Where does this AA-battery fetish come from?
How this is somehow better:
Have at least 4 rechargeable AA batteries on hand. (to switch them if they end in the middle of session)
Or using batteries = if gaming lets say 1000h / year, and pair of batteries last only 10h (assuming playstation controller would use more energy) = 100x battery change = around 0.5€ for one AA, 200x 0.5€ means 100€ / year. or 800€ / gen
"The average lifespan of AA batteries in an Xbox controller is roughly 40 hours. The average lifespan of the most common rechargeable battery pack, the Xbox Play and Charge Kit, is only 30 hours. The Play and Charge kit's battery life decreases over time too. "
So lets use 40h = 1000/40 = 25 x 2 x 0.5€ = 25€ into batteries/ year. 8 years of gaming = 200€ into batteries with 1000h/ year gaming.
Or good charger + 4x AA rechargeable = maybe 40€ initial purchase and maybe have to replace them once in gen = add 10-20€ = total of 50-60€ / gen.
Or when having 2x controllers = 8x AA rechargeable + 20-40€ if replacing them once/gen. = 50-60€ initial investment + 20-40€ to replace 8x rechargeable = 70-100€/gen
vs.
Charge controller from usb = free
Charge controller from official cradle = 20-25€ / gen
with 2 controllers, no need to stop gaming to charge (if playing alone) because one is always full on the cradle = 20-25€
DS4 battery lasts around 7-10h (in my experience, with light on dim), that is plenty enough when using cradle + 2 controllers, just place the controller on the cradle every time = always 1-2 fully charged controllers ready.
Or when battery/AA is emptied while gaming:
Find full AA batteries or recharged ones (I know I dont have them hanging always around, when you have cable = no need to buy more later, like AA)
vs
just stick usb cable into the controller / take one from cradle and continue.
I have 4 x DS4, two are from 2013 november, still working perfectly, battery lasts hours (havent counted but probably 4-7h, long enough not to be drained in long sessions), and these 2 have maybe 4000-7000h of game play on them at least.
Then 1 that came with ps4 pro + one orange that I bought because it looks cool + cradle = always full controller even if I forget to charge one or two as I just rotate them now into the cradle and take fully charged to the table
Many of my friends have just 1-2 controllers + cradle and I don't remember that anybody have said that it sucks or is inconvenience.
Just weird to worship AA, imagine a cellphone with AA batteries, doesnt make any more sense than gaming controller.
To burrito bandito:
There is clearly something wrong with your controller(s) or you are exaggerating, if you have to used it on wired all the time. Please explain why hours of game play would mean that you have to keep it on cable all the time?
Like even if it lasts only 4-5h, then there should not be a reason to keep it on cable all the time. And charging lithium batteries 24/7 fucks them up anyway
I agree that it could last longer, like switch/wiiu pro controller does, but IMO it is not really a big deal at all when using cradle/cable.
My conclusion is:
That if internal battery lasts for 20-80h = nobody complains, so AA isnt in any way superior vs internal battery, it is just about the amount of hours between charges
PS5 controller have usb C so it is possible that they have much better battery life and faster charge
Like Sony wh1000xm3 headphones, their battery last 25-30h with max ANC + best quality, and with usb-c 10minutes of charging gives 5 hours of usage.
So if (speculating) PS5 controller lasts 10-30h + charges really fast = zero reason to use AA