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Comment by xandrius | Hacker News Reader

Kind of weird using AA batteries, I'd imagine something else would be better suited for this?

AA means they don’t have to handle battery replacements; and it’s not too-too hard to get rechargeable batteries.

I would prefer batteries in machine, too; but this does have some sustainability and repairability (by not needing it) advantages.

The (now original) Steam controller used AA batteries as well. I can't say it was my favorite feature but I did appreciate that it made "battery replacements" a cinch.

You're right that it's "not too-too hard" to get them, but it's also "not too-too easy" to actually use them in comparison just plugging a USB-C cable into the device. The process you will have to go through to recharge this will become incredibly annoying for something that will eat through batteries as quickly as a VR headset. Think of all the criticisms Apple has received over the years due to the Magic Mouses charging port being on the bottom and that only needs a charge every couple months, this will need to be charged after a few hours of use.

There are 1.5V AA li-ion batteries on the market. I bought a few to power children's toys and they have comparable capacity to alkaline batteries. At high currents they actually perform better.

Cost is about 10x that of their non-rechargeable brethren, but obviously there's return on that investment.

I wasn't denying their existence. I was comparing the process of opening your device, taking out the batteries, finding their proprietary charger or hooking each individual battery up to a USB cable depending on the specific variety of battery, and them putting them back into your device is more annoying than just plugging the device into one of the half dozen USB-C chargers we all have scattered around our homes.

I doubt this would be a dealbreaker for most people, but it's a choice that will provide a consistent small annoyance for users.

True, but you can just swap in a spare set of charged batteries and you are back online instantly.

Why would I want to go the route of having to plug in the controllers and not be able to use them while I charge them versus just swapping in a set of spare, charged batteries? Rechargeable AAs have been around for decades! It's the same setup my quest 1 and 2 have, and it has never failed me, I got 4 batteries total, 2 in the charger, 2 in the headset, I swap them around when they eventually (after a looooong time) run out.

To me the greater annoyance would be to have to wait until the device charges, should it lose power mid-game.

The controller is the only part that uses AA. The computer/headset portion uses USB-C recharging.

I would hazard a guess that the battery in the controller will have a life measured in weeks if not months.

> this will need to be charged after a few hours of use.

I think you're mixing up the controller and headset batteries. The controllers use AA batteries and should last for potentially months of use.

The headset itself uses a rechargeable 21.6 Wh Li-ion battery with 45W charging over USB-C.

Thanks for the correction. Still annoying, but obviously less so.

AA’s are only used for the controllers and they’ve got a claimed 40 hours of battery life on those AAs.

Batteries in machine leads to having to wait 30 minutes for them to charge. Replaceable rechargeable batteries means you can instantly get a full new set. This is ideal

I was actually glad they went with AA batteries for the controllers. They are easily replaced, of course, and I already have a charger on a shelf with AA/AAA batteries always ready to go. I tend to avoid internal batteries if I can also so that I don't have to manage them so much or wait for charging. Had my DS4 controller internal battery go bad after a year probably because the battery got deeply discharged a few times. Not buying that again.

User replaceable batteries are... fine? Expected; preferred even? 40 hours on a single charge is more than adequate, imo, and if the controllers were too light that might actually bother some players.

Nothing against user-replaceable batteries, just that they use AA batteries. I was expecting something a bit more long lasting and rechargeable via USB.

https://www.reichelt.com/de/en/shop/product/lithium-ion_batt...

I'm not trying to sell you on these in particular, it's just that I am struggling to find "non-German" results. Go search for them on ebay or a local store.

Those are cool but it does seem like they are forced to have that form factor to fit in most existing devices.

While a brand new device could employ something more apt? Even say something larger which can store more energy, dunno. It just feel off to still have AA batteries (which are generally not rechargeable) in a new product in 2025 which is not targeted to elderlies.

Maybe I'm just old but I bought some Eneloop rechargable batteries in 2008 and then some more Amazon branded rechargable batteries in like 2015 and a single charger and they've been powering devices consistently for over a decade. Half of my toddler's toys run on AA or AAA batteries. Calling them old fashioned feels like complaining the form factor of a 12 oz/330ml soda can is old; technically you're right but it's been around for 50 years because it works exceptionally well.

>AA batteries (which are generally not rechargeable)

I can't recall the last time I saw single use batteries in use, except maybe in a brand new remote control bundled with a TV, which was quickly swapped for rechargable. I don't even think of this most months, from where I'm siting I can see my battery chager and there's two sets of AA and a set of AAA sitting on there fully charged, ready to go. I think I paid $12 for the charger in 2008, very low barrier to entry.

I think it's a lot better. Rechargeable batteries built into a device degrade over time. The vast majority of people will discard a device as a result of battery degradation.

I swapped all my AA and AAA batteries for Enelooops. The cheaper white ones are the best for most applications.

I'm frustrated by the error rate on my Eneloops over the years. I have dozens of them and I swear every other time I recharge them, one more starts blinking and refuses to recharge.

Also I would recommend switching to the IKEA rechargeable batteries which are supposedly the same thing except cheaper.

I expect it does help with MRP and weight as well as making them more robust with no usbc drive to be worked free (especially if people try playing cabled up as inevitably happens when controllers run out of power halfway through playing). I'd expect there will be third party options to replace the cover/battery exactly how your thinking with a nice dock to put them down in for people who prefer it.

Realistically though if the cover for the battery is nice to remove/insert then it wouldn't surprise me if having a battery charging station and hot pairs of batteries to swap out is actually the nicer usability option vs cording or dock downtime (if you leave them sitting on the couch with a low charge then need to charge halfway through).

Why? You can use rechargeable AA batteries and if you want you can swap them out and basically never have downtime for charging. Also all embedded batteries degrade over time which is a non issue here

Why not replaceable batteries which are not AA? Like any li-on batteries.

Also if the stand is also a charger then the hot-swap is mostly a non-issue. Playing with this for more than X hours should not be the default usage.

Makes me happy. Instant swap when you run out of power.

I just buy rechargeable batteries and keep a charger nearby. When batteries die, they come out and straight into the charger. Always ready to go.

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