Microsoft has revealed that the Xbox Series X controllers will require regular batteries. The announcement has sparked a debate we did not expect to be a part of in 2020.
Controllers can play a big role in which console a person chooses. If they consider everything else to be pretty equal, the quality, design, size, everything about the controller can lead it to be the deciding factor. This is why the decision by Microsoft to stick with controllers that need regular old batteries for the Xbox Series X is an interesting one.
On the surface, not equipping a console controller with a rechargeable battery in 2020 seems almost absurd. Not only do battery packs make a controller so much bigger and more cumbersome, but does anything else other than Xbox controllers and annoying kids' toys even require disposable batteries anymore?
Despite that, Xbox fans have come to the defense of disposable batteries carrying over into the next generation of Microsoft console. Their argument is the use of regular batteries means they don't have to worry about the controller dying, in the short term or the long term. How many times have you been playing a PlayStation 4, only to have to move within a few feet of the console due to its need to be tethered while it charges?
However, the argument that rechargeable PlayStation controllers give up the ghost forever is somewhat unfounded, at least in our experience. We can't think of a single instance where a rechargeable PS4 controller has given up on us forever and has needed to be replaced. The need to recharge them can get a little annoying but if the charge runs out at an inopportune time, that's ultimately the fault of the user.
Should gamers who plan to purchase the Series X not want the added cost of AA batteries, Microsoft does sell rechargeable packs. Xbox kind of has all bases covered in that regard whereas PlayStation does not. The former allows players a choice when it comes to battery preference, but the latter has enough confidence in its controllers to know that they will stand the test of time and rarely encounter any problems.