You may wonder why Microsoft is still putting AA battery compatibility in the Xbox One and the Xbox 360. In fact, I am very glad that they have! Rechargeable AA batteries have come a long way since they originally come out. Panasonic (originally Sanyo) have progressively improving their Eneloop Rechargeable batteries.
Here is why I like the Panasonic Eneloops so much:
- After 10 years on the shelf, they’ll still have over 70% of the charge (so they’ll be ready to be used when you need them).
- 2,100 recharge cycles. Even if you recharged them every other day (which is excessive) they’d last for over 11 years.
- When the batteries become depleted, it just takes a few seconds to swap out. This is great when you’re playing online games. No (short) recharging cable needed and keeps you from pulling your console onto the floor.
The batteries are fairly cheap as on Amazon. Currently you can get an 8 pack for about $16, which means you’ll have three backup pairs ready to go when you need them.
[amazonjs asin=”B00JHKSN5I” locale=”US” title=”Panasonic BK-3MCCA8BA Eneloop AA 2100 Cycle Ni-MH Pre-Charged Rechargeable Batteries (Pack of 8)”]
If you don’t have a charger yet, I’d recommend staying away from quick chargers, especially the 15 and 30 minute chargers. The batteries will recharge quicker, but they’ll also deplete quicker and it will also heavily lower the recharge cycles. The charger I recommend is the La Crosse BC 700. It will trickle charge the batteries instead and help your batteries to last longer (both with each charge and will keep the recharge cycles high).
[amazonjs asin=”B000RSOV50″ locale=”US” title=”La Crosse Technology BC-700 Alpha Power Battery Charger”]