Xbox One Play and Charge Kit

Game controllers are energy-intensive, especially if you use them on a daily basis. With the Xbox One controllers, I was switching out batteries every two weeks. That's roughly 50 batteries per year for one controller! The Play and Charge kit saves you money and is more energy-efficient.When the battery starts to get low, you can either plug it in and keep playing or charge it when you're not using the controller; I frequently charge it overnight so it's ready to go the next time I pick it up. It doesn't take long to recharge, but the time varies depending on how low the battery is; if your console warns you that the battery is low, it'll take at least three hours for a full charge. It also seems to charge slower if you continue to use it as it's charging, but that's understandable. I can go several days without needing to plug it in.The cord plugs into the top of the controller between the bumpers so you can continue using all of the buttons without it getting in the way. The other end of the cord is a USB, which you can plug in to one of the USB ports on the Xbox One or any supported USB port (I've heard that you can plug it into a wall charging unit if it supports enough voltage). The cord is at least eight feet long, and the battery is a Lithium-ion, which means it's more effective and will last longer. It would be nice if there was a charging station to keep more than one battery on hand, but this one lasts for a long enough period of time that it's a minor gripe.I've had this product for over seven months and it continues to work like a champ. At less than $20, It's one of the best purchases I've made on Amazon.

Overall very good product, well made, well designed. Perfect for Xbox One users who have purchased a Xbox One headset (Turtle Beach, Tritton, Microsoft) because the new headsets are wireless to the console which means they have to get power from somewhere so they draw power from the controller. Save yourself some money buy this instead of using AA's, they are expensive.Pros: Comes with one charging cable and one lithium ion battery packOfficial Microsoft made productStrong durable cable and usb plugsBattery Life (full charge) 5+ hours without any headsets or accessories plugged in.Led light tells whether charging or you have a full charge (orange-charging/white-fully charged)Long Cable 9ft from end to endProvides a USB connection with your console if you need to update controller (this can be done with any USB to USB mini cable, and headsets/accessories that need an controller firmware update for use usually include a 1ft USB to USB mini)Cons: The cable is not super long so if you have a couch or seat more than 8ft away the cable isn't going to have slack and the lack of slack will be noticeable both by the look of it and how it feels while holding the controller.***If you are using the play and charge kit while using the Xbox One Stereo Headset Adapter to connect a Xbox 360 headset to use with the Xbox One there will be a loud ringing buzzing noise both in your headset and transmitted through game chat on some headsets such as the Turtle Beach X12's. As of now there is no fix for it, and as far as I know Microsoft has not been working on one****** TEMPORARY FIX*** Unplugging the cable will stop the ringing buzzing noise and as long as you are not playing for more 6 hours your controller battery should last.

I initially purchased an Xbox One (Day One Edition) with an extra controller, and an extra Play and Charge Kit. After two years of heavy use, these devices work quite well. When I bought the second Xbox One (Halo 5 Edition) for the man-cave, I didn't hesitate to buy the licensed Play and Charge Kit again despite there being 3rd party alternatives on the market for less. I know that these are reliable and perform well. For those unfamiliar with what you're getting, it's a 9' charging cable and a Lithium Ion rechargeable battery (to replace AA disposable batteries). The 9' cable is a big deal because it allows you to 'Play and Charge', as the name suggests, so you don't have to stop gaming because your batteries are low. My PS4 charging cables are only 4', so I pretty much have to quit (or sit on the floor) to keep gaming if my second controller is down.Having said that, MS claims a <4 hrs to fully charge. This seems relatively accurate, though I've seen it take a bit longer if I was still playing while charging (vice leaving plugged in with the Xbox in sleep mode). The real performance for me comes into actual battery life. Perhaps partly due to controller power consumption, my controllers usually last for 5 days of moderate to heavy gaming each (weeks if I only play an hour or so a day). This is phenomenal because controller management is never an issue (in case you sit > 9' from your console and only have 1 controller). I recall the 360 Play and Charge batteries lasting much less time. If you have a PS4 you'll also recall that those batteries only seem to last for 7-9 hrs before needing a recharge. I enjoy both systems, but the Xbox clearly wins in this category.I highly recommend this accessory over anything else when getting a new system or controller.