Can You Use the Xbox 360 Power Supply on XBox One?

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Few things are worse for a gamer (other than the bad idea that is pre purchase) than dropping that hard earned savings on a new gaming console only to find out…you didn’t get the supporting power supply. And you don’t have an alternative.

Individuals who have gone from Xbox 360 to Xbox One may have had this unfortunate experience. There’s always the option to buy a replacement power supply from Microsoft. If the idea of waiting is frustrating, there are a couple other potential options when it comes to using the power supply from your Xbox 360.

The battery from an Xbox 360 has the same parameters as the Xbox One meaning they ARE compatible. However, the cords and plug-ins are not. Which means to use the Xbox 360 power supply on an Xbox One you need to buy an adapter designed for that purpose like the Fosmon (recommended) or manually jerry rig the 360 battery’s cord to fit with an Xbox One (not recommended).

The best power supply converter adapter cords are generally the one sold directly by Xbox, and Fosmon, which we’ll go further into.

If you refuse to buy a computer than there is a way to manually rig the power supply to work, but be warned there can be major consequences to going that route.

Solution 1: Purchase An Adapter (Recommended Solution)

There were plenty of smart people who saw this potential problem coming, and worked on creating an adapter. Why is an adapter needed? Simple.

Take a look at this picture, especially the big yellow circle I added to make things easy, and tell me if you notice anything.

Sorry for the camera quality – it was a pretty old pic.

Yup, that’s right – the plug-ins are different. And that is a problem.

In theory because of the voltage and amps matching on the two power packs, you’re good to go if the input was the same. Since it’s not, well that’s frustrating. This is the main reason why a converter or adapter is needed to make this work without going MacGyver on it.

Recommended Options:

Xbox’s Adapter Power Supply Converter Transfer Cable Cord – After all it’s specifically designed for this function, so why complicate things?

The Fosmon Power Supply Adapter is another when that several people have used successfully, when it’s available and you can find it.

Will This Work as a Permanent Battery Converter?

As long as the adapter works and the battery and Xbox One are all in working mechanical shape then you should be good to go. Many gamers have used this fix for months or even years without having to make any other changes.

On the other side of it, a couple of gamers I talked to said that this worked well for several weeks before the power became intermittent, causing the XBox One to shut down mid-game. So be aware that in some cases this could potentially become an issue.

Solution 2: Manually Rigging the Power Supply to Work (Workable but Not Recommended)

So going to again recommend simply purchasing an adapter. If you need a stop gap measure, refuse (or can’t currently afford) a replacement power supply, or just feel incredibly confident going DIY with your electronics, then here’s how to do it.

DISCLAIMER: We’re telling you how this can work we are NOT giving this as a recommendation and we are NOT financially or legally responsible if you start messing with your power wires and break something. Just be warned, the information is here, what you do with it is all on you.

So the key is getting the plug to work with the new console. The wires are fine, the plug ins are even similar, except for that unneeded middle piece that throws off the whole thing.

There are a couple options here.

So Option 1: Making the Cord Prongs Fit

Step One: Taking a sharp blade or industrial knife (careful) and pry out the middle brace out. That middle piece that makes the prongs to the power cord different is glued in so it may take work to cut/pry out but it should pop out cleanly once you get to that point, leaving nothing behind.

Step Two: Bend the metal prongs apart slightly so they can fit the slightly wider gap in the Xbox One. It doesn’t have to be too much, but a little bit of wedge action and prying goes a long way.

Step Three: Plug it in (making sure it goes the right way).

Step Four: Turn on the Xbox One. It should light up without any issue.

Video Example: Simple XBox 360 Power Brick on XBox One Example

Option 2: Doing Some Re-Wiring

This one goes into way more detail and the video tutorial comes courtesy of an electrical engineer who knows his stuff. So if you aren’t REALLY into electronics then you will almost certainly not want to try this.

In this case it’s not as simple as grounding out the middle plastic section. Nice try, though.

This involves changing up the wiring to connect the battery and cord of one with the battery and cord of another.

In essence, instead of getting an adapter and hoping it holds up, you are actually hard wiring the power supplies together to create that steady power connection. It’s like scrapping to create a wired-in adapter that will not fail unless both batteries do.

Step by Step Video Tutorial: Click Here for YouTube Tutorial from a Pro

REMEMBER:

If this jerry rigging works you will still need to keep in mind two important things:

  • You have absolutely voided the warranty on both power supply and machine
  • Since you have had to change the cord you can no longer use that on your old Xbox 360 so keep in mind there’s no going back at that point.

If you don’t care about these two particular points and refuse to wait another moment to play your Xbox One then just make sure you understand exactly what to do, or have a very good YouTube video on how to do this queued up so you have that visual reference to use.

The Verdict: You Have Options to Make it Work

Can you use an Xbox 360 power supply on an Xbox One? Not as they’re made out of the box. However, as this article proves, along with the included video tutorials, there are a couple of options when it comes to making something work. Whether you use any of these methods, or just go for the new buy is up to you.

But when it comes to getting a working power source for your Xbox One now you know your options!

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