Snakebyte Charge Tower Pro Review

The Snakebyte Charge Tower Pro comes in two variations, there’s one for the PS4 and one for the Xbox One. Each of them features a style to match their respected console, two USB ports on the front fed from a microUSB connection on the back, space for 15 games and the coolest feature of them all a separate charging dock with room for two controllers.

Design wise both are slightly different in that they have bases designed to match their respected console. This puts them miles ahead of most of game towers I have owned, which are simply designed around a rather generic looking blueprint. The PS4 version’s base is designed to look like the top half of an original PS4, while the Xbox One version’s base looks like the bottom half of an Xbox One console. Both designs even feature the gloss side of each console. The tops of the towers don’t carry on the console-like design like they do on the standard version (version without a charging dock). This is because the top of each Snakebyte Charge Tower Pro has a grooved area in which the docks can be sat.

Both charging docks are also slightly different given the different designs and nature of the two different types of controllers. For instance, the Xbox One charging dock comes with two Xbox One controller batteries. If you wish to use the dock, you will need to use these batteries instead of the official batteries. Using these does mean you go from 1400mAh with official batteries to a less impressive 600mAh with the Snakebyte batteries. The Snakebyte batteries also feature their own built-in shell which replaces the rear cover of the controller, the shell also houses its own microUSB port and status light, should you want to charge the battery while you play, just like the typical play and charge kit. Charging from the dock is done using a set of two metal contact points. Given the smaller capacity offered by the Snakebyte batteries, there is a difference in times between each charge. I would say that with the official batteries I get at least 6 hours more play time between each charge.

The PS4 dock doesn’t offer any new batteries as the Dualshock 4 controller features built-in none removable batteries. Instead, you get two small microUSB attachments that sit in the microUSB port of each Dualshock 4 controller. These feature a set of three contact points, which are used to charge the controllers while they are docked. Unfortunately, if you want to play and charge your controller, you will have to remove these attachments as they offer no extra microUSB port to make up for the one they have taken. This might sound a bit picky, but given their small size, they aren’t that hard to lose.

Each dock is powered by its own 5V mains adapter. This means the power source is separate from the one for the USB ports. This I believe is because the docks can be used away from the towers on their own, so if one day you get sick of the towers and want to keep the docks out, you can quite easily. Each dock also features an LED lighting system for each controller, that can be used to determine when a controller is charging and when it’s fully charged.

If the charging dock is something you can live without, but you still like the look of these towers, you’ll be happy to know there are standard versions available and unlike the Pro version, the top of the tower also matches the console design. The standard version also features the two USB ports and space for up to 15 games.

The Snakebyte Charge Tower Pro also features two USB ports, which are fed by a microUSB cable located around the rear. These two ports can be used to charge your controllers while playing a game or charge other devices such as phones and tablets.

Each Snakebyte Charge Tower Pro comes with room for up to 15 games, which in this day and age is actually quite a lot to own in terms of physical software discs, thanks to the rise in digital of course. I only have 7 discs in my PS4 stand and 6 in my Xbox One stand, since most of my games are digital versions.

If you love flat pack furniture, then you’ll love the fact these come flat-packed, meaning there’s so self-assembly required. Not quite on the same level as putting an Ikea wardrobe together, but still a fun little task. Each tower comes with four main parts that need to be assembled. There’s the top, then there’s the base and lastly, there are the two sides. The sides simply slot into both the top and base with no tools required. Once built up and in use, both towers are solid and sturdy which makes it easy to see there’s been a real emphasis on quality as well as functionality.

Overall the Snakebyte Charge Tower Pro offers both functionality and practicality in one package. While both the PS4 version and Xbox One version differ slightly in design, they both share the same build quality and features. The charging docks are overall quite good, although I do feel the PS4’s Dualshock 4 charging could have been handled a bit differently. If you fancy most of this, but don’t want the dock, you can purchase the standard version.

PROS:

• Easy to assemble
• Removable docks
• Two USB ports built-in
• Room for 15 games
• Console styling
• Choice of a standard version with no dock

CONS:

• Snakebyte Xbox One control batteries have less capacity than official ones
• No ability to play and charge using the charging attachments with the Dualshock 4