ORB Xbox 360 Controller Charge Dock

We don't always buy accessories because we really need them. In fact, the very word 'accessories' points to additional things, things which supplement the central item but aren't integral to its core function. A charge dock for your gaming controller is one such thing, especially when you consider how much more it costs than a simple charge & play option. Still, some of us have to have all our bases covered, and if you are the sort who can't bear the thought of going 'wired' to charge your battery you will probably need a second battery charged and ready to roll. If that's the case then the ORB controller charge dock could be just what you've been looking for.

This sleek black plastic dock (also available in white) wouldn't look out of place on an office desk on a Star Destroyer, a simple curved shape with two grooves carved into it and two LED's glowing on the front. It looks far more solid than it is, and is surprisingly light when you pick it up. It's a simple yet elegant design, and complementing the rakish lines of the redesigned Xbox 360 'S', even though it seems odd that the designers chose blue LED's as apposed to the now iconic green LED around the console's power button. Powering the unit is a 2 meter long cable which connects to one of your consoles USB ports. Also included in the pack are two rechargeable batteries, specially made to work with the ORB charge station. Which is a good thing, because this dock won't charge your standard rechargeable batteries.

That's right, you can only use the purpose-built ORB batteries with this unit. Strangely enough, not even ORB's own Charge & Play Pack batteries work with this docking station. This lack of product unity sits uneasy with me, but I suppose it's not the end of the world. It just means you had better not misplace these batteries, because then your dock becomes a R399 paperweight. Other than that little issue there really isn't anything to complain about here.

Using the dock is as simple as could be. You can slot the batteries directly into the dock, or you can leave them connected to the controllers and just dock the controller itself. This means that you don't have to have two controllers to make the most of this unit, since you can just leave a battery charging on its own while you play, and then swapping them out when the active one dies. Either way, the battery slips into the correct charging position with ease. While docked, the LED's on the unit glow red while charging, and turn to blue once fully charged. I found that charging with the dock was significantly faster than with the ORB Charge & Play Pack, and conveniently this system keeps charging even when the console is in standby mode. To prevent overcharging, it turns itself off automatically when the battery is full. The batteries themselves seem to last slightly longer than the Charge & Play batteries.

As useful as it is, a docking station like this is clearly a luxury option, since you can pick up a play & charge solution for substantially less of your hard earned money. That being said, I quite enjoyed never having to switch to 'wired-mode' while using this set up. The only things I can say against it are that it costs more than a play & charge option, and I personally don't like the fact that only the supplied rechargeable batteries are compatible with this dock. Overall though, the ORB Charge Dock is a basic concept done well, and would be a good addition to the more discerning gamers accessory collection.

Pros: