em back into the controller, than it takes to just plug a USB cable into the PS4 controller to charge it while you keep playing. I don't see how anyone could seriously think this is a preferable alternative. You're not gonna tell me you're going to be playing your PS4 somewhere where you don't have a USB port available to charge the thing if needed; there's USB ports right on the console itself for chrissakes.

Second, looking at it from a historical perspective, you're not going to get away cheaply with MS's rechargeable battery pack (which you will buy so you later can take it out and put the cartridge that takes disposable AAs back in again... ) Meanwhile, PS4 will come with mini-USB cable to charge your built-in controller battery when you buy it. Takes all of 5 or so seconds to plug it in.

I know which alternative I prefer!

I prefer to pause the game and swap out batteries and be 100% wire free than tethered to some USB port...

lithium AA battery rechargeable
http://www.batteryjunction.com/14500-category.html
its just 3.5 dollar

but i dont know wether i can use that on X1 gamepad charger.

EDIT:
i think you should be able to use it on X1 gamepad but only use ONE and hard-wire the other free battery slot and put a resistor.
or just use a resistor to hardwire the free battery slot.
that one battery works on 3.5v. Its 0.5 overvoltage.

but how to charge it... a mistery.

That battery is only 800mAh...

My cheap low self discharge eneloops are 2000mAh...

 

[dagamer]

Like this?

or this?

More pics here....

http://www.techradar.com/news/gamin...-xbox-one-gamepad-vs-xbox-360-gamepad-1158091

Tommy McClain

Wow, those buttons are far more legible on the One.

 

[MrFox]

Barring a bad charging circuit, usually a li-ion battery doesn't go bad unless it suffers temperature abuses, or is left in a discharged state for a long period (which many people don't know, and they burn their batteries). The normal behavior is to leave the controller plugged in when not in use, so it's aways topped, you never have to think about it. If you abused yours, a DS3 replacement battery is $10. Remove 5 screws, replace the battery which is conveniently on a connector, and replace the 5 screws.

But it's more fun to justify an opinion using a hypothetical or an anecdote. You only have to make one up that fit your bias. Like so:

AA will leak if you leave them discharged for too long, and a kitten might lick the acid and die. There. I have a hypothetical that proves AA batteries kills kittens.

Someone forgot to buy AA batteries, and his kid cried the whole christmas eve because he couldn't play with his new toy. Look, I have an anecdote that proves AA batteries make kids cry on xmas eve.

 

[RudeCurve]

Leaving rechargeable batteries in an always charging state decreases its lifespan...so unless you use it everyday like a cellphone it will permanently lose its charge carrying capacity sooner.

Wow, those buttons are far more legible on the One.

With a high contrast black backing, I would hope so...

 

[MrFox]

Leaving rechargeable batteries in an always charging state decreases its lifespan...so unless you use it everyday like a cellphone it will permanently lose its charge carrying capacity sooner.

No it doesn't, unless it's a charger technology from the 80's. I'm not sure chargers with "trickle" current exist anymore, I could be wrong.
At least, Li-ion charging procedure is to stop completely when it's topped. The charger circuit is taking care of it all.

 

[RudeCurve]

No it doesn't, unless it's a charger technology from the 80's. I'm not sure chargers with "trickle" current exist anymore, I could be wrong.
At least, Li-ion charging procedure is to stop completely when it's topped. The charger circuit is taking care of it all.

That's not what I'm talking about. Li-ion batteries should never be left fully charged if not used. This accelerates the degradation of its capacity. If they're not being used immediately or within a few hours they should be left at roughly half charge.

 

[djskribbles]

They should (ideally) be left at 40-50% charge only if they're being stored for long periods of time without usage, we're talking 6 months+. Even if you're in the minority who leaves the controller charged for that long without usage, it's not a big deal.

 

[MrFox]

That's not what I'm talking about. Li-ion batteries should never be left fully charged if not used. This accelerates the degradation of its capacity. If they're not being used immediately or within a few hours they should be left at roughly half charge.

I agree, but not hours. Weeks, months maybe? The recommendation to charge them at 50% is because that's where it has the most robust margin for shipping and storage. A fully charge battery is severely damaged by temperature, so it's critical for shipping and shelf life in stores and warehouses. OTOH, if it discharges below the treshold voltage it's instantly dead and will never charge again. So not recharging immediately after it's fully discharged is by far the most damaging situation, because it could kill it in a matter of weeks after being left in that state.

I have a sixaxis from 2006 and it still hold it's charge. Didn't do any benchmark but it still lasts about two evenings and when it was new it was almost a week, so while it dropped a lot of it's capacity, it's been 7 years! I suppose the charging circuit has a good margin built in, and allows it to be left plugged in.