Xbox One Wireless Controller and Play & Charge Kit (Without 3.5 millimeter headset jack)

The media could not be loaded. We all know that the xbox 360's controller was very close to a perfect controller and it was universally liked and it was hard to improve on top of it but Microsoft still did it. They managed to create an even better version of their controller and this is my experience so far.Good:Trigger improvements: Microsoft included what they called `Impulse triggers" under the triggers for a very unique result while playing games such as Forza 5Better D-Pad: The main complaint with the past controller was the squishy D-Pad it had which was not very precise and hard to press. All those bad things are gone with the new buttons.Analog sticks accuracy has improved considerably and their grippy texture feels amazing. You'll notice the difference especially if you have sweaty handsBattery life is impressive. I've yet to deplete the duracell included AA batteries after a more than 6-7 hours, which is the time it took my PS4 controller to die. The space to put the batteries in the back is not as prominent as the 360's controller reducing the bulkiness appearance. Even after your batteries die, you will be able to use the controller with a wired connection using the micro USB port.According to what I read, the Xbox uses the Kinect to know when you've put the controller down, to watch TV for example, and puts it in a state which consumes less power than usual.So-So:Analog sticks are smaller and you might like that and you might not depending on your hand size I guess. For me, I wouldn't mind them being a little bit bigger, but it's not really a bad thing, just wanted to mention itBad:The bumpers have changed and I wouldn't say it's a deal breaker with this controller but if I had to say something bad about it, it's this. They are more difficult to press/click than the 360's version so depending on the game you're playing, if it has heavy use of the bumpers you might need some extra time to get used to them.It doesn't come with a rechargeable battery out of the box so you need to buy it separately (like in this item you're reading) but as I mentioned before you won't need to do this very often.

I bought this as a second controller for my Xbox One. The controller that came with my Xbox One purchase has been fitted with a Play and Charge kit so I wanted another controller with that set up.Pros1. Charging solution + controller in one package. Don't have to worry about buying both separately and it costs roughly the same either way.2. The Xbox One controller is a fantastic controller. Comfy to hold, easy to use..3. Connecting to the Xbox One was easy (instructions included)4. Charing cable works and plugs into any USB port. This could theoretically be used on computers as well as the Xbox One.5. Officially licensed by Microsoft. That's always a pro when it comes to gaming accessories. Officially licensed by any company (sony, nintendo, etc) generally has higher quality than third party. Not always, but most of the time.6. The cable is very long. Sufficient for most set ups.Cons1. There really isn't much of a price break for buying the whole pacakage as opposed to separately. I think it's like $5 less (at least what I paid). As I understand from having this in my wishlist for 3 months, the product goes in and out of stock all the time so I guess that probably affects pricing.2. The micro-USB port on top of the controller has always felt a little wobbly and flimsy to me. I've had my Xbox One for 6 months and my original controller hasn't broken and doesn't seem like it's going to, but it's a long-term concern of mine. Not much I can do about it.Overall, this is the controller package you want. Wireless, charging enabled, and officially licensed. About the only other charging solution I'd recommend is the Nyko charging dock. Between this and that, there aren't any other really good options for rechargeable batteries for Xbox One controllers (at the time of this review)

The modifications to this controller are pretty nice. I've never played the PS4, so I only have the xbox 360 to really compare it to. With that said, the changes feel a little weird at first. The buttons and thumbsticks feel like they were all shifted about 1/4 - 1/2" inward and the bumpers are a little weird feeling when you first try them out. Additionally, the thumbsticks are made of a harder rubber, so wear and tear might be less of a problem in the long run for the controller, but it will take a few gaming marathons to determine how it will impact your thumb comfort. With that said, after about five minutes of playing a game with this controller you'll have forgotten that you just got it (if you are used to the 360 controller). It's pretty nice and the changes grow on you. The rumble effect was awesome. I used this controller with Forza 5, NBA 2k14, Lego Marvel Superheroes, and COD Ghosts (latter two do not use the rumble to its full potential). All of the games were a lot of fun and the learning curve for the controller was nearly non-existent.My roommate purchased two controllers and will be using rechargeable batteries with them versus the "play and charge kit" that you can pay an additional $15-25 for. I have purchased the play and charge kit because I don't want to deal with having to replace batteries/pull them out whenever they need charging. I will update this review once we've been using them for a bit to see if the lifespan of the batteries is comparable. As is, the play and charge kit batteries basically looks like two rechargeable batteries that are in a plastic casing.