Current testing methodology is v1.2
November 17, 2020
$29.99
AB10-001U
4.23 oz
5.2 x 8.46 x 2.17 in
The Hori Xbox controller dual-charging station is an affordable option if you’re looking for something to allow you to have rechargeable packs in your controllers and recharge them after each gaming session.
It was really the price that drew me to these at the beginning because when I’m buying stuff for gaming, I don’t really care if it’s expensive. After spending the money that I have on the Xbox X console, the idea of spending a fortune on a rechargeable station, just for the benefit of rechargeable batteries, seemed to be a waste of money.
I’m glad I did buy the Hori charging station. And I did consider the other option being just to put in rechargeable AA batteries to the controllers.
However, this would mean taking the batteries out at regular intervals and having to stick them in another charger.
The benefit of the Hori charging station is that at the end of each gaming session, I can just whack my controller straight on the unit, and it’s good to go next time.
Hori Microsoft Xbox Series X & S Dual Charging Station
A really affordable Xbox controller for both S series and X series controllers
TL:DR;
The Hori made it to my house because it was cheap and I didn’t see the point of spending a fortune on a charger.
Now that it’s a part of my set-up, it’s great. You need to have a USB power source it can plug into but it’s easy to get the battery packs in and charges well.
It’s not the prettiest, but the red and green lights that let you know it’s charging or charged are nice and big – easy to see.
The Specs
- Battery life: 20 hours per full charge
- Compatibility: Xbox series x|s wireless Controllers, Xbox Elite Wireless Controllers, Xbox One wireless Controllers
- Charging function: Charge up to two controllers or battery packs simultaneously
What’s in the Box?
- 1 x Hori Dual Charging Station
- 2 x battery packs
- 4 x battery covers (2 for xBox and 2 for xBox S console controllers)
Stuff I like
- Cheap
- Works well – simple design
- The charging status lights are big and easy to take in
- So nice just to drop the controllers on the Hori and come back to charged controllers
- Long term savings on batteries
Stuff I like less
- Not the prettiest
- You still need a USB power source
Where to get it
Comparable products to consider
With 2200mAh battery cells providing up to 40-45 hours of standby time per charge
Looks
I’m not gonna lie, this doesn’t look the most expensive or the nicest of Xbox dual-charging stations, but it is functional.
It kind of looks like somebody’s put a sticker over each end to help indicate whether it’s charging or not. But actually, it is quite effective.
When you put the charger on at first, each individual charger has its own charging panel light, which lights up orange if it’s charging, and green when it’s charged.
So, while it may not look pretty, it’s incredibly effective, and there’s enough LED light shining through the color charging panel that it’s very clear when your controller is ready to go.
Power
The power supply for this is just a USB cable. So, you will have to have either a USB wall plug or a device that you can plug the charger into.
I expect that you can plug it straight into the Xbox, which I did at first, but obviously, when the Xbox powers down, I’m not really sure if it continually offers power, so I did just use a different charging unit, which I bought off AliExpress for cheap, just to keep these things tuned up.
The amps required aren’t significant. And if you aren’t gaming like every 15 minutes, then you’ll be able to give these long enough to give them a good charge-up. I say 15 minutes sarcastically, of course, you will need probably an hour or two to get enough charge-up for another session.
Battery packs
The battery packs for the Hori dual-charging Xbox controller station are self-contained plastic units that mimic the size of two AA batteries.
The challenge is they’re slightly larger, and so the Hori does come with two additional panel fittings so that if you have a traditional Xbox controller or a newer Xbox X controller, you can use the faceplate that matches your controller configuration.
This really means that it’s compatible with any Xbox controller that’s currently on the market or ones that you have from a previous console. You simply take out your AA batteries, put them in the rechargeable battery cartridge pack, and then choose the back plate which suits your controller.
For us, we had a mix of old Xbox One controllers and Xbox X controllers, and it comes with a faceplate for either.
This does mean that you’re gonna wanna store your old battery plates for your controllers and the other two spare battery plates that you didn’t use from the Hori unit, which is, in my opinion, a bit of a pain in the butt. But the benefit and the convenience of the Hori unit mean that I’m willing to push through such a first-world problem.
Summing it all up
Overall, thoughts and feelings on the Hori dual-charging Xbox controller station are favorable. The price makes this a really affordable option. And the fact that it just works, is really all you need.
You could pay a lot more for potentially an express charging station, but I don’t really think that most people are gonna need to use their controllers more regularly than this unit will allow for.
The units simply stick on the top, face each other, and the light will go orange as soon as it’s on there so that you can walk away with confidence that it is charging. There’s no second guessing whether you’ve seated the controller correctly for the charging to take place.
So, affordable? Yes. Attractive? Not so much. Functional? Yes.
So, I would give this a solid four out of five stars based on the price, and the fact that it does what it says on the tin.
Any questions, just ask in the comments below, and I’m happy to answer any that you have.
Endless hours of experimentation, professional work, and personal investment in Home Theatre, Hi-Fi, Smart Home Automation and Headphones have come to this.
Former owner of Headphones Canada, a high-end headphone specialty retailer.
This post was last updated on 2024-03-13 / Some images from Amazon Product API & some links may be affiliate links which may earn us a commission from purchases.