Best Buy has
Insignia Play + Charge Kit for Xbox Series X | S (White, NS-XBXS9PC) on sale for
$9.99. Select free curbside pickup where stock permits, otherwise shipping is free on $35+.
Thanks to Community Member
dodtracker for finding this deal.
- Note, pickup availability will vary by location.
Features:- Gaming Freedom
- Play where you're most comfortable thanks to a generous 9' foot length
- Save money and the environment
- Rechargeable battery eliminates the need for disposable batteries
- Powerful battery
- 1200mAh battery pack lets you play longer between charges
- 100% compatible with standard Xbox Series X | S controllers
- Works with original Microsoft Xbox Series X | S wireless Controllers
- Safe charging
- Fully UL-certified battery cell
- Cable not compatible with Xbox One controllers
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Top Comments
I prefer 2 alternating sets of eneloop pro AA rechargeable batteries to keep me going.
69 Comments
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When idea was changing over their batteries I git a tin at $2 a 4 pack so it wasn't even expensive.
So, sure, environmental concerns, longer battery life, being part of the Eneloop superior race, etc are all valid reasons. "Convenience" and speed really are not.
This battery, and other battery packs like it, have the huge advantage of being able to be charged inside the controller. That convenience alone is worth the few extra dollars. Oh by the way, with these battery packs the controller and cable are the charger. With Eneloops you need the charger that isn't free.
And before you the members of Eneloop Troop start to tell me that I've never used these batteries, I will tell you that I have a set of them. The charger is sitting on my kitchen counter at the moment. They are great batteries for some situations such as AA-only applications, but in this case I'll take a rechargeable battery back over my Eneloops any day.
The big reason I go for rechargable batteries is because they are cheaper, work in everything and the biggest reason is they have more capacity than this thing. This has 1200mah and rechargable batteries are 2000mah each which is way more. This means your controller lasts way longer.
About 10 to 15 years ago I made the investment in a good charger and I am still using that charger today. I've also found batteries quite a few times on clearance for cheap prices which means I have a stash for cheap money.
The other reason is because these battery packs always end up failing way before rechargable batteries. They usually fail in 6 months to a year of use if you are gaming a lot. Check the amazon reviews for them. The amazon reviews don't reflect this until the packs start failing 6months to a year after people start buying them. For $10-15 a battery pack or sometimes more I will choose the $7-10 pack of rechargable batteries. I have rechargable batteries from like 2006 that are still working.
The head butting here is on convenience vs. longevity. I have 2 play and charge kits and find them to be far more convenient, and frankly, required for multiplayer gaming. When it gets low you plug in the cable without losing control for 20 seconds. That's not necessary for everyone but a game changer for others. The rest of my controllers use Amazon basics and I've had them for years now. My play and charge kit is about a year and a half old and still works fine and I play a lot. With both options, I prefer the kit quite a bit. But, that's not going to be true for everyone.
If you are a person that values money above convenience, get Amazon basics eneloops. Convenience beats efficiency, get the kit. Otherwise you'll have to decide based on your own metrics.
To avoid the drainage you describe always buy pre-charged batteries and not regular rechargables. There is a difference. You want to look for pre-charged on the label or package.
There are batteries with lower MAH that can go into low drain remotes, they are called eneloop lite. I have a bunch of 1400mah enegizers that I bought on clearance for like $2 a 4 pack that I use for remotes. Why put rechargables into remotes, this is so they don't leak and destroy expensive remotes. Alkaline batteries of any manufacturer always leak
So, sure, environmental concerns, longer battery life, being part of the Eneloop superior race, etc are all valid reasons. "Convenience" and speed really are not.
It's definitely more convenient. Not only do the rechargeable batteries last way longer when both are new but the rechargeable batteries stay at their original capacity for much much longer too. For the first couple of months the battery packs do alright but after that capacity starts disappearing quick. When I was using battery packs I was switching out packs every 6onths. I still got my original 4 rechargable batteries in rotation and there has been very little capacity loss in 2 years.
So besides the environmental impact there is convenience. I trade 20 seconds once a week for having a wired controller for 4 hours twice a week. Not only that but they I don't have to worry about someone tripping on the wire as getting hurt or ripping the isb cable out theconyroller or console risk damaging the port.
If 20 seconds a week changing batteries and 2 minutes every 2 weeks charging them is a big hassle then go for wiring your wireless. But at that point why not just get a wired controller? Do you leave the wire across the floor permanently? Or do you got to get up and get the cable from the console to plug it in? If you don't leave it across the floor them you are probably spending 10 seconds twice as often anyway. But whatever works for you man. I'm just speaking as somebody that's used both battery packs and rechargeable packs for years each and the experience is night in day better with rechargeable once you get organized and have a system. I think the last part is why some have issues.
And BTW my 2 minutes charging every 2 weeks isn't just for xbox controller but also for all the remotes and portable lights in the house. I'd be charging those anyway even if I used packs so the actual Xbox charging only adds seconds to what I'm already doing.
