Are you going to get the Nyko charge station?

No way. Get rechargable batteries. If my remotes die, 15 minutes and it Im good to go again. And those batteries are useful for things other than just wiimotes.

Umm...Eventualy, but not right now.

knot_U

Yeah I don't know, there are some good rechargeable batteries out there, but I'm not sure which is the better choice.

I think I'll pick one up eventually, I just wish that they hadn't made the back look SO different. I almost would opt for the less simple method of switching rechargeable batteries in, just to keep the look of the wiimote.

Already got one. It works fine and I like not having to worry about batteries anymore.

Nope. There's no need for this when you can just use rechargeable batteries. They're cheaper too.

Buy Energizers e2 rechargable batteries for 20 bucks I got 8 batteries and a recharging station. The batteries last just as long as normal AA do and having extra mean I am never with out charged batteries.

I picked it up from a local GameStop about two weeks ago. It works great...the only thing is that when it says that it comes with rubberized grips, it means that you HAVE to use them because the original backing doesn't fit over the batteries. It's been worth it for me because I just have better uses for AAs.

I'd only buy an original Nintendo charger. Costs more but they will figure out a way to make it reliable and safe (I'm thinking about the exploding laptops). The best alternative though would be (as others suggested) to buy rechargeable batteries but you'll need two pairs so you can reload one while you are using the other. Regardless I will only buy new accessories for the Wii once the release some cool game that's worth buying. Right now I only play Windwaker and Ocarina and my Wiimote doesn't do much.

I'm not going to bother with recharge stations until someone makes Li-ion based recharge stations. The ones I've seen so far all use NiMH. :(

Nyko is teh suck.

This summer I'll make a trip to Akihabara, and I'll pick any cool gadget for my Wii. Any. :-)

I've been using NiMH rechargeable AAs with mixed results. If the batteries have been in the Wiimote for more than a day, the Wiimote turns on but can't see the sensor bar. So practically speaking I need to use only freshly-charged batteries because the NiMHs seem to discharge themselves quickly, even without use. I've tried both Panasonic and Digital Concepts NiMHs.

Especially frustrating when all I want to play a GameCube game and only need the Wiimote to point at the disc channel.

Do you think we'll see Li-ion stations, though? And do they even make AA-based Li-ion rechargeables? I've seen the lithium batteries for digital cameras and such, but no cells like that are rechargeable. I'd certainly love a lithium pack for the Wiimote, but I'll probably end up picking up one of the Nyko NiMH sets once they come in at work, assuming we do get them in. (Best Buy)

no, i steal my batteries from work. and i dont have time to play my wii enough to make me feel bad about it.

I just got my charge station yesterday. This is a good product. I only have 2 wiimotes so far, and this is great for that. You can switch to the normal back after a charge if you want so you are not forced to play with the rubber grip if you don’t like it, but from my experience and my roommates as well the rubber grip is nice when playing Wii Sports, and if you have access to a cutting tool it would be very easy to punch a hole for the charging contact. Also the rechargeable pack is light, probably not that much heavier then 2 AAs, so it doesn’t really mess with the balance of the wii-mote in your hand. It felt a little bottom heavy at first, but that went away within minutes of using it. Overall the convenience of a rechargeable dock makes this product worth it.

I'm still on my first set of AA's... waiting for a Wii game that'll keep me playing for hours on end. Right now the Wii is a "quick game of Wii Sports Tennis" machine, mostly.

When we get Fire Emblem over here, I'll probably need a charging station! :)

Can I get credit on another one of their terrible products? I have an InterCooler I would love to give back that ran me $25.

I'll trade them the InterCooler for the recharge station which will probably have a battery leak that kills my Wiimote.

Or I could just learn my lesson and not buy from this crap company again.

I just use the Energizer E (squared) lithium batteries. They are really light which is nice, especially if you are dumb enough to through your wiimote at your TV. But the batteries seem to last a pretty long time.

@#6, don't get LiI, your battery will hold like 10 minutes of charge by the time the Wii 2 comes out. NiMH can keep capacity for more than a decade, and is cheaper to boot.

