Wii Remote Chargers

Review by IR:

Like most of you at first, I was thrilled to get a charging station for such a good price. Unfortunately, now I know why. I charged the batteries fully for over 12 hours (as required) out of the box, and initially I got about a week's worth of play from each remote. However since then, the battery life has been awful. More often than not, when I pick up a remote to play I find it's dead... even after fully charging it a few days prior. When there IS enough power to play, it only lasts for a few hours.

I would strongly recommend spending the extra money and getting a quality, name-band charger. I most certainly will as soon as I get around to replacing this P.O.S.

Review by megan:

I am very pleased with my purchase of this product. I bought it before we even bought our Wii as we heard that the batteries get drained pretty quickly in the Wii remotes. This product comes with (two) rechargeable battery packs that fit into the Wii remotes. You just set your remote into the cradle (with the rubber skin removed) and the light below it will turn red indicating that it is charging..then once fully charged, the light will turn a bright blue. And I do mean BRIGHT! We no longer require the use of a nightlight in our living room due to the glow from the charger!

The cord actually plugs into the USB port located in the back of the Wii console to charge instead of a AC plug.

All in all, this product is great! A LOT cheaper than the Energizer ones that run about . A MUST HAVE for any Wii owner!

Review by M. Allen:

I guess this item does what it is supposed to which is provide a place to put 4 controllers and gives you 4 rechargeable batteries. But,as others have mentioned it is tied to the Wii unit so it has to sit by it. The lights on it are REAL bright providing a distraction all the time. My main gripe is if you power down the Wii you also power down the recharger so you pretty much need to leave your Wii on all the time if you want charged controllers. I wouldn't buy it again and wouldn't recommend it, but I ain't going through the hassle of sending it back.

Review by Samuel Freeman:

First of all, if you use the silicone cover on your Wii controllers you have to take it off to charge it. I was very aggravated by this.

Second the thing is powered via USB port which means you have to hook it up to a computer or the Wii system itself. I bought this product thinking I could plug it into the wall and keep it next to my sofa but no, I have to keep it by the computer instead.

Finally to top it off one of the ports does not work very well. I had to jiggle the controller around in it to get it to charge and it frequently would loose connection.

After a couple of days with this product the faulty port stopped working entirely leaving me with three charge ports and four controllers so I gave up and returned it.

Review by goosedude:

Picked this up the other day....suffice to say they are selling like hotcakes at the Gamestops across the country.

This is a definite purchase for a Wii Owner:

Included in the package is:

Charging Stand

2 Rechargeable Battery Packs

2 Rubberized Battery Covers (Necessary to use)

After unpacking the unit....you see that the rechargeable battery pack slides inthe the Wii Remotes battery compartment with a snap and has a protruding part with the 4 metal contacts for the charging station.....this is why the use of the rubberized battery compartment covers is mandatory as the covers have the hole for access to the battery contacts.

Placing the controllers with everything installed into the charger initially worried me as I wasn't sure if I had to remove the Wrist Straps.

Thankfully...you do not have to....there are small grooves on the left and right of the stand for you to lay the Wrist strab connection through.

Charging of the 2 remotes from install took approximately 3-4 hours.....and everything works like a charm and it looks great.

If you have a Wii....buy it....[...] with batteries....not too bad

Review by M. Jarvis:

As many other reviewers, I quickly learned after getting my Wii that the Wiimotes are understandably battery hogs. I'm a little surprised Nintendo didn't build something like this into the system. Regardless, this charger really does the job, and you almost expect to see a Nintendo logo on it because of the great job Nyko has done with quality and style that matches the Wii itself.

I don't use skins on my Wiimotes (just looks like a hindrance to me), so that hasn't been an issue, although I imagine it would be for any charger/cradle, not just this one. The rubberized battery doors required to use this kit really do improve the overall feel of the Wiimote.

I don't know if battery life matches regular alkalines, but that's because I just put the controllers back in the cradle when I'm not using them, and they always stay charged! I haven't had the indicator on the screen get below the full 4 bars while I've been playing so far.

Also, I prefer the wall plug setup used by this as opposed to some other models that plug into the USB port on the Wii. Those models can only charge one controller and take longer because of the power limits of USB. The wall plug also allows you to keep your charger somewhere else in the room if you like.

