Topic: So is Nintendo stupid enough to make the controller use normal, non-rechargable batteries?

[Ian Sane]

I was thinking that AA batteries would be okay if Nintendo included an AC adapter with every controller so if you wanted you could have a normal corded controller.  But then I remembered the motion control which really wouldn't work well with a cord hanging out so rechargable is pretty much the only acceptable option.  Those worried about the rechargable going kaputz in the future shouldn't.  Do you think Nintendo is ever going to go back to corded controllers?  They might just use the same battery for their future consoles so replacement parts will be available for as long as the company still exists.

I don't think AA batteries will break the Rev on it's own.  Though if Nintendo doesn't watch it they could have the Cube routine again where several little problems stack up to make a big one.  No HD support and AA batteries when the competition has rechargables together doesn't sound so attractive and who knows what other problems Nintendo can't forsee ahead of time will show up.  Nintendo should never create any intentional limitations for their consoles because that stuff combines with accidental stuff.  When you're the last place console and everyone is counting you out you don't want to give people excuses to not buy your console.  AA batteries is an excuse Nintendo can nip in the bud NOW so they should do it.

This is all moot anyway because if anything is going to sink the Rev it's going to be the controller itself.  What batteries the thing uses won't matter if the general public rejects the remote design.  Though perhaps that's better incentive to offer a rechargable battery.  Nintendo already has a risky hard-sell so they might as well make sure everything else is perfect to hedge their bets.

[UncleBob]

Quote
Originally posted by: vudurechargable batteries don't die after a certain time period, they die after a certain number of charges.  I think the batteries in the SP/DS are supposed to last at least 300 charges.  How often do you replace the batteries in your Wavebird?  Every six months?  Every year?  Just to be safe, let's say you recharge them every month.  That means recharable batteries in your Revolution controller should last around 25 years.  Not too shabby.

The problems isn't when the batteries die, the problem is that they die.
You know, I still have a Mattel Intellivision - that I play - often.  25 years later.  And, as long as it works, I'll play it 25 years from *now*.
Now I understand not being able to play because the hardware breaks... but not being able to play because the batteries are dead and won't charge?  When it could simply be avoided by putting a regular battery in there instead?

Now I like the idea of future Nintendo systems using the same tech, but let's face it...  First, we're talking about Nintendo.  The same company that brought us Connectivity... and the GBA/GBASP/GB Micro/GBASP w/better screen stuff... and Animal Crossing e-Reader cards... and the MC59/MC251/MC1019 fiasco...  Heck, look at the SP/DS batteries... they're the same battery (except that the DS batt lasts longer) - but can you switch 'em around... no, because Nintendo designed them so that you can't.

Second, in 5-10 years when the 6th Nintendo console comes out (and it better), do we really want Nintendo to use 5-10 year old battery tech in their system?  Perhaps, by then, there will be an "Ion Flux" battery that only needs recharged once a year and last for 500+ recharges (mind you, I'm making all of this up...).  What will the Sony/MS fanboys say when the N6 comes out with batteries that you have to charge every month?

[The Omen]

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I don't like this at all. I don't actually use my WaveBird all the time, only when i'm sitting far away or with obstacles around and don't want to deal with a cord, it isn't the main controller I use for GC, so it's not that big of a problem. Having to put batteries in my Revolution remote every week is just going to be annoying, and when word gets around about this problem it's only going to turn people away. Not allowing it to be recharged and forcing us to buy batteries would be absolutely stupid.

Seriously, my Wavebird has lasted a year at a time with non-rechargable batteries.  Is it really that much of a concern?

[RABicle]

Quote
Originally posted by: Ian Sane
I was thinking that AA batteries would be okay if Nintendo included an AC adapter with every controller so if you wanted you could have a normal corded controller.  But then I remembered the motion control which really wouldn't work well with a cord hanging out so rechargable is pretty much the only acceptable option.  Those worried about the rechargable going kaputz in the future shouldn't.  Do you think Nintendo is ever going to go back to corded controllers?  They might just use the same battery for their future consoles so replacement parts will be available for as long as the company still exists.

I don't think AA batteries will break the Rev on it's own.  Though if Nintendo doesn't watch it they could have the Cube routine again where several little problems stack up to make a big one.  No HD support and AA batteries when the competition has rechargables together doesn't sound so attractive and who knows what other problems Nintendo can't forsee ahead of time will show up.  Nintendo should never create any intentional limitations for their consoles because that stuff combines with accidental stuff.  When you're the last place console and everyone is counting you out you don't want to give people excuses to not buy your console.  AA batteries is an excuse Nintendo can nip in the bud NOW so they should do it.

