As the Nintendo Wii stormed onto the scene last fall, one thing was noticeably missing: rechargeable batteries. Granted, Microsoft makes you shell out for the functionality, but Nintendo seemed unconcerned with the issue, leaving it for a third party to handle. Luckily Nyko swooped in with a product to remedy that, the Nyko Wii Charge Station.
The Wii Charge Station is a dual purpose system that comes with a pair of battery packs, a charging base station, and a pair of rubber-gripped battery covers that expose the contacts necessary to charge your Wii Remote. At a mere $30, the Wii Charge Station is a surefire way to cut down on battery usage while making your grip on that pesky Wii Remote just a tad more secure.
Installation of the battery packs is a cinch and the replacement battery covers fit perfectly onto the remotes. The actual charging base station is a 2 prong plug that simply plugs into the wall and holds up to 2 remotes vertically with bright blue LEDs to let you know the device is charging and green LEDs to let you know that your device is charged. Our device came fully charged, but make sure you read the manual to see what the recommended initial charge time is. Putting the remotes on the base station is not a problem, but occasionally the wrist straps make the remote sit just off balance so that the contacts don’t line up. We resolved this by always pulling the wrist straps to the sides of the base station when it was time to charge.
The battery packs are lightweight and don’t increase the weight of the Wii Remote in any significant way. The rubber-gripped battery covers, while barely noticeable, do give the impression that you have a better grip on your remote. We still recommend you put that wrist strap on, and we’re not responsible if you end up breaking your TV.
The recommended $30.00 is well worth adding the convenience of rechargeable batteries for your Wii. The Wii Charge Station is a solidly built product that, so far, has stood up to the abuse of my 3yr old son. I would say that Nyko’s Wii Charge Station is a must have accessory for any Wii owner. Go get yours pronto.
