Power-hungry Wiimotes (Wii annoyance #009)

@31:Earl "So how is Nintendo maximizing profit by using AA? "

By not building their own rechargable batteries.
They could've easily used the ones they already make for GBASP/DS

It's also worse for the environment that they decided to go with AA's, and not have a rechargeable solution like the other systems. While some might go out and drop an additional $20+ on a set of rechargeable NiMH's and a charger, there are still a lot of consumers out there who will opt for the disposable kind, increasing the amount of battery acid that goes into the waste stream.

Fanboys, quit trying to spin it.

Are you kidding? The batteries in all four of my Wii-motes are still at full charge, and I've been using my Wii fairly regularly since launch day. I've been incredibly impressed with the battery life. When I first saw this post's title, I thought it must be a joke. Are you sure you're not leaving your remote resting in such a way that one of the buttons is depressed? The B-trigger is the most likely culprit for this.

Uhm, as far as I can tell the 360 didn't have rechargeable batteries until over half a year after it was released (May 06).

My only annoyance was not having any alkaline AAs around when I hadn't bothered to charge another set, so I had to pause Zelda for 15 minutes.

The Wiimote really won't stand being plugged in for some games. Thus a proprietary battery pack would mean having to buy more than one, which is lame. AA is definitely the way to go. You'll get your rechargeable packs soon enough, probably from a 3rd party like Pelican.

Oh, and ignore the stupid manual and use your NiMHs. It kinda bugs me Nintendo put that in there, if the device can use AAs, then it can use rechargeable, or there's a serious problem.

I'm honestly loving how there are now 9 Wii annoyances but only 4 PS3 annoyances and the reason for it is because you're playing the Wii more than you're playing the PS3. Being a fan is a double-edged sword, eh? :-)

Honestly though, why are you dumbing down what is considered an "annoyance" and a "delight". I thought the whole point of these things was to tell people pros and cons that aren't initially obvious to anyone who hasn't purchased/used the system. About 5 Wii annoyances are things we've all known already, while all 4 PS3 annoyances aren't. So in my view, both have 4 annoyances, which actually seems about right.

Unless I'm wrong and you want to list delights and annoyances that we already knew. In which case, why not add store availability, price, graphical power, game choices, PR lies vs PR promises, etc etc. Please guys, get some consistency in your blog or I'm gonna think all you want to play is the Wii (which is fine because it's all I want to play/have fixed too!)

Actually moogle,
the 360 had the controllers, recharge kit, and rechargable battery pack, a week before the console even came out.

I don't understand what that has to do with the wii's short battery life, but it's worth noting.

i like to use rechargeable battery packs for my 360, i wish the wii has this option.

I agree that this is an annoyance but a good set of rechargeables will help. The battery life in the Wiimotes can really vary because of the pointer, rumble and speaker. Remember to use the Home button to change your wiimote's speaker volume and turn off rumble if you want.

Also, in Zelda you can turn off the pointer. You won't get to aim with it but it should save you some battery life. If only they had an option to just turn off the almost useless fairy (the pointer stays active whenever you play because of it). Note: you still swing the wiimote and nunchuck for attacks.

I myself got a a "15 minute" charger with 4 NiMH batteries which last longer than alkalines (2500 mAH) on one charge. It was $30 but it looks like it'll pay for its self (and it does charge fast like it says). There are some issues with NiMH batteries you have to look for. You might look around online to learn more.

I still think the official SD cards thing is kind of lame.

I have to agree on a point where I think I've gone through... 3 pairs of AA batteries since the Wii was released. It is kinda crazy. But that whole, changed me batteries i2 times a year must have been an exageration. It's not possible. Period. I would like the battery thing to be fixed though. How about coming out with a rechargable battery pack, like the Xbox 360

Wavebird = technology we've been using since the Atari 2600, and wireless.

Wii-remote = technology we've been using since the Atari 2600, speaker, infrared camera, accelerometer, small memory device, and wireless.

Yeah, completely fair comparison there, guys.

Seriously, if this is all the "annoyances" you can come up with for the Wii, then I believe Nintendo has won.

Yeah, I've noticed the short battery life, too; I think I'm going to pick up some rechargeables in the near future. Anyone besides me think they should have just put Li-Ion's in there with some sort of WiiDock?

