An Xbox One Controller Charger Just Got Recalled, Here's Why

The Xbox One Controller is one of the few in the current generation to actually default to standard batteries. Rechargeable options are available, but one of them has got serious problems.

According to Venturebeat, 121,000 Energizer Xbox One 2x Smart Charger units by PDP have been recalled. Why? Because they pose a serious hazard to those who use them.

The report indicates that during the charging process, the charger would become extremely hot, so much so that when people would go to touch or pick up the device, they were being burned. The overheating issue was supposedly causing "painful burns".

Anyone who owns the Xbox One charger with "Energizer" and 048-052-NA on the label should stop using the device immediately. PDP has suggested that the faulty chargers should not be returned to the retailers or online outlets where they were purchased from, but instead that customers should contact PDP directly and have the product shipped back to them.

Due to the hazards posed by the charger, PDP is supposedly working with the Consumer Product Safety Commission to rectify the problem and get the chargers out of the wild.

This is actually one of the more popular chargers out there, and it's officially licensed by Microsoft so they were given the go-ahead to actually sell the charger with Microsoft's blessings. Back when the Xbox One first launched it was made known that only licensed third-party peripherals could be made available for the Xbox One, and only a limited number of companies had been approved, including PDP and Turtle Beach.

This was presumably done to cut down on a deluge of faulty third-party peripherals and accessories. Even though the Xbox 360 wasn't known for having faulty third-party peripherals, there were a lot of accessories out there from licensed and unlicensed providers alike. Complaints about accessories on the 360 weren't a major factor (especially in the face of the RROD issue), but I suppose Microsoft wanted more quality control for the Xbox One.

In this case, however, it turned out to be the licensed product manufacturer who had the faulty product, not an unlicensed third-party vendor.

What's shocking is that if you go to the Amazon store page for the PDP Energizer charger for the Xbox One, the reviews are all mostly positive, so it's interesting that news about the recall is taking place.

While 191,000 units may have been affected, only a small number of people have complained about the charger so far. It could be one of those issues where not everyone used it enough to notice, or only those with the specific label have run into the problem and they're recalling the units in large enough batches to avoid any mishaps either way.

I do wonder if this will affect Microsoft's policy on third-party licensed accessories for the Xbox One? Or if they will keep on doing business as usual? Those who purchased the Energizer 2X Smart Charger are encouraged to contact PDP to get the full $40 refund as soon as possible.