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Razer is one of the leading manufacturers of hardware and accessories in the gaming space, and is continuing to expand its lineup into console spaces. In 2021, Razer acquired Controller Gear, an accessory company known for its excellent Xbox charging stands. Razer has since released an updated, rebranded version of that charging stand, but it’s still built on a design that’s over four years old.
Can the Razer Universal Quick Charging Stand for Xbox compete with the best Xbox charging accessories and stands? Despite the aging foundation upon which it’s built, Razer’s charging stand is still an excellent, premium accessory that looks and functions well. You’ll have to pay a little extra for the privilege of fit and finish, but the resulting product is worth the cost.
Razer Universal Quick Charging Stand for Xbox: Price & availability
Razer is experienced at ensuring its products are available in as many places as possible with ample supply, and the Quick Charging Stand for Xbox is no exception. Players can pick up the premium charging accessory from a variety of retailers, including Razer, Amazon, Microsoft, and Best Buy, with prices starting at $40 for the numerous basic colors.
Matching charging stands for special or limited-edition controllers, like the Forza Horizon 5 Limited Edition Xbox Wireless Controller or the Xbox 20th Anniversary controller, can increase the price to $50. Razer also offers Limited Edition Xbox Wireless Controller & Quick Charging Stand duos themed after popular franchises like Marvel, Star Wars, and more. These exclusive controller pairings are often quite expensive, reaching prices all the way up to $200, but they’re an amazing addition to any collection.
Each Razer Universal Quick Charging Stand for Xbox comes equipped with the stand itself, a high-quality USB Type-A-to-Type-C cable, a single rechargeable battery pack for your controller, and two rear battery doors (one for Xbox One Wireless Controllers, and one for Xbox Series X|S Wireless Controllers).
Razer Universal Quick Charging Stand for Xbox: What’s good
The Razer Universal Quick Charging Stand for Xbox (what a mouthful of a name) is built on the foundation originally created by Controller Gear, now a part of Razer. The resulting product shares countless similarities with its predecessor, with only a handful of minor differences setting the two apart. Fortunately, Controller Gear’s Xbox charging stands were excellent, and already counted among the best options for players.
Razer’s gently tweaked entry in the space will be instantly familiar to anyone who has owned a Controller Gear stand, and this alone will likely dissuade would-be buyers from “upgrading” to the new model. In the image above, Razer’s stand is on the left and Controller Gear’s is on the right. Could you tell the difference? These similarities are likely enough to immediately dissuade anyone considering an “upgrade,” but other buyers are still well served by the Razer Quick Charging Stand.
The Razer Quick Charging Stand will be instantly familiar to many buyers.
From a design perspective, Razer certainly didn’t mess with the established formula. This charging stand is impeccably built using high-quality plastic that looks and feels identical to that used in Microsoft’s controllers, with no concerning creaks, gaps, or moving parts to be found. Everything simply works as intended, which is exactly what you want from your charging stand.
Razer’s Quick Charging Stand is fully compatible with Xbox One Wireless Controllers, Xbox Series X|S Wireless Controllers, and Xbox Design Lab controllers. Intelligently placed magnets (which feel slightly stronger and more secure than my older Controller Gear stand) ensure your controller always clicks into place, and a front-facing indicator light informs you when your controller is charging and when it’s fully charged.
A grippy rubber border encircling the product info on the bottom keeps the charging stand firmly in place, even when removing or placing your controller. I also found this area to be a mild improvement over the Razer Quick Charging Stand’s predecessor, with less sliding and shifting observed.
On the rear, Razer ditched the proprietary barrel charger in favor of the more universal and far more appealing USB Type-C standard. Razer also paired its charging stand with a surprisingly high-quality USB Type-A-to-Type-C cable. With this design, you can plug the charging stand directly into your Xbox console or into the wall with a charging brick (that, unfortunately, isn’t included in the box).
When it comes to aesthetics, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better-looking charging stand than this one. Razer offers its Quick Charging Stand in a wide variety of colors and patterns that match the official colorways and designs of Microsoft’s Xbox Series X|S Wireless Controllers, including limited and special edition models. You can almost always find a color that matches your controller, even if you pick up a custom controller from Xbox Design Lab.
