Nyko's Wii-chargeable station
by Alexander Sliwinski 
{ Jan 9th 2007 at 9:55AM }
Nyko is another company jumping into the fray and answer our calls to create a rechargeable battery pack for the Wii-mote. Joytech showed off their rechargeable station last month, with disgusting nunchuk holding claws, but pretty sweet recharge through USB.The Nyko 87000 charge station comes with 2 NiMH rechargeable battery packs, six foot power cable and the battery packs are "rubberized" for grip. So, how much is it? Funny thing ... the guys who can give us that information are lost at CES in Vegas. We'll update this post as soon as we can give details on release date and cost. It's just nice to know that our Wii battery budget, which is a large expenditure within the Wii's hidden cost, will soon be no more.
See also: Nyko's Intercooler 360 surpasses 500,000 units shipped
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
jkdoug @ Jan 9th 2007 10:00AM
I caution anyone who considers buying Nyko products, especially batteries. The 360 charger (well, the batteries, really) my mother-in-law got me caused my controllers to behave erratically (buttons repeating, even though I wasn't pressing anything at all). There are reviews on Amazon that indicate others having the very same problems, so I know it's not just me!
Zertoss @ Jan 9th 2007 10:07AM
You could always buy rechargeable AA batteries. Those are out now and they work in anything that takes AA batteries!
Earl @ Jan 9th 2007 10:16AM
Got my pack of rechargable AA already, plus I have had bad experiences with Nyko rechargable pack for GBA (or was it GB Color? It was years ago).
Best thing about rechargable AA? They are fairly universal. Already set for my 360 controllers, when I buy a 360.
drfish @ Jan 9th 2007 10:23AM
Seriously, get some 2500mAh NiMHs, a good charger (like Maha, NOT Energizer), and stop complaining... Why on earth you would WANT to buy something like this? Honestly, I'm not trolling, what is the point? What makes this better?
vidGuy @ Jan 9th 2007 10:28AM
Stupid. Hidden cost? Not really. I spent less than $30 and have enough rechargeable AAs for all four remotes plus a spare set and 15-minute charger. That's cheaper than any battery pack solution would be, and quicker, I'm sure.
potato @ Jan 9th 2007 10:37AM
Hmm... Will this fry the Wiimote like the Nyko Intercooler fries 360's? :P
justin @ Jan 9th 2007 10:39AM
quote: "You could always buy rechargeable AA batteries. Those are out now and they work in anything that takes AA batteries!"
Yeah but im to lazy to take them out and recharge them then put them back. I just want something i can set the remote on and it recharges it self. I think this product will sell very well and other companies will follow and possibly make the product better. Thumbs up for me bring it on.
http://www.wiiuser.org
discuss, compare & review, get help
Stephen @ Jan 9th 2007 10:45AM
I second #2 and #3: Rechargeable NIMH batteries last long, are very reliable, are inexpensive, and are non-proprietary. I use them in my portable music devices all the time. If someone wants extra grip, they could add some non-slip grip material to the bottom (or simply not let go of the Wiimote ;)).
I think this idea is cool, but not necessary.
Camp @ Jan 9th 2007 11:37AM
Great. Now make me a cordless nun-chuck and things will be good.
Yaktastic @ Jan 9th 2007 11:44AM
Well, i can't say anything about the quality, which from reading your comments makes me suspect... but personally i want a nice four sided dock where i can put the motes down when i am not playing. I know it's cheap and easy to replace the batteries all the time with rechargables, but it won't take very long before the constant open and closing use will break the battery cover. How many of us have regular remotes without the cover to the battery compartment, and how often have you ever had to replace those batteries? Twice a year if you are a button hog?
necessary, no, but a simple smartpower station that is a kind of cool tree inviting you to play would be a nice addition to the entertainment room (i really don't care about the grips :) )
audioeric @ Jan 9th 2007 12:41PM
Hmmm.. I've been using the Nyko 360 Charge Station for a while with my 360 Controllers (I have 2 stations, 6 batteries (2 MS, 4 Nyko) for 4 controllers) and haven't had any issues at all..
I look forward to getting 2 of these to have a nice organized way to store my Wiimotes, as well as not have to worry about charging at all.. I could do AA's, but I'm trying to "Simplify, Simplify, Simplify" -HDT...
Also, a wireless Nunchuck would be ESSENTIAL. I was boxing the other day and whipped my self in the face with the cord.. Not cool..
eric
gnooly @ Jan 9th 2007 1:12PM
Slightly OT, but is anyone aware of any "weighted" nunchuks coming down the pike? It would make games like Raving Rabbids feel more "even" when furiously waving the nunchuk and Wiimote up and down.
DCSimian @ Jan 9th 2007 12:43PM
Seriously...why didn't people just buy a charger and some rechargeable AA batteries? Battery woes no more...
vidGuy @ Jan 9th 2007 1:03PM
A wireless nunchuk wouldn't be very smart, IMO. There are several reasons.