Today's been an interesting day for me, that aside, I read this post and all the comments not thinking of commenting, then I go to play Wii and I get the warning that the batteries are low... even though every time i've played its always showed full power. Tell me that's not creapy.

I've changed the Wavebirds batteries once.. but I'm not a daily gamer. Just been the most intersting day for me.

Also I don't know if its a glitch or something i have to look at, but my system is a set "player 1" like only that remote can start the system, hit the warning A button etc. Anyone know how to fix this?

I'm GLAD they used AA batteries. I already have a bunch of rechargeable AAs for other devices so I have plenty to go around instead of needing to buy overpriced proprietary junk.

Third set of batteries on both Wiimotes, here. Why, Nintendo? Why did you force us into disposables when your rechargeable wonder-batteries on Wavebirds and DS Lites are so great? Why?

yeah im on my 3rd pair and i got it on release date geez soon im gonna pay as much on batteries as on a wii game if i dont get a rechargeable ones.

This is one of the only Wii annoyances that I actually agree with. It took 3 sets of batteries to get through Zelda. I have rechargables now, so I have 2 sets to cycle for my Wiimote, but it's still kind of annoying to have to change them out so often.

Did anyone see in the Wii instruction manual where it says not to use rechargeable batteries? It actually states this, but I can't imagine why. That was the first thing I wanted to do. Can anybody imagine why Nintendo would recommend that you waste tons of Alkaline batteries instead of using rechargeables? (Other than the conspiracy theory that Nintendo owns all battery companies.)

The sad thing is, I feel this is a real step back for Nintendo going back to batteries rather than having rechargeable ones built-in. Like the original GBA really bugged me. You have to keep changing the batteries, and if you got rechargeables, you still had to take them out to recharge them, making it so you can't play until they charge. The GBA SP was so much nicer because of the rechargeable battery. You just simply plugged it in at night and it'll be all ready to go for tomorrow. And you can play while it's charging.

Sony really has the right idea with the rechargeable battery in the sixaxis and the usb cords. Yes the batteries will die eventually, but does anyone complain about their DS batteries dying yet? The system has been out for over 2 years.

Not commenting on the Wii Remote's battery life, which I'm sure is as annoying as it's claimed to be, but I've replaced the batteries in my Wave Bird at least three times. I've only had it and the Gamecube (go go used consoles) for five months.

Just saying, you know?

If you really want to have Nintendo give you the OK to use rechargables, here...

http://www.nintendo.com/consumer/systems/wii/en_na/setupWiiRemote.jsp#batteries

this is really ridiculous.

i've played alot of wii since i got it launch night (at midnight, the night before). and my battery is just to the two bar point. haven't had to change batteries yet. i really don't know what you people are talking about.

Is the battery life great? No, but not bad at all considering everything it needs to do.

Pros/Cons of using AA

Pros:
1. standard format, available anywhere
2. cheap rechargeables
3. easy to replace defectives
4. give the Wii remote some needed weight

Cons:
1. more waste if not using rechargeables
2. no way to plug it in and charge while playing

Con #2 is something I really like about the 360 pad, but tethering the Wii remote to anything is not a good idea.

Yesterday morning I laughed when I read this post. Then last night, I had 3 (Three!) sets of batteries die on me. Granted, all of them were previously used, crappy brand AA alkaline that I had sitting around, but still. All of them showed 2 bars strength when I put them in, and then they promptly died an hour or so later. I blame Zelda for this, with its constant rumble and use of the Wiimote speaker.

Not that I really care. I'd been wanting to use up those old batteries, ever since I bought my Rayovac IC3 NiMH batteries. These suckers last forever, and if they die it only takes 15 minutes to charge them back up. I'll have to check out the Wii manual, to see if it says why not to use NiMH. Thanks for the heads-up, Steve2.

I'm at 14 hours of play in Zelda and I've played Wii Sports at least three times that. My battery meter has gone down one bar. I'd say that's pretty decent battery life. Now quit yer bitchin.

What a joke. Give me standard AA batteries any day. They are easy to change out, cheap to keep spares around. I already have a pile of them for my remote controls, wavebirds, etc anyway.

Nothing worse than having to stop using a rechargeable device, plug it in, and wait for it to recharge.

I don't get why people would want annoying proprietary batteries instead of nice, cheap, standard rechargeable AAs.