Microsoft has been forced to speak out about a recent report claiming that the company has a long-standing agreement with Duracell that forces them to use AA batteries in the Xbox Controllers. If you have been a gamer for a long time, you would know that Microsoft has used Duracell AA batteries in the Xbox Controller ever since the first wireless iteration back in 2005.
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The original report stems from Gfinity Blog Stealth Optional who claim that the Duracell batteries included in new Xbox Controllers mean more than meets the eye. They suggest that there’s a deal in place between Microsoft and Duracell. This is suggested after they blog interviewed Duracell UK”s marketing manager, Luke Anderson.
“There’s always been this partnership with Duracell and Xbox… it’s a constant agreement that Duracell and Microsoft have in place.[The deal is for OEM to supply the battery product for the Xbox consoles and also the controllers’ battery. So that 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.”
What the blog suggests is that Microsoft’s is forced when it comes to which batteries they use in the controller and instead of creating a device with a built-in battery, they stick to replaceable due to this agreement. Thankfully, this is not the case at all.
Last night, Microsoft released a statement clearing the air and backing up previous interviews where the company spoke about the Xbox Controller and its replaceable batteries. A spokesperson said:
“We intentionally offer consumers choice in their battery solutions for our standard Xbox Wireless Controllers. 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.”
This statement is very similar to the company’s previous interview with Digital Foundry where they stood by their decision to keep using AA batteries in the Xbox Series X/S controller. The company claims that the gaming world has two types of gamers. Ones that prefer AA batteries and ones that don’t. This is why they offer the optional rechargeable battery pack solution as an additional purchase. To please both worlds.
