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Charging the controller itself is still divided by multiple methods but batteries have been a main staple of Xbox for well over a decade, supposedly a decision made to give players "flexibility," if comments made by Xbox partner director of program management Jason Ronald (via Eurogamer) are anything to go off.
Whatever the case, we've outlined everything there is to know about charging your Xbox controller for the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S below.
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How do you charge an Xbox controller?
What kind of charger does the Xbox Series X controller use? Let's get the important detail out of the way first - the controller that comes with the new Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S and Xbox One consoles does not have a rechargeable battery. Rather, it will come with two standard AA batteries that will eventually run out of juice.
Your Xbox Series X/S controller does have a USB-C port, though. If you run out of battery you can then plug the controller directly into your console and use it via a wired connection. But it won't charge up unless you buy an extra product! Let us explain further.
Which Xbox controller charger should you buy?
Thinking long-term, if you want to charge your Xbox controller up repeatedly, you will want to invest in a rechargeable battery pack, a controller charging station or some rechargeable AA batteries to put in your controller. Any of those three options will allow you to fulfil all your Xbox controller charging needs. For more on this, check out our guide to the best rechargeable batteries.
If you're wondering, can I charge my Xbox controller with a phone charger? The answer to that question if a yes with caveats. If your phone charges via a USB-C cable, you'll want to buy an Xbox battery pack (like the one linked below) that also uses USB-C. That's if you're dead-set on the idea of using the same charger for both devices.
Xbox has kept it simple by also allowing the use of good old-fashioned batteries. It's worth picking up rechargeable ones for long-term use. We'd argue this option is better than buying a rechargeable battery pack because actual AA batteries could come in handy for a great number of things besides your controller needs.
We'd recommend the Energizer Recharge Pro, which can house four AA batteries at a time and generally charges them up pretty quickly. Just keep a spare set of batteries in the charger and swap them when the ones you are using run out. That way you will always have a charged pair ready to put in so you will never be caught off guard with a powerless controller.
Have you been wondering, if does Xbox Series X have a charging station? The answer to that question is yes, too. There are loads of third-party charging stations listed online, like the one linked below that can juice up two controllers at a time.
There you have it, then: three solid options for Xbox controller charging. And if you're wondering, do Xbox One controllers work with the Series X? Yes, they do! So you can use your old controllers in much the same way.
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