Exemplary battery endurance and respectable charging speeds cover the fundamentals.
Of course, none of this matters if the fundamentals — the charging experience and battery life — don’t match the rest of the package. The Razer Universal Quick Charging Stand for Xbox does deliver in this department, however, with the included battery pack offering excellent endurance that kept me going through several all-day playing sessions (surpassing other charging accessories I’ve tried in the past).
I wasn’t able to verify the long-term durability of the battery, of course, but my older Controller Gear charging stand still offered fantastic battery life after over a year of continued use, and I suspect the Razer Quick Charging Stand will match this.
As for charging speeds, this is another area in which Razer’s offering is identical to its predecessor. That is to say, it’s perfectly acceptable, and ensures you’ll never have to wait long to be back in the game. Smaller batteries don’t need as much juice to charge up quickly, so I didn’t have any complaints with Razer’s “Quick Charging” claims. Just don’t expect this charging stand to push the standards set by this design years ago.
Razer Universal Quick Charging Stand for Xbox: What’s not good
All of the faults with the Razer Universal Quick Charging Stand for Xbox can be reduced down to a few elements — its similarities to its Controller Gear predecessor and its expensive price tag counting first among them. This is a solid product, but it’s also practically identical to the product that came before it, which in turn was almost identical to a design introduced nearly five years ago in 2017.
If you already possess one of those Controller Gear charging stands, you have little reason to purchase Razer’s offering (unless you’re wanting a stand that matches a new controller or something has stopped working). Better grippiness, slightly stronger magnets, and a new power cable aren’t significant enough distractions from a familiar design that still only charges and displays one controller at a time and costs more than many of its competitors.
Razer also doesn’t include a charging brick in the box. This is mostly fine, especially since you can now plug it directly into your Xbox console, but it means digging up or purchasing a charging brick if you’d rather plug it into an outlet. All of these flaws are minor; this is one of the most well-rounded options for anyone looking for a new charging stand that works and looks great. Still, bear in mind that while this is a “new” product with its full retail price intact, much of it doesn’t feel particularly new.
Razer Universal Quick Charging Stand for Xbox: Competition
There aren’t many products that offer exactly what Razer is with its Universal Quick Charging Stand for Xbox. Despite its aging foundation, this charging stand is undeniably premium, delivers on all the fundamentals with aplomb, and looks rather dashing when paired with practically any Xbox Wireless Controller.
You can pick up an Xbox Rechargeable Battery kit, which will offer similar battery life and endurance, but you’ll lose out on an included way to display your controller while charging, and be forced to plug your controller in to top it off. Alternatively, the PowerA Dual Charging Station for Xbox lets you charge and display two Xbox Wireless Controllers at nearly half the price of Razer’s charging stand, although you’ll have to compromise on design, build quality, battery life, and charging speeds.
Razer Universal Quick Charging Stand for Xbox: Should you buy?
You should buy this if …
- You want to charge and display your controller at the same time
- You desire premium build quality and design
- You don’t mind paying extra for the best
You should not buy this if …
- You want to charge and display multiple controllers at a time
- You want the best bang for your buck
- You already have the Controller Gear charging stand
The Razer Universal Quick Charging Stand for Xbox offers a list of flagship features as long as its name, wrapped in a high-quality, well-built package that promises to stand the test of time and look good while doing so. Regardless of how old this design is, and how many of those features are shared by past versions, Razer’s charging stand is one of the best and most premium charging accessories for Xbox Wireless Controllers.
Of course, you have to be using an Xbox One or Xbox Series X|S Wireless Controller, want to display it while charging it, and be okay with paying a little extra for Razer’s premium polish. If you just want your controller to be rechargeable, you have multiple controllers to display at once, or you don’t place much import on the aesthetics, there are certainly more affordable ways to get the job done than the Razer Quick Charging Stand.
It helps that Razer offers its charging stand solution at practically any retailer you might peruse, with a myriad of color options from which to choose. No matter the color or design of your Xbox Wireless Controller, you can rest assured that the Razer Universal Quick Charging Stand for Xbox will display it proudly, offer a best-in-class charging and battery experience, and reliably do so for years to come.
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