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Ok folks lets settle this! Internal Batteries vs External Batteries

Which is better?

  • Internal Battery

    Votes: 1,184 50.7%

  • External (sanyo eneloop ftw!)

    Votes: 1,151 49.3%
  • Total voters
    2,335

CosmicPanda

Banned
Oct 31, 2017
842
external batteries can be replaced super fast. no battery internal battery comes close to Ikea Ladda's and Panasonics Eneloop's They can last many years.
ladda-rechargeable-battery__0603628_PE680867_S5.JPG


5467056_sd.jpg



While internal batteries have a better form factor they are very had to replace

The Ps4 controller battery has a relatively poor battery life and involves opening up the controller to change which most casuals wont do.

The Nintendo DS internal battery is the holy grail of internal batteries. a lot of people remarked that it can hold a charge for many years and some how lose some of its capacity.
https://www.reddit.com/r/gaming/comments/9y6oaw/so_i_found_my_old_nintendo_ds_and_the_battery_is/
https://www.reddit.com/r/gaming/comments/7k4c8x/found_my_ds_lite_from_five_years_ago_battery/
 
Slayven

Slayven

Never read a comic in his life
Moderator
Oct 25, 2017
93,162
Every portalable should aspire to be the vita battery life.
 
Ryuelli

Ryuelli

Member
Oct 26, 2017
15,209
I've heard era mention eneloops a lot lately. Are the pro ones worth paying the premium for or are the normal ones just fine?
 
killa2max

killa2max

Member
May 17, 2018
520
Seattle, WA
I am personally a fan of using rechargeable batteries like Eneloops. They last a long, long time both in terms of how often you have to swap them and when they need to be replaced entirely because of capacity loss. It's not a deal breaker either way though.
 

Deleted member 15476

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 27, 2017
5,268
I'll always go for the rechargeable batteries. Maybe it makes less sense in the console world of planned obsolescence, but on PC longevity matters more.
 
criteriondog

criteriondog

I like the chili style
Member
Oct 26, 2017
11,151
CosmicPanda said:
external batteries can be replaced super fast. no battery internal battery comes close to Ikea Ladda's and Panasonics Eneloop's They can last many years.
ladda-rechargeable-battery__0603628_PE680867_S5.JPG


5467056_sd.jpg



While internal batteries have a better form factor they are very had to replace

The Ps4 controller battery has a relatively poor battery life and involves opening up the controller to change which most casuals wont do.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
While the PS4 internal battery isn't great, let's not forget the Wii U and Switch Pro controller batteries. They're amazingly long. The Wii U Pro controller battery lasted forever, and the Switch Pro controller seems to last around as long.

Hoping the DualSense battery is better. Should help that the battery is bigger and that the lightbar is relatively gone.
 
Oldmario

Oldmario

Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,145
external batteries are best, if you need to replace them you can safely, with internal batteries there's a lot more risk they're gonna be some cheap crap that'll either hold 5 minutes of charge or set fire to the device
 
BasilZero

BasilZero

Member
Oct 25, 2017
36,350
Omni
External batteries but not like AA/AAA - I mean like what the PSP had where you can replace them easily.

While the DS and 3DS ones require you to unscrew and/or take apart.
 
CloudsFromSpace

CloudsFromSpace

Member
Mar 8, 2018
1,161
Easily swappable rechargeable batteries prolong the life of electronics and reduce waste. I'd take eneloops or other rechargeable AAs over any custom internal lithium battery any day
 
Cliff Steele

Cliff Steele

Banned
Oct 28, 2017
4,477
Internal all the way. I always have 2 Dualshocks in rotation. Same will happen with the DualSense.

I'll get a play and charge kit for the XSX controller.
 
EvilBoris

EvilBoris

Prophet of Truth - HDTVtest
Verified
Oct 29, 2017
16,686
Personally , I like the choice and flexibility.
Although 99.9999% of the Time I am using replaceable rechargeable
 
Ferrio

Ferrio

Member
Oct 25, 2017
18,076
External. Not only can you change batteries to 100% full in an instant, you're device will never go bad cause of the internal battery shitting itself.
 
Senator Toadstool

Senator Toadstool

Attempted to circumvent ban with alt account
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
16,651
i've never had to stop playing my xbox for a lack of a charge. can't say the same for my ps4
 

BAD

Member
Oct 25, 2017
9,565
USA
Internal is bad for the environment if it bricks the whole device when it wears out

Xbox Controller is the best since it has both options
 
blame space

blame space

Resettlement Advisor
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
15,420
you're not going to settle anything. you're going to have 20 odd pages of people not realizing that the ability to easily change a bad battery is more important than being able to charge something out of the box.

the ideal solution is a rechargeable, easily swappable battery included with every controller sold. you have to pay a little more for this with xbox controllers, but with the price hike on the ps5 pads, it's almost a wash now yeah?
 
Bansai

Bansai

Teyvat Traveler
Member
Oct 28, 2017
11,295
External. I'm still using my external Eneloops which I bought 5 years ago? They still hold for like 40h straight. I have 4 and they're always on rotation.

Whereas my new and "improved" DS4 which I bought 5 months ago already is dying after 6-7 hours.
 
