Published

June 21, 2019

Written by

Chris Gonzales

Photography

sxriptx

As any diehard gamer knows, there's nothing more annoying than having your controller die in the middle of an epic boss battle or a hectic firefight. That's the worst possible time to suddenly be swapping out batteries or rushing over to your console to plug the thing in.

With the right setup, that's all a worry of the past. Here are our favorite ways to keep controllers charged across the four major gaming platforms — Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, PS4, and iOS.

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  1. For Nintendo Switch: PowerA Joy-Con Charging Dock. ($20)

    One of the Nintendo Switch’s biggest selling points is that up to eight Joy-Con controllers (four lefts + four rights) can be paired to the same console for multiplayer gameplay. When it comes time to charge all those controllers, the official Joy-Con charging dock by PowerA can handle up to four at a time.

  2. For Xbox One: The Fosmon Quad PRO Charging Station. ($25)

    Fosmon's Quad PRO charging station for the Xbox One comes with four controller batteries that can all be charged at once — two as standalone batteries, and two within controllers themselves. (The batteries are compatible with the Xbox One, One S, One X, and Xbox One Elite controllers.)

    Each 1,000mAh battery offers 30–33 hours of playback on a full charge (which takes about 4–5 hours to refill), so with all four batteries together, that’s up to 132 hours of gaming without having to re-up.

  3. For PS4: BEBONCOOL's PlayStation 4 Charging Station. ($14)

    Coming in as the most affordable item on this list, BEBONCOOL's PS4 controller charger easily handles charging duties for two DualShock controllers at once. Inserting and removing controllers from it as needed is about as easy as it gets.

  4. For iOS: Anker's PowerPort 4 USB wall charger ($28) + PowerLine Lightning cable. ($10)

    Anker PowerPort 4 is a 4-port USB wall charger with a foldable plug built in. Rather than connecting to an outlet via a cable like their larger 6-port charger, the PowerPort 4 connects directly to the outlet. Combine it with the company's own Lightning cable and you've got a great way to charge a couple controllers — like the SteelSeries Nimbus — along with an iPhone and an iPad for ultimate portable gaming freedom.

    For the cherry on top, throw in a universal travel adapter and now you can take your gaming rig international.