1) I think at $20 the nunchuk is already overpriced. Sure, it has motion sensing, too, but otherwise it's extremely simple. Making it wireless would bump its price, probably to $30. Now you're looking at a $70 controller!
2) Making it wireless would require another BlueTooth transmitter, which would require another battery. Adding a AA or AAA battery would increase the weight of the nunchuk. Plus, that's another battery that would have to be constantly replaced.
3) Since developers couldn't guarantee gamers all had a wireless nunchuk, games will still be programmed with the cord length in mind. The only benefit to a wireless nunchuk would be comfort, but I'm already sitting pretty comfy with the nunchuk on one knee and the remote on the other. No real problem to solve there, at least for me.
http://www.nintendowiifanboy.com/2007/01/08/rumor-nintendo-developing-wireless-nunchuk/
Martin @ Jan 9th 2007 1:32PM
So basically bitch that there is no rechargable battery for the Wii Remote, and bitch when there is..... AMAZING!!! I LOVE THE INTERWEB
Maj2k7 @ Jan 9th 2007 9:31PM
The battery woes on these wireless controllers was a big shock to me too.
I don't have a wii yet [It's not my fault! I can't find one here] but I have a 360 and the batteries that came with the pads emptied in a day or so.
The [pretty worn down] NiMh I have I normally use with my keyboard and mouse but I put a freshly charged pair in a pad and they lasted an hour tops.
The thing is it doesn't use the entire AA battery to exhaustion.
I put in fresh Duracells and they lasted a day before the pad kept turning itself off. I checked the meter and they showed half life and worked fine elsewhere.
So I had to go get the 360 rechargeable battery packs: Four at £10 each and two flash chargers: £20 each [I had to buy two chargers because they each only charge two batteries at a time].
Nearly a 100 pounds on batteries another 70 on top and I could have bought a wii.
Although saying that I love the charger it only takes 2 hours for a full charge [25 hours of play allegedly]
Al @ Jan 9th 2007 1:55PM
I just use AA Ni-MH rechargeable batteries. I had a set of 8 old ones laying around and a charger which holds 4 at once. You can play while the other ones charge.
My brother bought the same type of batteries but new ones, they obviously work a lot better than my worn out ones. Check around places like Wally World. They usually have some sort of deal where if you buy an 8 pack you get the charger free or something.
DakranII @ Jan 9th 2007 2:58PM
I think this charger is a wonderful idea and I would definitely pick one up. However, my concern is with the design. There appears to be no place for the wrist strap to sit while docked. That would be a pain to have to remove and reattach that everytime you needed to dock it. Granted, you shouldn’t have to recharge all that often, but the point of a cradle is to keep your electronics cradled and charged at all times.
Also, I hope that the battery cover is not changed at all from Nintendo’s design. I think it would be a mistake and make the controller look cheap if the battery cover were patterned or of a different color/material when the rest of the remote is smooth white. It should blend in as well as possible in my opinion.
Those two qualms may decide for me whether I would purchase one of these (two of them for 4 controllers!) or not.
Ryoga Vee @ Jan 9th 2007 3:21PM
I got 2500 Rechargeable AA bats at best buy for $15
comes with 4AA and sweet looking charger.
again, $15!!! People we DON'T need a charging solution for Wii! If anything, the best Nintendo could do is make a deal with Energizer and pack in a cuppon for $xx of a charger combo. Aside from that, DONT give your money to some company thats trying to bleed you. Really, would you buy dounuts from an fruit vender? then dont get batteries from Nyko.
Evan @ Jan 9th 2007 7:00PM
I don't understand how you are supposed to dock these remotes without having to take the wrist straps off
B1gC72 @ Jan 10th 2007 1:25AM
i dont see how people dont see that this is better than buying rechargable batteries. essentially you are getting the same thing in either case in terms of being rechargable and cutting the recuring cost of buying batteries all the time but how is it not easier to stick the controller in a charger dock when your done playing instead of having to swap batteries? im so over batteries period honestly. once they started puttin lithium ion batteries in everything i really didnt want to go back to buying batteries anyway. ive been waiting for something like this since 11/19 (though i wont buy this one because its Nyko).
another plus to this is having my remotes organized for a change. the wiimotes are so awkward i really dont have anywhere to put them so i either leave them in the floor beside my wii or on the couch but that looks tacky. id rather have it neat like everything else.
jimbob @ Jan 10th 2007 1:50AM
also, for NiMH batteries, a charging dock is a very bad idea...
"nickel-metal hydride requires regular full discharge to prevent crystalline formation." (www.batteryuniversity.com)
J-Money @ Jan 10th 2007 6:09PM
jimbob, you hit the nail square on. They are advertising something which for all intents and purposes is a convenience item, yet they give NiMH batteries, so to use the cradle properly, you will have to unplug it after the batteries charge. Also, you will only be able to charge one dead wiimote at a time, since its unlikely that they will both drain equally.