Review by Kids with Wii addiction:

This is a great way to recharge your Wii remotes but be aware that the charger plugs into a computer port and not an electrical socket.

Review by oOoBuBbLeSoOo:

I was excited to get a dual charger since we were going through regular batteries like crazy and I thought this was a great deal (as far as the price went).

The charger hooks up to a USB (either via wii or computer).

Wii remote has to be charged for 12 hours in order to take advantage of the full capacity. But this has to be done for first use only.

The light indicator lets u know if it's fully charged. Blue for fully charged. Red for charging.

I found this item rather inconvenient because the Wii system has to be on for the charger to work. It doesn't work if the wii is off.

If I had known this I would have purchased something else. It doesn't make any sense that the wii has to be on for it to charge. Who leaves their wii on all the time if they're not playing it?

I have read of other USB charging stations that charge without having the system on.

Review by Big TL:

Truly a plug and charge device although you have to remove the wii remote plastic cover I did not have to remove the wrist straps to charge them. Only problem i guess there is, is that there are no instructions or at least none in my package except for a plastic label on the back of the batteries but, other than that none. so im not really sure who to call or contact if down the line I have troubleshooting problems. but so far so good.

It comes with a power cord USB type that plugs in the back of your wii its short though so you will have to set it up close to your console. When charging or powered rather the lights will glow blue when fully charged. The batteries will still charge when the wii is on yellow light standby but if the wii is shut down completely to the red light the charging dock will shut of as well. These were some things I had to figure out my self being that there was no instruction manual.

All in all it works great batteries last long and looks cool when charging. Don't know what the long term will bring but for now its perfect. I recommend this product for wii owners. Its cost efficient and does what its supposed too. a really good buy.

Review by Mathew Diaz:

i bought this charger about halfway into January of 2010 and til this day its working perfectly. finally i don't have to search my house high and low to find me some working batteries. I so recommend this charger.

Review by Joshua Davy:

The functionality of the dock makes all the other little pevs not matter. Dock holds Wii perfectly and uses Wii power cable so no need to take up extra plug. Holds 4 controllers and charges them simultaneously. The only things I haven't liked are the lights on the dock. They aren't really bright, they are just ugly. If you use the rubber covers they need removed, not a big deal. I went ahead and removed the wrist strap too. And the Wii remotes just rest in the charge spots, not plug in. But none of those things would make it worth not having. Would definately recommend this to anyone with several remotes.

Review by Angela:

We love this charging station. It works so well AND as an added bonus, it encourages the kiddos to actually keep the wii remotes in a centralized location. So, the late nights when I want to play -- the battery is always fully charged AND I don't have to go searching for them! This purchase was a score for the children and parents alike.

Review by happykat826:

After researching for hours we fell into this newly released charger for our Wii remotes. We have 3 remotes and have been having a ball playing the Sports Resort Frisbee Golf and Bowling. Since Christmas, we have had to replace batteries three times but that is to be expected when you play from early afternoon until 3 or 4 AM LOL.

We learned there is a new technology that allows you to recharge your remotes without removing skins or the Motion sensor.

Dreamgear just released this model of Induction charging dock. We learned Nyko will be releasing a 4 station dock in early March after a phone call to them.. they will also release the induction charging dock in black for 2 and 4 remotes. We almost decided to wait but further reading and calls to Dreamgear lead us to buy this one.

There are some advantages to this Dreamgear charger station. 1. Just lay the remote down when you are done.

2. Battery packs can be charged by themselves. When they release a battery pack for sale this will be great! Spare batteries charged and ready to insert in case your dies while playing. 3. uses a wall AC adapter, 4. Appears to be charging the black model but we have to check.. the lights still blink but I suspect it is charging fine. I plan to update this as soon as we can verify that the black remote charges with skin on but that the blue light does not come one indicating the charge is complete.

The cons are that when you hook it all up and place a controller on the dock, the lights blink red then turn to solid blue when done. The little instruction booklet never mentions red blinking lights. It states that the lights will blink blue and then turn solid when done. I plan to call them to let them know this is a big error because we thought we had either a defective unit or battery packs, or where placing them down the wrong way.

