Review: 3rd Earth Xbox One Accessory Range

When the Xbox One was released, one of my main concerns was reverting back to standard batteries for a controller. Play & Charge kits were available however Microsoft still didn’t have a docking solution to ensure that my controllers were charged at all times.

Thankfully 3rd party accessory maker 3rd Earth has released a range of unofficial products to support the Xbox One. The thing that impressed me most is that they seemed to take into consideration that people like to charge their batteries in different ways and have tried to cater for a wide range of gamers.

One of my main issues with the Xbox One controller especially was that up until a few weeks ago, there was no low battery indicator or a way to even tell how much charge your controller had left. Thankfully I can now put my controller on charge whenever i’m not using the console and know that it’ll be fully charged when I pick it back up.

We managed to get our hands on The Xbox One Essential Starter Kit, Xbox One Dual Rechargeable Battery Charger and Xbox One Dual Controller Charger. In this review i’ll aim to outline each product and help you decide which will suit your play style.

Other items in the range include a standard Play & Charge kit, Carbon Dual Armour Xbox One controller case and a USB hub.

dual controller charger
Available for $34.95, the Xbox One Dual Controller has literally turned my experience with the Xbox One into a positive one. When the Xbox One launched one of the most basic criticisms was that it didn’t have a battery indicator or alert you when your controller was about to die. This was a pretty big issue considering it didn’t come with rechargeable batteries out of the box.

Thankfully the Xbox One Dual Charger solved this issue. I can easily put my controller on charge as soon as i’m done and know that it will be charged when I pick back up to play. No longer will my controller die half way through an online match of Fifa resulting in me having to quick in order to get a new pair of batteries. There is an LED indicator which shows up orange when charging and blue when completely charged.

Much like the other accessories in this review, included is the charger as well as two batteries, covers and a Mini-USB cord that plugs straight into your Xbox One. Thanks to the Xbox

starterkit
The Xbox One Essential Starter Kit retails for $39.95 and it’s quite good value to the new Xbox One user. First item on the list is a 2 metre HDMI cable. Whilst the Xbox One comes with a HDMI cable, these can be quite expensive and tech heads will definitely find a use for one elsewhere.

Also included is a standard battery and charging cable. This goes into the controller in the place of two regular AA batteries with a new cover. The cord is a Mini-USB which will work with the 3rd Earth rechargeable battery.

The accessory that I was most excited for was the Kinect TV stand. Unfortunately this was also the part of the starter pack that I was most disappointed with. I have one of the new, slim Sony Bravia TVs and as far as I could tell, I couldn’t use this stand at all. It would just fall straight off my TV. I’m sure that’d it work on the majority of TVs though.

In saying this, I found the Starter Kit to be extremely good value to a new Xbox One owner. 3rd Earth have done really well to take advantage of the short comings that Microsoft have in their first party accessory line up.

dual battery charger
Similarly to the Dual Charger Controller, this kit includes two rechargeable batteries, two battery covers, a charging station and a Mini-USB cord that can plug straight into the Xbox One. It’s available for $34.95

The difference with this charger is that the battery plugs directly into the charging station without the controller. This is great for people who have one or two controllers and want to keep a battery on charge at all times without having to physically plug their controller into a charging cradle.

I applaud 3rd Earth for providing gamers with a choice however I really preferred the Dual Controller Charger. It allowed me to just place the controller on the dock without needing to remove the battery cover and battery. Both provide a solid charge and will ensure that you won’t run out of juice mid session.

The thing that stood out with both chargers is the quality. Usually it’s hit and miss with these third party accessories that are rushed to meet the launch of the console but it’s really not the case. Especially with the Dual Controller Charger, i’d expect this sort’ve quality from a first party accessory..

conclusion
Overall, i’d highly recommend 3rd Earth’s range of Xbox One accessories. They’ve gone above and beyond to make sure that there is something for all type of gamer. All of the products scream quality and they come at a really reasonable price that won’t break the budget.