The Wii Remote has the potential to revolutionize gaming, as it has had some opportunity to show since its debut last year. Unfortunately, it also has one other overwhelming potential: the potential to eat batteries for breakfast. Nyko's solution to this is their Charge Station for Wii, a product that replaces the AAs you'd otherwise load the Remote with with rechargeable batteries. They were kind enough to send along a unit for our review.
Included in the Charge Station package is the charging station itself along with two rechargeable batteries for two Wii Remotes and special battery doors to seal them in. The charge station plugs into a standard AC outlet—not one of the Wii's USB ports, which I would have preferred, as plug real estate is valuable in my entertainment center. The station accepts up to two Remotes. When the batteries are charging, a LED on the front of the unit glows blue; once fully charged, they turn green and you're ready to go.
The battery covers are made of a slightly "cheaper" feeling plastic than the actual Wii Remote, but feature a comfortable grip that, when held, provides a greater sense of security than the smooth plastic of the original battery door. The wrist strap proves a bit troublesome: while the base station has a small groove to put the strap in while charging, it can be a daunting task to get it to wrap around the unit properly, often causing the battery contacts to not fully connect.
Over the course of the last month, I've had plenty of opportunity to stress test these batteries. Sadly, the result has been somewhat disappointing: one of the batteries never holds a full charge, only accepting enough charge to show 75% on the Remote's battery gauge. The other, while it does get a full charge, only lasts for about five hours of continuous play.
While the Charge Station in theory eliminates the need for battery changes, in a marathon gaming situation, you may need to switch out anyway. The sleek design of the base station and convenience of not having to constantly switch batteries makes this purchase worth it, but it won't make you completely battery-free if you're playing Wii for long stretches of time—you'll find yourself keeping spare batteries around, just in case.
Charge Station for Wii
The battery covers are made of a slightly "cheaper" feeling plastic than the actual Wii Remote, but feature a comfortable grip that, when held, provides a greater sense of security than the smooth plastic of the original battery door. The wrist strap proves a bit troublesome: while the base station has a small groove to put the strap in while charging, it can be a daunting task to get it to wrap around the unit properly, often causing the battery contacts to not fully connect.
Over the course of the last month, I've had plenty of opportunity to stress test these batteries. Sadly, the result has been somewhat disappointing: one of the batteries never holds a full charge, only accepting enough charge to show 75% on the Remote's battery gauge. The other, while it does get a full charge, only lasts for about five hours of continuous play.
While the Charge Station in theory eliminates the need for battery changes, in a marathon gaming situation, you may need to switch out anyway. The sleek design of the base station and convenience of not having to constantly switch batteries makes this purchase worth it, but it won't make you completely battery-free if you're playing Wii for long stretches of time—you'll find yourself keeping spare batteries around, just in case.