This is all moot anyway because if anything is going to sink the Rev it's going to be the controller itself.  What batteries the thing uses won't matter if the general public rejects the remote design.  Though perhaps that's better incentive to offer a rechargable battery.  Nintendo already has a risky hard-sell so they might as well make sure everything else is perfect to hedge their bets.

Ahhh yes the voice of dissent, right on time. Next stop Ranwick Street.

[KDR_11k]

Don't buy replacement batteries now, they'll be pretty degraded by the time you use them.

And the DS or SP can still be used with the power cord attached, that's not possible for the Rev.

[vudu]

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AA batteries when the competition has rechargables together doesn't sound so attractive

Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't the PS3 controller have AA batteries at E3?  I don't remember everybody throwing a stink.  Regardless, its still too early for any of us to know if Nintendo or Sony will use AA or recharable batteries.  Just because they have AA in the prototype controllers doesn't mean they'll use AA in the final versions.

[Ian Sane]

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't the PS3 controller have AA batteries at E3? I don't remember everybody throwing a stink."

From IGN's PS3 FAQ:
"We do know that the default controllers for the PlayStation 3 will be wireless. They can be recharged via any USB port, including those on the system itself."

So if Sony was using AA's they were placeholders because the official specs seems to be rechargable.

Nintendo is doing their usual "keep us in the dark" routine so we can't say for certain if the AA's are temporary or not.  That's why we're discussing this and Sony fans aren't.  This is a situation where Nintendo's secretive ways are questionable because most people would see non-rechargable batteries as a negative and Nintendo can kill any negative press about the issue right now if they are going to have a rechargable battery.  It is possible though that they want to go rechargable but haven't actually figured out how to do it so they're not making promises they don't know if they can keep.

[KDR_11k]

You can have a system that uses AA batteries and can recharge them (obviously a bad idea to put in normal batteries) with a cradle. Look at any cordless phone out there. Or some of the cordless mice.

[BigJim]

Good lord, that's what I've been saying. Rechargable AA's.

I would prefer rechargable AA's since I can swap them in and out as needed, and not have to worry about an internal pack wearing down mid-game.

If Nintendo doesn't make any kind of recharge adapter themselves, a 3rd party will. Or just buy a darn AA recharger over the counter. This isn't going to be a make or break deal. If you're already sold on the games and the system, the batteries aren't your concern. You'll find a way to play. You will overcome this dramatic and horrifying obstacle, pick up the pieces of your shattered life, and move on in a AA-powered NRC world.

That said, they have ALWAYS been conscious about battery usage and I doubt that it going to change. They'll go with what they think the best route is.

[Rancid Planet]

If I get stuck with rechargable AA batteries I'll be pissed. That's all.

[jasonditz]

Quote
Originally posted by: Rancid Planet
I just can't believe they have those "15 minute AA chargers" now. When I got mine the best they had was 8 hours. Then right after I bought mine they released the 4 hour unit. Then they had 2 hours, and now they have a freaking charger than does 4 AA batteries in 15 minutes! BASTARDS!

Granted I need them most for the CD player in my car. But I'd like to keep it that way. C'mon the SP and the DS sport the right type of battery for this job. Why not put it in the controller? I think there is a good chance they will. And they better do it.

DO IT.
DO IT.

I've still got an 8 hour charger and a set of AA and a set of C NiCd batteries from 6-7 years ago. They still hold a little bit of a charge... but I rarely use them anymore

[wandering]

you know, this thread has really warmed me up to the idea of rev using AAs intead of built-in recharables. Personally,
I want the REV to last as long as possible. Also, it would be annoying to have to stop playing to recharge because a controller runs out of batteries (I'm assuming that, thanks to the motion control, you wouldn't be able to use the REV while its charging.)

Recharables were good for portables because portables: drain batteries quickly, can be played easily while chraging, and are generally only used for a couple of years.

None of that is true for the REV. Also, with the REV, you'll only have to replace the batteries every so often (if they can get 10 or so hours out of a dual-screened, backlit self-contained system that's about as powerful as an N64, then I'm betting they'll be able to get 50 or so hours out of the REV controllers....even taking into account motion control, rumble, and attachments), so having it run off of AAs won't be that big of a deal.

[Renny]

Only used for a couple years? The SP has been out longer than a couple years, and people still seem to be playing it. I'll still be using it as long as I have GBA games I want to play (one of these days I'll finish Boktai, weather be damned!). Custom-sized rechargeables are a necessity born out of shinking electronics. The original GBA being larger is able to accomodate standard-sized batteries.

As for the Rev controller, rumble will draw significant current. There's no way to avoid that. The only means of maintaining acceptable battery time with rumble is to have a larger-capacity battery. I wish they'd get rid of it, though it might finally be useful with the Rev. So standard batteries are a must. Microsoft has it right with the Xbox Gamer-Lifestyle Device™; a controller that accepts AA batteries but also has a rechargeable battery pack that charges when in the controller. And they have it entirely wrong sticking a wired controller in the "Core" pack. But that belongs in another thread....