I understand you can plug in the battery pack while playing saving you those 20 seconds a week but if I wanted a wired controller I would have bought one. And that's not even counting I sit about 12 feet from the XSX.
....
But at that point why not just get a wired controller? Do you leave the wire across the floor permanently? Or do you got to get up and get the cable from the console to plug it in? If you don't leave it across the floor them you are probably spending 10 seconds twice as often anyway.
And the charging cable? It's literally a USB C cable - like what you're likely using to charge your phone and/or laptop. It doesn't have to be connected to your console. You just grab the charging cable you may already have next to your couch or whatever and plug it in.
This keeps coming up, too. I don't know how many of you don't realize you plug the controller in to charge it, and unplug it when you play. When you're done playing, you plug it back in - how often you do this depends on how long you play. I don't think that many people are sitting there playing with the wire connected. That's as preposterous a thought as claiming people always use their cell phones when they're plugged in. Can you do it? Yes. Is that how you're doing it? Probably not.
And the charging cable? It's literally a USB C cable - like what you're likely using to charge your phone and/or laptop. It doesn't have to be connected to your console. You just grab the charging cable you may already have next to your couch or whatever and plug it in.
If you leave it plugged in when not playing it your battery will continually top off which will kill battery life. I mean thats fine if you dont care about buying new packs and the environment. Also I mention how fast it is because there are some that try take it seem like switching out 2 batteries is some huge ordeal that takes 5 minutes and 6 hands when it's actually super simple. I switch batteries out in between levels and loading screens.
The big reason I go for rechargable batteries is because they are cheaper, work in everything and the biggest reason is they have more capacity than this thing. This has 1200mah and rechargable batteries are 2000mah each which is way more. This means your controller lasts way longer.
About 10 to 15 years ago I made the investment in a good charger and I am still using that charger today. I've also found batteries quite a few times on clearance for cheap prices which means I have a stash for cheap money.
The other reason is because these battery packs always end up failing way before rechargable batteries. They usually fail in 6 months to a year of use if you are gaming a lot. Check the amazon reviews for them. The amazon reviews don't reflect this until the packs start failing 6months to a year after people start buying them. For $10-15 a battery pack or sometimes more I will choose the $7-10 pack of rechargable batteries. I have rechargable batteries from like 2006 that are still working.
Please prove that these controller packs "always end up failing way before rechargeable batteries."
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That's not to say the current AmazonBasics batteries are bad, just that they literally aren't Eneloops.
(It is kind of shady how Amazon continues to show reviews for their previous batteries on the current batteries' product listings, though.)
https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/ladd...-50504692/
That's not to say the current AmazonBasics batteries are bad, just that they literally aren't Eneloops.
(It is kind of shady how Amazon continues to show reviews for their previous batteries on the current batteries' product listings, though.)
They do have high capacity and pre-charged batteries. It can be a little difficult to differentiate between pre-charged and high capacity batteries. Personally I haven't had much luck with high capacity, the cells seem to lose their charge way too fast before you can use them. They also seem to deteriorate with age much faster. I haven't had these issues with pre-charged batteries.
Please prove that these controller packs "always end up failing way before rechargeable batteries."
The only brand of battery I've had issues with is Bonai, I wouldn't recommend those. I've had these die on me and I was unable to bring them up to a nominal capacity even with a fancy charger. Even with the Bonai, I've gotten enough charges out of them to more than pay for the batteries. With the price of rechargables these days, they come close to regular cells especially if you are like me and bought rechargables every time you saw them on clearance. If you are getting even 20-25 charges out of your rechargables before they die, you are saving money over regular batteries, but you should be getting a lot more than that.
I have a fancy charger I bought many years ago that still works perfectly. There are chargers out there that will literally overcharge and cook your batteries, I don't think there's too many of those these days, as most basic chargers seem to charge individual batteries which is really the key to keeping your batteries in working order, getting a charger that will charge batteries individually.
Amazon reviews indicate that rechargable battery packs like the one here fail quickly. Also if you have ever taken apart some of these packs they are just 2 batteries inside soldered together with a controller chip, I've done it. Sometimes they put AAA batteries in them so they can make the plastic around them fit into the controller. They usually put a cheap off brand of battery in there. This is why they are way lower capacity than regular AA batteries. Sometimes there's a lithium pack in there like in the official microsoft xbox one battery pack. Though I've heard of people having issues with those too, and for $25-30, you can buy a decent set of batteries and a charger and just replace the batteries when they die.
If you leave it plugged in when not playing it your battery will continually top off which will kill battery life. I mean thats fine if you dont care about buying new packs and the environment. Also I mention how fast it is because there are some that try take it seem like switching out 2 batteries is some huge ordeal that takes 5 minutes and 6 hands when it's actually super simple. I switch batteries out in between levels and loading screens.
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