submitted 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) by [M] to c/steamdeck@sopuli.xyz
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[–] [S] 1 point 3 months ago (3 children)

What kind of rechargeable AA batteries do you use? I've tried a lot over the years for wiimotes/other controllers, but the battery life is kinda terrible.

The new steam controller is supposed to have 35 hours of battery life, I seem to remember my rechargeable AA powered controllers only getting like 2-4 hours per charge. They might have gotten 4-6 hours when they were new, but it wasn't much better. Seems like even if the steam controller battery deteriorates to 50% capacity (17.5 hours) that would still be far better than my results with rechargeable AA batteries.

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  • [–] 3 points 3 months ago (1 child)

    I use Eneloop batteries. They are widely regarded as the best quality and I have never had a problem with any of them.

    The only controller I have that uses AA batteries is an Xbox controller. I am a fairly light gamer, so I have never measured how many hours they last, but I have no complaints about battery life. I often get more than a month of use before needing to charge them, so I would easily guess at least 10-20 hours of battery life.

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  • [–] [S] 2 points 3 months ago (1 child)

    I did some reading on it after posting my comment, it sounds like there's been a pretty major improvement in rechargeable AA batteries in the last 10 years. Capacity has improved by 70+%, and much less power is lost during standby. So it's probably worth trying again, I had just been avoiding them due to how poor the performance was back then.

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  • [–] 3 points 2 months ago

    I also use eneloops and the same eneloops I used since I got my Steam Controller back in 2015 and would also use on my 360 controller still go about a month before needing a charge.

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  • [–] 3 points 2 months ago

    I've been using rechargeable batteries for 30 or so years. The old NiCd batteries weren't great, but the newer NiMh ones are quite good. Anything I have that uses AA or AAA gets rechargeable.

    They do weaken and go bad over time, but I get more than 5 years on average.

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