So I think Nintendo should use standard batteries and either offer a battery pack or make the NRC capable of charging either NiMHs or NiCds. My 6-year-old Panasonic CD player (barely running, but it's enough for me) can take anything from 2 NiMHs to 4 Alkalines with the external battery pack, and it can charge NiMHs in the internal battery compartment. I still use the original AAA NiMHs after all these years but they don't hold much of a charge.

[vudu]

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Only used for a couple years? The SP has been out longer than a couple years, and people still seem to be playing it.

 Just over 2.5 years, actually.  I think it came out in March 2003.  Give it time, and your battery life will start to go down.

[Terranigma Freak]

I didn't bother reading through the entire topic but... is he saying that pausing the game while waiting 90 minutes to recharge your batteries is a smart thing to do? Yeah sure you can always buy 2, but I would rather it use both regular and rechargable.

[Caliban]

I apologize for the bumping, but I read on Engadget about some interesting type of rechargeable batteries, however I will only link to the proper site and not engadget:

http://www.usbcell.com/product/1 + WiiUSB ports = Wii gamers FTW?

I really like the idea of recharging batteries through USB, it seems alot more useful if you have no more electric sockets to spare.
It's a shame that site only delivers 'pronto' in the UK.

[zakkiel]

Why would you want to recharge the batteries for a console with USB? I really can't think of a situation where that would be useful.

[Artimus]

I believe the idea would be you plug them into the Wii to recharge them.

[RickPowers]

Why the hell is this even a debate?  The option Nintendo has chosen gives the best of all possible worlds, and is the EXACT SAME solution Microsoft chose for the Xbox 360.

You want to use standard AA batteries?  Go ahead.
You want to use rechargeable batteries?  Go for it.

Hell, Nintendo will probably even offer their own rechargeables.  But seriously, if this isn't a problem for the Xbox 360, why is it going to be a problem for Nintendo?

Personally, I have something like 20 AA NiMH batteries of capacities ranging from 1600-2100 MAh (milliamp hours), and a 15 minute charger.  For emergencies, I have a pack of something like 20 AA batteries that I got from Home Depot for under $10.  (Contrary to popular belief, there is little difference between generic and brand name batteries ... as the brand names are frequently the ones who make the generics!)  When I was having battery problems on my Xbox 360 wireless controller (bad Play 'n' Charge cable), I dropped in a pair of alkalines.

Seriously, what exactly is the debate here?  When did it become a bad thing to offer consumers a choice?

[Caliban]

It never became a bad thing to offer consumers a choice.
Hence the reason I posted that link to those usb rechargeable batteries, just to show that there are many options for the controller so nobody feels left out.

[odifiend]

Are we swearing by Microsoft now?

As likely mentioned last year when this thread was current, when GBASP upgraded to lithium, consumers could go longer between charges and lithium batteries last longer.  The choices that we have are also not 'offered' by Nintendo, otherwise I might be less bummed.  Personally I have had bad luck with rechargeable batteries - I have found them to be practically useless in the past with my GameBoys, not having the same potential as regular alkalines and that potential decaying rapidly.  
The power demand likely won't be as intense as a GameBoy with the Wiimote, but play sessions will also be longer and it seems like a logical extension of what Nintendo is already doing.

[decoyman]

Someone may have already mentioned it, but Nintendo could release a battery pack connected to a battery cover. Then you take off the battery cover, and put this in instead. (It would need to have its own battery cover because there'd need to be a socket in it for the power adapter.) Then just hook it up to an outlet to charge. You could even plug it into the outlet and play if you had to – maybe the adapter's got an extra long cord, just in case.

Heck, I'd buy that.

[zakkiel]

Quote
Originally posted by: Artimus
I believe the idea would be you plug them into the Wii to recharge them.

Ah. That makes more sense.

[Caliban]

I can't believe you didn't even get it from what I wrote, heck I will even bold it just for you: "http://www.usbcell.com/product/1 + WiiUSB ports = Wii gamers FTW?

[RickPowers]

Quote
Originally posted by: zakkiel

Quote
Originally posted by: Artimus
I believe the idea would be you plug them into the Wii to recharge them.

Ah. That makes more sense.

Actually, it's the one thing that drove me crazy about the "Play 'n' Charge" kit for the 360.  If the batteries started running low, I could plug it into the 360 and keep playing.  OK, but as soon as I turn off the 360 ... the batteries stop charging.  Of course, since the Wii never really shuts down, this could be a non-issue.

Coincidentally, my 360 PnC cable went bad on me, and I ended up getting a stand-alone charger, and that worked better.

Anyway, what do you do if you have more than one controller to charge?  IIRC, the Wii only has ONE USB port.