The other minor issue you need to be aware of is that the battery packs are really tough to put on. The batteries are attached to the cover and you have to lay the controller flat and use just the right angle and pressure to get it to click in so you can close the cover.

There is no word on what to do when you need to replace the battery packs but if they follow suit with all other chargers, there should be packs available in the near future.

Overall, Induction is the way to go for your Wii. No removing skins or motion sensors and the advantage I see over the Nyko (without owning the Nyko) is that Nyko only has a 2 controller induction stand for sale right now and theirs is a stand up cradle. I am afraid it will get toppled over and that the cradle will snap after lots of use. The Nyko also does not allow for charging extra battery pack to be charged on their own out of the controller that I am aware of. They do state that the same issue with the black skinned controller is similar. The lights to indicate full charge do operated properly but the batteries are being charged. This is a quote from their support team.

We have the sports pack Nerf set on one controller and that requires and additional plastic snap on jacket making is a bit wider. No problem with the Dreamgear charger. We just lay it down like the others. I was concerned it wouldn't fit well in the Nyko cradle.

This looks to be a great item and we are looking forward to not having to change batteries.

I will update my review as we put this to the test. Power Base Quad Induction Charging Dock

Review by Amy Y.:

We were going through batteries like toilet paper for the Wii-motes. I was a little skeptical about how well this charging dock would work but I have been very pleasantly surprised!

First, you take the batteries and battery cover off the wii-motes and replace with the special rechargeable battery packs. Plug in the charging station and lay the controllers in the depressions- they'll be charged and ready to go in no time.

My husband and I tried to figure out how much playing time you get from a full charge. It is difficult to say because it seems to depend on what you are playing. We figure somewhere in the realm of 20-30 hours of playing time.

The dock is flat and there are lights at the base of each depression- when you place the controller on the dock, the light will flash. When it stops flashing, the controller is completely charged. This is saving us money already. We are so glad we opted to try this. I like that you can just set the controller on the dock- no monkeying around trying to get it plugged in, taking off the sleeve so it will fit in a dock, etc.. Easy enough my 7 year old has it figured out.

The dock is about the size of a sheet of paper(then a couple inches thick). We don't mind the size- it holds 4 controllers at once which is perfect for our family. We keep it in our entertainment center and hardly notice it. If you have tight space this may not be the most effective charging apparatus- there are others that are smaller that the controllers fit into vertically. Since the controllers just lie on top of this dock, it is only possible to use in the horizontal position. Still, entirely happy we went with this. Have had it for a couple months now and I have not noticed any deterioration of the batteries, taking longer to charge, retaining less charge, etc..

This is a great deal if you play your Wii extensively- or have kids who do. Save yourself some batteries!!

Review by Benjamin Wood:

I purchased this charging base because it is the only one I found currently available that will work with the silicone sleeve and Wii Motion Plus installed. I was a little nervous when I first received it due to its light weight and somewhat flimsy feel. The charger has worked wonderfully however. The batteries were initially charged very quickly (within a couple of hours), and the WiiMotes have worked great for hours and hours of play. The flashing blue light upon a full charge is somewhat annoying, but can be easily fixed by pushing the power button on the unit off, or simply placing the WiiMotes elsewhere. A small piece of translucent tape over each light would probably also make the lights less bright and annoying. Have used for about a month. Overall a great product.

Review by Rev. Otter:

i'd been looking and looking for a Wiimote recharger that you didn't have to remove the jacket to use, and this is it! NO physical contacts needed. it's literally as easy as putting the Wiimote down, even with a MotionPlus attached so that it doesn't fit exactly on the base

a hidden advantage -- the charge packs included weigh much less than two AAs or other rechargeable packs i've used. this makes the Wiimote noticeably lighter and better-balanced

a hidden problem -- the jackets MUST be clear. there's a tiny light in the charge pack, and if the charger can't "see" the light, it won't charge. in other words, i can't use my black silicon Wiimote skin, or the very cool Nerf jacket, or anything else that blocks light. that's a small price to pay for the rest of the convenience, though, and i think just cutting a tiny hole in the black skin will allow charging

the new packs charged in less than 2 hours. i have not yet tested the full life of a charge, but after a couple of hours of play the battery level still showed full. so far so good

pic here: [...]

note blue glow under Wiimote. that must be "seen" through whatever jacket you're using