I was just reading A Grinch’s Gift Guide on Yahoo! Finance, and I was surprised by the odd advice given for not buying a PS3.
Sony PlayStation 3
It’s all fun and games until the rechargeable battery dies. Unlike its competitors, which use replaceable AA batteries, the PS3’s remote control is screwed shut. When the battery goes, Sony customers have to blow $55 on a new controller. Sony says there’s an “environmental benefit” since gamers don’t have to toss their batteries on a regular basis, but Isidor Buchmann, president of battery-equipment maker Cadex Electronics, says captive batteries are becoming common because it’s cheaper for companies to eliminate the battery housing and hatch.
That’s a pretty ridiculous argument, since it’s rechargeable, and the controller would likely last years. I think the console itself is likely to be obsolete before the controller stops taking a charge. The same “argument” could be made against the iPod and any other number of devices.
And there is no need to continually replace disposable batteries.
I was using the throw away batteries for a while on my Wii, and then I finally picked up add-ons to the controller to recharge them. I would have preferred if the Wii just came with rechargeable batteries.
Anyhow, after reading the article, I noticed the author was Anne Kadet, and the name sounded familiar.
Then, I remembered Anne Kadet was the same person that covered the Jason Calacanis keynote at Affiliate Summit a couple years back, and wrote up a confused rant that reeked of yellow journalism.
Video: Anne Kadet