Sony has been using rechargeable batteries for their DualShock controllers for a good while now after being cut from the corded days of the PlayStation 2. However, Microsoft has continued to sport AA batteries with their line of official Xbox controllers. Some would have assumed that with the upcoming Xbox Series X making its way into the market this holiday season, this next-generation controller would finally drop AA battery requirements right out of the box and offer a means to enjoy a rechargeable controller much like Sony’s DualShock 4.
Unfortunately, if you were hoping to strictly use a rechargeable battery option then you’re out of luck. It’s confirmed that the next-generation Xbox Series X will ship with a controller with AA batteries. Austin Evans, who you may have watched on YouTube with this time with the Xbox Series X, asked Jason Ronald why not making the jump away from using AA batteries. For those who may not be familiar, Jason Ronald is the partner director of program management at Xbox. It was his response that helped reflect the reason behind keeping the batteries optional on the controllers.
After doing some research, Microsoft found that there is a strong market of gamers that still prefer AA batteries. It’s a means to quickly get back into the game if a controller dies, but its also a means to avoid a rechargeable battery that may lose some of its capacity to perform as intended. Overall, by providing AA batteries from the start, gamers not only have a means to quickly jump into the game right out of the box, but there are always other markets that provide a recharge kit option. It’s the best of both worlds really for Microsoft and likely something that won’t be changing anytime soon.
With that said, we’re certainly curious to see just how long the lifespan lasts between an Xbox Series X controller lasts on batteries while being compared to the integrated battery of the DualShock 5.