Charged Up: The Xbox 360 Play and Charge Kit

The age of hassle-free wireless gaming begins with the arrival of Xbox 360™. Out of the box, the next-generation gaming and entertainment console is rarin' to go, letting you and your friends get your game on with up to four wireless controllers for heated split-screen, head-to-head, or cooperative gameplay action.

Savvy gamers will want to have an Xbox 360 Play & Charge Kit on hand for each controller to make sure the party—and the wireless controller batteries—last as long as they do. Read on to get the scoop on the Play & Charge Kit, what it does, and why it's an essential component of your wireless gaming setup.

Look Ma! No Wires!
You can purchase Xbox 360 in a number of configurations, including one package that comes standard with a wireless controller, and the economical Xbox 360 Core System that comes with a wired one. It goes without saying that wireless controllers are superior to wired ones in terms of range, mobility, and convenience.

The Xbox 360 wireless controllers are state-of-the-art, precision devices that perform as hard as you do. The one caveat of going wireless is the power source—you need to keep some extra batteries on hand once the ones inside your controller are depleted.

The Xbox 360 wireless controllers run an average of 30 hours of play time on two AA alkaline batteries. You can turn off the vibration feature of the controller, which boosts your usage. Eventually, you'll have to swap batteries, and that's where the Play & Charge Kit comes in handy.

Sleek yet uncomplicated.

High Tech, Yet Simple to Use
The Xbox 360 Play & Charge Kit for wireless controllers comes with the following items:

• Nickel-Metal Hydride (NiMH) Battery Pack
• Controller-to-console charge cable

Once you install the battery pack, Xbox 360 keeps track of exactly how much juice you've got left. The Xbox 360 Dashboard will issue a "low battery" warning during your game, notifying you well in advance that you should plug your controller in if you want to continue gaming. Simply pause the game, plug the charge cable into your wireless controller, then plug the other end of the cable into a USB port on the front of your Xbox 360. Go back to saving the universe, scoring touchdowns, or solving that pesky crime—with the charge cable, you never loose a game because of a dead battery.

The Play & Charge Kit is economical, because the battery pack essentially eliminates the need for you to stock up on expensive disposable batteries. It's also environmentally friendly, as you won't be throwing away corrosive, toxic batteries into your local landfill. Most importantly, it allows you to continue uninterrupted game play while you charge your controller back up with no interference. Do yourself, mother nature, and your wallet a favor, and maximize your wireless fun with the Play & Charge Kit for your Xbox 360 wireless controller.

Article by Jim W. Gettys