Energizer recently released a trio of
charging solutions for the current generation of gaming consoles.
Today we will be looking at the Energizer Power & Play Charging
System for 360. This charging system for 360 controllers is made by
gaming peripheral maker Performance Design Products and sold under
the Energizer brand name.

The Energizer Power & Play Charging
System for 360 allows up to two controllers to be charged
simultaneously. Charging time is approximately two and a half hours.
There is one caveat, batteries are not included and you will need to
own a rechargeable battery pack made by Microsoft or use Energizer
rechargeable batteries. All other rechargeable batteries and battery
packs may or may not work with this system.

Let’s take a closer look at this
Energizer product and find out if you need to keep going and going
past it or not.

Energizer’s Power & Play Charging
System for 360

Reviewed by: Tomas Ratas

Sponsor: Performance
Design Products

Tech Specs,Features or the
Basic Info:

Energizer
Power & Play for 360 Charging System.

PL3628

Charge two Xbox 360 controllers simultaneously in just 2.5 hours
with Energizer’s Power & Play Charging System for 360. Fully
compatible with Microsoft’s Xbox 360 rechargeable battery!
(rechargeable batteries not included). Includes a UL-approved AC
power cord. May not be compatible with non-Microsoft or non-Energizer
rechargeable batteries.

A Better Look at Things

:

The Power & Play Charging System
for 360 comes in a clear plastic square box with the device clearly
seen within. The front of the box has the Energizer logo, product
name and pink drum banging Energizer bunny. The back lists the
features of the device in several languages. Another panel one the
box has a diagram of how to use the charging system. One important
note about the packaging, there is no indication that batteries are
not included.

Once removed from the package, we find
the charging station, an AC adapter and a PDP catalog. The station
is white and matches the original Xbox 360 color scheme. An
Energizer logo is found at the front of the base along with a silver
mirrored half circle. From the base rising out at a 45 degree angle
are two ports for attaching the Xbox 360 controller. Each of these
ports are gray with a clear plastic shield, which lights up when a
controller is attached to that port.

Behind this raised section is the AC
connector port. The Energizer Power & Play Charging System for
360 weighs approximately eight ounces and measures 5.5” x 16.8” x
6.5”. The unit is fairly light and it does not look out of place
next to one’s Xbox 360.

Installation, Testing and
Comparison:

Installation involves plugging the
attached AC cord into an outlet and then inserting and Xbox 360
controller into the Power & Play Charging System for 360.

The controller will initially cause the
clear plastic section to glow red as it is charging and will turn
green once the charge cycle is completed.

This process takes approximately 2.5
hours to complete whether there are one or two controllers attached
to the Power & Play Charging System for 360. For testing I used
the Microsoft Xbox 360 Rechargeable Battery Pack. I also tried some
other rechargeable batteries that I used with my 360 controllers
including Duracell rechargeables. Unfortunately, the Power &
Play Charging System for 360 did not charge any of these
alternatives.

Unlike other gaming systems such as the
Playstation 3, the Xbox 360 controller has a removable battery, so
charging the entire controller effectively takes that controller out
of commission until the full charging cycle is completed.

Other charging solutions such as the
Microsoft Quick Charge Kit offers a smaller profile setup and the
ability to charge just the battery pack, thus you can throw in some
standard AA into the 360 controller while the battery pack is
charging. Another product, the Nyko Charge Base works the same way
as Power & Play Charging System for 360, the significant
difference is for the same price, Nyko includes two rechargeable
batteries.

Summary:

For the current price, there are better
charging solutions for the Xbox 360 controller. The lack of included
rechargeable batteries is definitely an issue, since competing
products at the same price point include rechargeable batteries.
There is also the issue of rechargeable battery compatibility, using
the Microsoft battery pack and Energizer rechargeable guarantees
functionality; however Energizer does not provide a list of
compatible batteries, so there is going to be some trial and error
involved.

This does not mean that the Energizer
Power & Play Charging System for 360 is a bad charging solution,
no quite the contrary. It works well and is well designed it just
should be at a lower price point to be head and shoulders above it
competitors.

DragonSteelMods gives the Energizer
Power & Play Charging System for 360 a 4 out of 5 score.

Pros:

Well made

Works as described

Design matches original Xbox 360 system

Cons:

Batteries not included

Ties up controller during charge cycle

Same price as other solutions which
include rechargeable batteries.

I would like to thank Performance
Design Products for the chance
to review the Power
& Play Charging System for 360and for their support of DSM. I would
also like to thank Marina Renneke and
Chris Fiscus for their assistance in completing this review.

review#551