The Xbox controllers continue to use AA batteries instead of built-in batteries charged via USB due to an ongoing long-term deal with Duracell. This is in stark contrast to the competition. Both Sony and Nintendo have moved on to internal rechargeable batteries since the PS3 controller and Wii U Classic Controller respectively.
“There’s always been this partnership with Duracell and Xbox… It’s a constant agreement that Duracell and Microsoft have in place,” said Duracell UK’s marketing manager, Luke Anderson, in an interview with Stealth Optional.
“[The deal is] for OEM to supply the battery product for the Xbox consoles and also the controllers’ battery. So that [deal is] going to go on for a while… it’s been going on for a while and I think it needs to go for a while [more],” explained Anderson. This would mean that not only would Xbox simply support AA batteries but Duracell also supplies the necessary tech and components related to Xbox controller batteries.
All of this would suggest that any deal between Microsoft and Duracell to ensure AA batteries found their way into Xbox controllers may have been in place since the Xbox 360’s launch nearly 15 years ago. The Xbox 360 was the first Microsoft console to use AA batteries.
While Microsoft has not divulged the nature of its contract with Duracell, it did state that Xbox users have multiple options for charging their controllers.
“We intentionally offer consumers choice in their battery solutions for our standard Xbox Wireless Controllers,” a Microsoft spokesperson said in a statement to video game business publication MCV.
“This includes the use of AA batteries from any brand, the Xbox Rechargeable Battery, charging solutions from our partners, or a USB-C cable, which can power the controller when plugged in to the console or PC.”
