Gamertell Review: TeknoCreations’ InCharge dual-controller charge station for Xbox 360
by at December 5, 2008 11:12 am
Sections: Accessories, Consoles, Controllers, Features, Gear, Gear-Other, Opinions, Originals, Reviews, Wireless, Xbox-360
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I’m tired of having to own two sets of rechargeable batteries for all of my wireless controller – one set to use and the other to keep fully charged on standby – otherwise I risk hours of gaming downtime while I wait for batteries to recharge.
Then along comes another nifty two-controller charge station, this time by TeknoCreations for Xbox 360 controllers. It’s relatively easy to use and the battery rechargeable packs even lighter than a pair of standard AA batteries.
Design
The InCharge for Xbox 360 ships with the base unit, two rechargeable battery packs, a power cable and small fold-out quick guide. The base unit measures 7 1/2 in. long, 2 3/8 in. wide and, at its highest, 2 in. tall. It’s surprisingly light for its size weighing only 6 oz (170 g). The power cable is 6 ft. (and a couple inches) long.
To use the setup you put a battery pack in a controller and place the entire controller, battery side down, on one of the InCharge base’s two slots. While it is charging, an LED in the battery pack lights green, passing the light through to the front of the base (probably via optical cable). When it is done charging, the LED blinks. Two controllers can be charged at a time.
Performance
The charger works perfectly, charging either one or two controllers at a time. In one of the diagrams for the system it shows a battery pack being charged on the base without being in a controller. this is possible but the LED does not perfectly line up with the optical hole that lets you see the battery status on the front of the base if you place the battery logo-side up. There is, however, a second optical hole so you can place the battery upside-down and logo-side down on the charger base and still see the status.
I didn’t precisely clock charging time but the first charge did seem to take around 5-6 hours, as the manual suggested, and a second charge took approximately three to four. A full charge lasted a few days worth of gaming time (the company promises 25 hours, which is probably pretty accurate for an average gamer).
The nice thing about these battery packs is that they don’t have any exposed contact points that can get scratched, dirty or tarnish (unlike Intec’s charge stations). I was initially a little confused about charging an individual battery pack but, once I figured out how the LED on the battery pack lines up to the second, lower optical wire on the base slot and it worked wonderfully.
The only issues – which are very small – might be if you have some strange controller with a strangely designed backside (even then, the packs can easily be charged outside the controllers) or if you are uber conscious about the cosmetics of putting a white battery pack on a non-white controller. Remember, the back is facing away from you so you won’t see it while you game any way.
Overall
The InCharge works extremely well, delivering on all that it promises: It’s lighter, it charges quickly and retains a decent charge. It is a straightforward device for charging two controllers.
I also like that it doesn’t have any type of standby light to suck up even minuscule amounts of electricity when not in use (as many other charge stations do).
This is definitely a worthy charging system for your favorite pair of wireless Xbox 360 controllers.
Don’t forget to check out the photo gallery of the InCharge at work.
Product Page [InCharge for Xbox 360] Read [Engadget] Also Read [Gamertell] Photo Gallery [Gamertell]
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