Another

Another

Banned
Oct 23, 2019
1,684
Portugal
Every analysis I watched/read a few months back when I was in the market for some new rechargeables said the eneloops were hyped beyond their actual performance and they consistently delivered lesser results than the competition.... where exactly does their reputation come from?

For context:

This was just one of the several sources I checked at the time before pouncing on the Laddas and Eneloops were consistently a disappointment in all the the tests.
 
blame space

blame space

Resettlement Advisor
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
15,420
my favorite part of this argument is when people somehow twist it into a negative on technological grounds.

"i have to buy batteries for my xbox controller? what is this, 1980? 😂"

just complete idiocy.
 
Windu

Windu

Member
Oct 25, 2017
13,630
Always give me external / replaceable batteries. Shame that most new phones these days don't have removable batteries.
 
Ada

Ada

Member
Nov 28, 2017
3,737
Internal all the way, especially when the cradle for the controller doubles as a charger. The elite x1 controller is so good because of this.
 
Eoin

Eoin

Member
Oct 27, 2017
7,103
The best way is the one used by the 8bitdo SN30 Pro Plus.

dims


It comes with a battery which charges via a USB-C port on the controller. If this is fine for you, you never have to open the controller or do anything with this battery other than charge it.

If you want to replace it, it's accessible via a simple plastic flap.

You can also remove the pack and insert two standard AA batteries, which fit perfectly into the same space, and use those instead.
 
McNum

McNum

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 26, 2017
5,195
Denmark
I prefer internals, but to me the optimal solution would be a controller that came with a set of rechargeable AAs and could work as a charger itself.

You'd get the best of both worlds.You're done for now? Plug it in! You run out of power early? Swap them out!
 
Irikan

Irikan

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
2,392
Do it like xbox, give people the option to go for both if they want. If I get one choice I'd rather have replaceable batteries. Much less of a hassle to replace dead AA batteries vs an internal one
 
SquirrelSaysNuts

SquirrelSaysNuts

Banned
May 15, 2018
1,898
Denmark
Another said:
Every analysis I watched/read a few months back when I was in the market for some new rechargeables said the eneloops were hyped beyond their actual performance and they consistently delivered lesser results than the competition.... where exactly does their reputation come from?
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Maybe other manufacturers have caught up in the last twenty years but every time I have tried cheaper ones, I was just disappointed with their performance. Tried eneloops and stuck with them.
 
Dogui

Dogui

Member
Oct 28, 2017
8,813
Brazil
The ideal choice would be an internal battery that's easy to replace.

The battery of my phone is as easy to replace as any external battery, so i don't know why it can't be the same with gaming controllers or portable consoles. (Tho it's not that harder in these cases either).
 
Chackan

Chackan

Member
Oct 31, 2017
5,097
Internal.

Had to buy a battery pack for my Xbox One controller which is stupid since it should come with internal battery, or at least offer the choice...
 
score01

score01

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,701
I'm fine with internal or external batteries but the price of your product should reflect this difference.

Internals are less hassle and what we have become used to with things like charging mobiles etc so I think they make the most sense in this day and age.
 
Tibarn

Tibarn

Member
Oct 31, 2017
13,370
Barcelona
For controllers, I prefer internals.

I think that at the point the internal battery has been charged enough times to have a really low life, the controller materials are often damaged enough to guarantee a controller change (some loose button, sticks have lost the rubber cover etc...).
 
Exit Music

Exit Music

Member
Nov 13, 2017
1,082
It kind of depends. Generally I like removable batteries for the freedom. You can use a play and charge kit and it's the same as an internal essentially.

If it's a battery like the Switch Pro controller I'm okay with internal, but the DS4 was a combination of short battery life and a non-removable battery that really sucked.
 
Lemony1984

Lemony1984

Member
Jul 7, 2020
6,722
Eneloops are the only way to go for controllers etc. Anyone who says otherwise just hasn't bothered trying.

Internal battery for a portable console though. Don'y be crazy.
 
Ascenion

Ascenion

Prophet of Truth - One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 25, 2017
10,105
Mecklenburg-Strelitz
I think the perfect option would be if every Xbox console shipped with a play and charge kit. But otherwise I think people preferring internal is born out of ignorance rather than preference. External is superior. Choice always wins.
 
blame space

blame space

Resettlement Advisor
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
15,420
Tibarn said:
For controllers, I prefer internals.

I think that at the point the internal battery has been charged enough times to have a really low life, the controller materials are often damaged enough to guarantee a controller change (some loose button, sticks have lost the rubber cover etc...).
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

ok

but what if the rest of the controller doesn't have loose buttons, or the sticks haven't "lost their rubber" (a problem i'd never run into until the dual shock 4); hell, what if you just can't buy one any more?

would it ever be a BAD thing to be able to easily replace a battery?
 

Deleted member 9857

user requested account closure
Banned
Oct 26, 2017
2,977
Eoin said:
The best way is the one used by the 8bitdo SN30 Pro Plus.

dims


It comes with a battery which charges via a USB-C port on the controller. If this is fine for you, you never have to open the controller or do anything with this battery other than charge it.

If you want to replace it, it's accessible via a simple plastic flap.

You can also remove the pack and insert two standard AA batteries, which fit perfectly into the same space, and use those instead.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

I agree with this, I prefer internal but I love 8bitdo's compromise approach
 
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