Wii Charge Station

Nintendo did an excellent job in designing the Wii to be aesthetically pleasing, functional, and change the way we play video games, but even with the company’ long history in the game business one drastic oversight with the Wii console is the use of non-rechargeable AA batteries making even the casual gamer opt for battery runs in the wee hours of the morning.

NYKO has come to the rescue with the Charge Station, a sleek addition to your entertainment center that solves the biggest problem with the Wii. The charge station provides all that the gamer would need to discontinue using standard batteries and replace them with rechargeable ones and a place to make sure they’re topped off after every round of Wii Sports.

Included in the package are two battery packs, two replacement covers for the Wii remote, and the charging station. The replacement covers provide a small, square hole on the back for the contacts to be met on the battery without having to remove it from the remote. The rubberized grip included on the replacement covers is an added bonus to an already practical package.

The charge station itself is colored white to match the Wii. The indicator light on the front of each cradle will shine blue when charging and green when the remote has been fully charged. The review unit sent to us came nearly fully charged and took about 30 minutes to reach the full charge. NYKO claims that the batteries can be fully charged in about two hours and provide about 25 hours of playtime without being recharged, although most gamers will seat the remotes in the cradle after every session.

The only drawback to the Wii Charge Station is the way the wrist strap is handled. A small notch is present on the side of each cradle allowing for the strap to rest away from the batteries contacts, while entirely practical, it isn’t the most pleasing sight to see, but this is from an aesthetics point of view and never picking up your Wiimote again and finding it nearly dead is a worthy price to pay.

The Wii Charge Station is an excellent addition for any Wii owner, the practicality of the unit is only exceeded by how well it works. Definitely a must buy for anyone who’s already spent close to $30 on batteries since November.