120K Fire Hazard Xbox One Controller Charger Recalled

The wireless controller of Microsoft’s Xbox One consoles run out of batteries fast, which means that gamers have two options when dealing with the issue. One is to use the standard charging unit provided by the company along with the console package. The other is to get something like the Energizer 2X Smart Charger for faster charging. As it turns out, choosing the latter can lead to some serious burns, both figuratively and literally.

While the device carries the Energizer brand, it was manufactured by PDP. According to the company’s post on the matter, there have been several incidents related to customers finding that the controllers get a little too hot during a charge and anyone who owns one of the Smart Chargers is eligible for a refund.

“The company has received 24 reports of the chargers overheating and deforming the charger’s plastic cover, including 6 reports of chargers emitting a burning odor. No injuries have been reported.”

The Consumer Product Safety Commission has also had to step in, issuing a recall of all 121,000 units that have been manufactured by PDP. What really makes this development startling is the fact that the charger was given the thumbs up by Microsoft and is recognized as an official pair for the controllers, BGR notes.

Other manufacturers and brands are also selling peripherals that are meant to be used alongside the items related to Xbox consoles. Experts have long since discouraged gamers from trusting obscure products being sold by unknown companies, but Energizer is a global giant.

Prior to this incident, customers and reviewers were actually pretty pleased with the Smart Charger. Its Amazon store page has over 3,000 reviews with mostly positive comments and a 4.3-star rating out of 5. Thanks to the risk of contracting burns when touching the controllers during a charge, the CPSC is recommending that all gamers stop using the device immediately.