Wii Charge stations - anyone not got one of these yet?

[i0n]

If you're sick of robbing the batteries out of other remotes to power your wiimotes then it could be time to get yourself a Nyko charge station.

It took me a while to cave in and get one, but after having one for a few weeks now they're definitely worth it.

 

[6ix]

I'm about to get the same thing when I go to Best Buy which is some time this week probably the weekend. It'll pay for itself through all the batteries I won't need to use. Also since I'll have the Remotes docked any time I'm not playing, there's virtually never gonna be a time I need to replace the batteries or recharge them, even through a long sleepover or party.

 

[Skippy]

I've been using the Nyko station for months now and it's been great.

Amazon has them on sale, but I'm not sure for how much longer.

 

[WiiWouldLike2Play]

Ahh! Thanks i0n. I was going to get one of these... >_> But, I wasn't so sure. Lol. Aren't they only like.. 30 bucks?

 

[ARav989]

I planned to get one of these for awhile, but the thought sort of just drifted away. It doesn't really seem worth it nowadays because my brother and I share the Wii. One week he takes it to college, the next he leaves it home with me. so half the time I dont even have it.

 

[JAKE196]

Another good alternative is just plain rechargable AA batteries, that way you can use them for anything.

 

[krisv2010]

so does anyone leave their wiimotes on the charger permanently? and does it hurt the life of the batterys? i guess i won't be able to use my free wiimote cases because they probably won't work with the charger

 

[RivalDestiny]

Ahh! Thanks i0n. I was going to get one of these... >_> But, I wasn't so sure. Lol. Aren't they only like.. 30 bucks?

Amazon is selling for $20, offer ends this Saturday I believe.

Click Here

@Kris

The charger comes with 2 Wii Mote Battery Covers with batteries attached to them. If you want to charge them, just simply take off the free wiimote covers.

 

[vi3tmix]

Another good alternative is just plain rechargable AA batteries, that way you can use them for anything.

Yeah, I'm set on rechargeable AA's, too, but I think mostly because I picked them up before the charge station was officially released.

I've read on the charge station since it came out, though, and made comparisons:

• Wiimote jackets (official or third party) won't fit when placed on the station)
  AA's obviously don't need to worry about this
• I can't find batteries sold separately, so that I could do something like have a total of 4 battery packs for only one charger...or buy spares as soon as one dies out.
  Spare AA's are plentiful, but normally priced at $6-8 per pair
• I read that the Nyko batteries must be charged every day.
  My Duracells lasted 20+ hours of gameplay when I first got them. Nowadays they last maybe 12+?
• I couldn't find out how long the Nyko charger really took to charge batteries.
  My AAs have a 15min charger.
• I heard that the Nyko batteries go completely dead after 6 months.
  My rechargeables have been consistently used for 10 months, now

I'm not exactly trying to say rechargeables are better, but I'm just making comparisons between my experiences and what I've read. If you could answer some questions, or contest some of the things I've read, please do (particularly, where could you find the battery packs sold separately).

Ahh! Thanks i0n. I was going to get one of these... >_> But, I wasn't so sure. Lol. Aren't they only like.. 30 bucks?

$30 retail, but there are usually several $20 sales (It was even in the article provided in the original post, but I thought I'd link you through NintenDeals, because it's a great site). The Nyko Charge Station deal keeps on going down and coming back up again on Amazon. I think this is like the 4th time I've seen it "for sale," there.

 

[[DT]]

This is a really thoughtful, well put together post. :yesnod: I have the Nyko product so I'll respond.

Wiimote jackets (official or third party) won't fit when placed on the station)
AA's obviously don't need to worry about this

I'm assuming this is true (though I haven't received my Wii jackets yet - it's makes sense with the contact tolerance being to tight) - to be honest, I doubt I'll ever use the Nintendo or other branded jacket so it's not much of a concern.

On the upside, the Nyko replacement battery covers have a pretty nice rubberized grip.

I can't find batteries sold separately, so that I could do something like have a total of 4 battery packs for only one charger...or buy spares as soon as one dies out.
Spare AA's are plentiful, but normally priced at $6-8 per pair

No idea, I guess I'll cross that bridge when we come to it. One charger charges two packs (assuming you have two remotes). Nice upside on the AA's.

I read that the Nyko batteries must be charged every day.
My Duracells lasted 20+ hours of gameplay when I first got them. Nowadays they last maybe 12+?

I left our remotes off the charger for 2 or 3 days, and they pretty much retained whatever charge was left. I don't think daily is at all necessary, but the upside with the Nyko is recharging is the same as storing - no need to open the back, pull out batteries put them on a charger, put them back in the remote. Just sit the remote on the charge station, done.

I couldn't find out how long the Nyko charger really took to charge batteries.
My AAs have a 15min charger.

I don't know as it's more transparent (see my post above) - you sort of just use the remote for as long as you want on any given day and stick it on the charger/stand. I know I want to 50%, put it on the stand, and I *believe* it was back at full in under an hour, but that's the smallest timeframe I've ever played again (usually it's more day to day)

I heard that the Nyko batteries go completely dead after 6 months.
My rechargeables have been consistently used for 10 months, now[/list]

Again, no idea since we're at about 1-2 months. They're NiMH spec so based on other NiMH rechargable devices I've had, they should easily hit 12 months (at least based on our usage).

To be honest, anything is better than constantly buying non-rechargable AA's.

 

[Moose]

Own one. Love it. A damn good investment. I've had my charge station since July, and it's still going strong.

If it really does go dead after 6 months, i'll be sure to let you guys know

 

[Marioman]

I got one for my birthday...the nyko station...it works so well and is so worth it to get one...even comes with a special rubber grip lol

 

[sagema]

Unfortunately I recieved a massive amount of batteries from X-mas 06. So I'm not buying anything until I go through all of them. I think so far I only used up 10% of the box. SSBB should put a dent in that... maybe I'll use a GC controller.

 

[dakuda]

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[haloagain]

This seems to be a pretty decent idea for some people, but IMO isn't really worth getting another gadget sitting around the TV with a power cord lying around etc. There are already too many chargers, cables etc.

What works for me is to have a large number (10-12) AA and AAA rechargeable batteries and a good charger sitting around. If you can manage to always have a few charged batteries available you can just swap out batteries when you die.

since AA and AAA are more "standard" they'll work for all the toys, remotes and what not. Much less clutter and really functional.

these days rechargeable batteries are pretty cheap too.