Based on the description on their site, the controller includes a built-in battery: "8.39 Wh Li-ion battery, 35+ hours of gameplay... "
That was disappointing for me. Specially condidering the Steam Frame's controllers make use of AA batteries: "One replaceable AA battery per controller, 40hr battery life"
AA Batteries might not be as convenient to use, but being able to replace them is a great advantage. All my Xbox360 controllers still work fine, but none of my PS3' Dualshock 3s.
The official docking station could be used to recharge (rechargables) AA batteries so the functionality could remain the same.
This is a strange argument to me. I just don't get it.
So. You have the controller, advertised 35+h life on a single charge.
Unless you're some sort of gaming machine, even a no-lifer sleeps.
We'll do a crazy minimum, you sleep 4h a day. that's 20h for gaming. You plug it in when you sleep, a time when no one will be using it and it can be "tethered".
if it's a straight line (it's probably not) 20h/35h gets you down to 42% battery.
Even 2-3 years later, battery should be between 70-80% capacity. If the minimum after a full day of usage, from charged, is 42% from the 35h estimate, in your worn 70% capacity battery you've still got more than 15% spare between days, after accounting for years of degradation.
And then, after using it for 3 years, you might have to contemplate using the hated screwdriver and replacing the battery. And this is only if you've been no-life wrecking this controller for that long. It'll be much better from "regular" gaming usage.
I think this just comes down to undisciplined people, who can't manage to plug their stuff in routinely. I really can't see any other logical reason to feel this way.
And even then, for the people who can't do charging regularly, and don't want to worry about being tethered to a charger/their machines, a $10 power bank from a gas station fixes this issue. I charge my controller from a phone charger, already next to me, whenever it needs it. No one says that you have to explicitly plug it in to whatever you're playing on.
Personally, I think even giving the option of using disposable batteries is irresponsible on the designer's end. Everyone talks about rechargeables, but there's still going to be a percentage of people who just use disposables.
This does make more sense for the frame controllers, as when they die, there's no good/safe way you can still use them, and have them plugged in. even with a power bank the cables are, at best, ungainly, and at worst, an active safety hazard, as you swing them around you while not being able to see them. I've tried using index controllers wired to a power bank I was carrying, and it wasn't good.
We have a universal, standardized, cheap power cell. To this day you can use the same type of power cell in any low power device since it was standardized, going all the way back to things made in 1947. We then made it reusable for hundreds or even thousands of uses a piece, and they still only cost a few bucks.
We then replaced it with millions of different single-purpose batteries that are only compatible with one thing each.
People keep trying to gaslight me into thinking this is somehow better.
Make them illegal, and I'm not kidding.