The guys over at GamePro.com had some time on their hands and decided to do a cross controller comparison as to which game controller had the longest gametime before the batteries went dead. It wasn’t necessarily a scientific study but it serves to show how each controller performs in real world circumstances.
The way the experiment was set up was to play on a variety of games with each controller. This included downloadable games, long single-player adventures and others. The controller was deemed dead when it failed to establish a connection to the game console three consecutive times.
The Xbox 360 controller and Wiimote both used Duracell batteries in the face-off while the PS3 operated off of its internal lithium-ion rechargeable battery.
After the results were tallied, the Xbox 360 controller reached almost 60 hours in playtime with the Wii clocking in at about 38 hours. The last-place finisher, PlayStation 3, had a controller battery life of only 18 hours.
Of course, most console gamers will opt for rechargeable NiMH batteries to keep the costs down by not having to purchase alkaline batteries all the time. The rechargeables don’t have as long of a battery life when compared to standard alkalines, but the savings in costs more than make up for this.
How much gametime can you squeeze out of your rechargeables?
