Based on the description on their site, the controller includes a built-in battery: "8.39 Wh Li-ion battery, 35+ hours of gameplay... "
That was disappointing for me. Specially condidering the Steam Frame's controllers make use of AA batteries: "One replaceable AA battery per controller, 40hr battery life"
AA Batteries might not be as convenient to use, but being able to replace them is a great advantage. All my Xbox360 controllers still work fine, but none of my PS3' Dualshock 3s.
The official docking station could be used to recharge (rechargables) AA batteries so the functionality could remain the same.
Why wouldn't you get a pack of rechargeable AAs and a charger? $30-40 investment and you never need to buy batteries again, you don't generate waste, and can go from 0-100% power in seconds.
Not quite true. Rechargeable AAs aren't as durable and Li-ion battery packs. So you would still end up replacing them more often than you would replace the internal battery.
OP might but a majority of people won't, thus contributing to the landfill issue compared to if the controller just came with a rechargeable battery.
And a fair number of people will just throw the controller away when the battery wears out instead of replacing the battery like they would if it had AAs. If you're talking about the lowest common denominator, there's going to be a lot of waste either way.
Plus, you can definitely swap out AAs in five years (or ten, or fifty). Whatever Li-Ion cell they use may or may not be easily available.
Well the rechargeable AAs will wear out just like an internal battery, but there's more of them and they're individually packaged. It's a bit more waste and a bit more money, even if it's not a big difference.
Personally I think the big difference is in usability - I'd rather just leave the controller on a charger when not in use and never have to worry about swapping cells in and out. (I think battery degradation is overblown - it should last way more than 2 years, especially if you aren't gaming for 20 hours straight)
0-100% instantly isn‘t really needed with the canvenient charging dock. AA accus suck most of the time anyways. Now if it used an 18650 or better a 21700, that would have been cool. But these are heavy and a replacable inbuilt battery is better for space management