That said, I bought NiMH rechargables online the week after I got my Wii, as soon as Zelda ate my first pair of AAs. I haven't regretted it -- I wanted a charge dock, but for the same price I was able to get a really nice smart travel charger and 8 2600 mAh AAs. They run at a lower voltage than alkalines (like all rechargables) so the Wii will show the battery "charge" as lower, but I've found that they keep the remote running for a week or two of intermittent use (probably ~20 hours of play), and I have enough that I can just keep at least one pair charging at pretty much all times. If the charging station were a *bit* cheaper, or came with a spare battery for each for the same price, I'd probably bite. That, and if it had been out at launch time, when I needed it ;-)

I bought a 4 pack of rechargeable batteries and a charger for $15. I might get a recharge station if Nintendo releases one.

@ 9.

Totally. I don't know why the bloggers (not to be confused with the readers) are so damn lazy that they can't buy regular rechargable batteries. I bought the same Energizers for $5 bucks cheaper than this Nyko station and I have 8 AA's that not only work for my Wiimotes but my Wavebird and my roommate's Xbox 360 Controller and my digital camera and...

I'm seeing a lot of replies about rechargeable batteries. I take it no one read the warnings on your Wiimote. It specifically mentions NOT to use rechargeable batteries - the warning sites leakage as an issue (among other problems?). Although Nintendo's website suggests that Nickel Metal Hydride rechargeable batteries are ok - so at the least I would avoid Lithium batteries.

Why the hell are people so mad over rechargable batteries?

I might not go with the Nyko recharger, as I'd rather opt for the cheaper one mentioned in the post. If I'm so worried about my remote losing charge during play, I'll just leave it on the charger when I'm not using it.

I have one and I like it. I leave it sitting on the coffee table next to the sofa. When I'm finished playing, I sit my Wiimote back on it to charge. I don't have to open up the cover to remove the batteries, or worry about constantly checking my battery life by hitting the Home button. It looks pretty slick, and the rubber backs are quite comfortable as well. It is made pretty durable too. It isn't some cheapo plastic thing.

I use regular rechargeable batteries and they work great. I always have extra to pop in when they go dead. I don't like the grip on the back of the batteries, they should have left it looking like a regular wiimote.

What Geo said...

No, I've got a bunch of rechargable batteries so I'm good.

Just wondering, because I havent seen it anywhere. Has anyone noticed that when you turn on your wiimote, the number of blinking lights indicates the charge left.

And constantly charging your battery when it isn't needed shortens the life of said battery.

I can't believe anyone uses non-rechargeable batteries these days with so many things taking batteries in our homes. I changed to all rechargeables in my house years ago and haven't looked back. The only batteries I have to buy now are Cs, Ds, and the occasional 9 volt.

And Geo, when the wiimote is off, just press any button (except the power button) and the LEDs will show you how much battery is left also.

No I think I am going to take advice of some other posters and go the way of the rechargeable batteries. I will however pick up a charge station if another company makes a higher quality version then what I predict Nyko will produce.

I have used the NYKO charger for the past two weeks now. I think it is great! I did punch a hole in the back of my wii skins so I can just stick the remote on to charge. It was well worth the money and the convenience and the charge holds for quite a while.

1) Rechargeable batteries (good for things besides your Wiimotes!)
2) 15 minute recharger

Simple.

i want a recharger station just not this one. and the sad thing is, it's all because of that rubberized grip on the back. it looks terrible. i like the concept but that thing just kills it for me. ill wait for another one to come out that looks similar to the regular backing, holds at least 2 Wiimotes, and charges via USB. these things are so much better than swapping batteries constantly. who cares if it only takes fifteen minutes to charge some rechargables? it wont take any time if i just put them on the charger at night with my cellphone, PSP, and DS.

i got this and it works great i just hate the stupid rubber grips

Didn't anyone hear what joseph ellwell said about rechargeables? I would only even consider nickel metal hydride!!