Product Review: Energizer Power & Play for Xbox 360/PS3

We are always looking for new ways to tidy up our gaming area. With 14 game consoles hooked up in our living room, it’s very easy for that area to get and remain cluttered. From game cases to controllers from various systems lying around, anything that can keep the area tidy is a plus. Enter the new Energizer Power & Play Charging Systems. Keeping the area tidy is one thing but also being able to keep track of your controllers and keep them charged is another story. The Energizer Power & Play Chargers accomplish all of these.

The charger comes in two pieces in a box. The charging stand snaps easily into the base and viola, you’re ready to go. The AC power cord is not big or bulky so you shouldn’t have a problem plugging it into the wall or to a power strip without it taking up too much space.

The Xbox 360 charging station’s sleek design comes in white to match the original white console. Sorry, no black version for you Elite owners.

The 360 controllers snap in easily to the charging stand. When a controller is plugged in, the battery indicator light turns on – either red or green – to show the battery’s charge status. According to the packaging, it takes about 2.5 hours to fully charge the controllers and that time seems accurate although it felt like it took a little longer but not by much.

To start, we had one controller plugged in with the Microsoft Charge and Play battery and the other had a rechargeable battery from the NYKO Charge Station and both types of batteries charged. Since we go through TONS of AA batteries, Norm and I invested in Sanyo’s eneloop rechargeable battery system and we were pleased to find out that the Energizer Power & Play also charges the eneloop batteries. The system will also charge any Energizer rechargeable batteries and will probably charge most rechargeable battery brands although the packaging does state that the product may not be compatible with non-Microsoft or non-Energizer batteries. We didn’t have any other brands of rechargeable batteries on hand to test.

On the downside, the unit only charges two controllers at a time but since we also have the eneloop chargers as well as the NYKO chargers, we are covered in terms of battery charging stations. It would be nice to be able to keep all four controllers together, but the Energizer station does help keep the area tidier than without it.

The PS3 charging station comes in black and is identical to the Xbox 360 in function and design. The main difference is the inclusion of two additional USB ports on the side of the unit so the unit charges up to four controllers at a time -t wo in the charging station and two from the additional USB ports. Since the PS3 controllers are rechargeable without typical replacement batteries, this is the ultimate way to charge your controllers since for some odd reason Sony decided to not allow controllers to charge when the PS3 is off. You can use the USB chargers for other USB powered items, although my iPod didn’t charge.

I had a little trouble plugging in the PS3 controller versus the 360 controllers at first and I think this was mostly due to the small USB port on the back of the PS3 controller vs the one on the back of the 360 controller. Also, I tend to be more careful when using something new since I am never sure of it’s quality until I’ve had it for a while. Now, I have no problems plugging the controllers in and the best part is that when we are done using a controller, we have started automatically plugging the controllers back in. So now our controllers are always fully charged AND we have successfully eliminated some of the clutter from our TV and our gaming area. Unplugging the controllers requires the use of both hands and a little bit of muscle to pull out. But the design had that in mind with the tip of the charging unit curving up and out so that you can grip the unit with one hand while pulling the controller out with the other. Some reviews stated that extra weight would make it easier to unplug controllers but I think that Energizer kept that in mind with it’s design, making it unnecessary to add the extra weight. Also, the tighter fit ensures the controller is plugged in and won’t fall out of the charging station.

The price point for the units is $29.99 which is a bit high however you can find them priced at $19.99 at online retailers like Amazon.com which is totally worth it.

If you are looking for a way to keep the clutter down and keep your batteries charged, you will definitely want to check out the Energizer Power & Play Chargers for both the Xbox 360 and the PS3. We have a little rearranging to do but I assure you, these will be a permanent addition to our game console rack.

Our rack BEFORE: