Tekno Creations Wii InCharge Dual Charge Station
Today we’re going to take a look at the Tekno Creations Wii InCharge Dual Charge Station. Unlike competing products from Nyko and Intec, this unit uses induction charging technology (similar to an electric toothbrush) which means you can charge the Wiimotes with their protective sleeves on!
In our opinion, induction charging is a HUGE selling point for a Wii charge station device. Who wants to have to remove the protective silicone sleeves from the Wiimotes to charge them? Doing so almost defeats the convenience of having your controllers fully charged at all time.
Unfortunately there’s several flaws to the Tekno Creations Wii InCharge Dual Charge Station (whew, that’s quite the mouthful!). The first is that instead of notifying users that the batteries are fully charged by using a solid light (seems logical, eh?), Tekno Creations has chosen to use a blinking light. Why oh why? Blinking lights mean “warning” or “transmitting” or “error” or “out of service”, they rarely mean “everything’s good!”.
Second, there’s no way to charge the Wiimotes with a nunchuk attached. This may not bother some Wii users but it bothers us. Why design a product that uses technology (induction) so that users can charge their Wiimotes more conveniently, and then go ahead and make it inconvenient to use with another popular accessory…the nunchuk?
Pros:
- Uses induction charging technology (no sleeve removal necessary)
- Attractive design
Cons:
- Blinking light means fully charged
- Must remove nunchuk to charge
Summary:
If you’re not bothered by flashing lights and don’t regularly use nunchuks, this may be the perfect Wii charge station for you. Otherwise, we’d recommend you wait for the Energizer Induction Charge Station.
Wii Charge Station gives it the rating of…
(1 votes, average: 3.00 out of 5)
You need to be a registered member to rate this post.
Loading ...
Intec Dual Charge Station
Today we’ll be reviewing the Wii Dual Charge Station & Turbo Cooler by Intec. It retails new for about $25.
What’s unique about this unit is that it features a turbo cooling fan which is integrated into a vertical stand. The stand is quite compact and has slots for two (2) Wiimotes. Also included in the package are two (2) rechargeable battery packs (well of course!). The new battery packs have built-in LED turns red while charging and changes to blue once your remotes are fully charged. The stand itself has a glowing blue light along its bottom when turned on.
Overall Intec’s Wii Dual Charge Station & Turbo Cooler (woah, that’s quite the mouthfull!) is designed quite attractively. The vertical stand is a good idea as it replaces the stock Wii stand (so as not to take up much additional space) and even looks better. If you’re into glowing blue lights, well you’re in luck too.
The stand has an ON/OFF switch which some users have commented is a nice addition (saves from having to pull the power cord out of the wall outlet), but unfortunately it only controls the charging function. The turbo cooler fan stays on all the time whenever the unit is plugged in. This may be a frustration to some gamers who would rather have the ON/OFF switch completely shut off the unit.
Some users have also complained that the fan in the stand is too loud, and that it’s a pain to have to remove the sleeve and wrist strap from the Wii controllers to charge them.
Pros:
- Compact design
- Turbo cooler fan helps keep the Wii cool
- Cheapest of the dual Wii charge stations
Cons:
- ON/OFF switch doesn’t fully shut off unit
- Fan is too loud
- Must remove sleeve and wrist strap to charge controllers
Summary:
The Intec Wii Dual Charge Station & Turbo Cooler is a nice addition to the Wii charge station market, and it is priced to be affordable. However, it has received generally poor ratings from customers, so we can’t in good conscience recommend that you purchase it. If you’re looking for a dual Wii charge station, perhaps consider the Nyko.
Wii Charge Station gives it a rating of…
(1 votes, average: 3.00 out of 5)You need to be a registered member to rate this post.
Loading ...
Penguin 4X Quad Charge Station
The first “Quad” Wii charge station we’ll be reviewing is brought to you by a company called Penguin. It goes by the name of Penguin 4X Quad Charge Station. It’s arguably the sexiest (hehe, can you even use that term when talking about gaming consoles?) of the bunch, but of course it also has its flaws.
The 4X Quad Charge Station has a circular base and a very low profile design (as you can see by the photo) – it likely takes up the least amount of floor/desk/counter space of any of the quad Wii charge stations. The base comes with some useful rubber feet which keep it from sliding off any slipery surfaces. The Wiimotes are placed in a cross-shaped pattern on top of the unit, which is slanted upwards. The unit has bright blue LEDs underneath each Wiimote slot which at first seem “trendy” and “neat” but after seeing them in low light, they become quite distracting.
The 4X Quad Charge Station package contains four battery packs and covers that snap nicely into the compartment of the Wiimotes. The new covers contain a sync button which is definitely useful for times when the Wiimotes lose their connection to the Wii unit itself. Some users have complained that the new battery packs and covers are lighter than the stock parts, so when playing game such as Wii Tennis, they noticed a different gameplay experience, but we weren’t bothered by this.
Pros:
- Can charge up to 4 Wiimotes concurrently!
- Sleek design
- 4 green lights to track charge progress
- Cheapest of the quad Wii charge stations
Cons:
- Intense blue lights can be distracting
- Battery covers don’t have rubber grip, like the Nyko’s
- Only 13 hours use from the fully charged Li-ion batteries, compared to 25 hours with the Nyko’s NiMH
Summary:
The Penguin 4X Quad Charge Station does what it’s meant to do – keep Wiimotes fully charged at all times. Unfortunately its flaws don’t make it a recommended buy. There’s other units out there that have longer lasting rechargeable batteries, better battery cover grips, and less distracting lights. However, if your primary concern is cost, the Penguin can’t be beat compared to other quad Wii charge stations.
Wii Charge Station gives it a rating of…
(1 votes, average: 3.00 out of 5)
You need to be a registered member to rate this post.
Loading ...
Nyko Dual Charge Station
Our first review is, quite appropriately, on the first-to-market Wii Charge Station, released in Q1 2007 by Nyko.
The Nyko Wii Charge Station package contains two Wi controller battery packs, two rubberized battery covers, the charging station (doc) which can hold two Wiimotes (nerd-speak for Wii controllers) and an AC cord. The battery packs fit nicely into the controller battery compartments, and the new battery covers can then be snapped into place. The reason new battery covers are needed is because these ones have holes for the battery electrical contacts in order for the charging process to be possible.
We’re quite pleased with how the unit functions. It charges two Wiimotes in approximately 4 hours. If you get in the habit of storing the Wiimotes on the charge station when not in use, you’ll never have to worry about the charging time as they should always be fully charged. Nyko reports that the NiMH batteries can last up to 25 hours between chargings, so that should be good enough for all but the most hardcore marathong gamers 
. Our test lasted 19 hours of non-continuous playing, but this included several long breaks without playing (you know, to eat and sleep and all that other important stuff).
Pros:
- Performs as advertised
- Easy to assemble and use
- Respectable charging time
- Rubberized battery grip is a nice substitute for the silicone sleeves
Cons:
- Wrist straps sometime get in the way when placing Wiimotes on charge station
- Must remove Wiimote sleeves when charging
Summary:
The Nyko Charge Station is well worth the money. It will likely pay for itself in a couple years when you’re not having to constantly stock up on disposable AA batteries, and the convenience of having fully charge Wiimotes at all times makes this a recommended buy!
Therefore, Wii Charge Station gives it the rating of…
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
You need to be a registered member to rate this post.
Loading ...
Nyko Quad Charge Station
Nyko is leading the pack in the dual charge station category, so we’re very interested to see how they’ll fare with their quad charge station.
The Nyko Quad Charge Station (which retails for $40) comes with four NiMH rechargeable battery packs and four rubber Wiimote battery covers. The installation is simple – you remove the existing disposable batteries from each Wii remote, and snap in the new chargeable battery packs. Then you have a choice of 4 different colors for your battery covers. We like that Nyko thought of this, as some people prefer to continually use the same remote (either because it’s lucky or they’re simply germaphobes 
)
After placing the Wii controllers in the charging dock, we waited. About 1.5 hours later they were fully charged. That’s definitely quick compared to some other units we’ve reviewed! And there’s also small blue LEDs on the front of the docking station which indicate when the remotes are fully charged by changing to green.
Unfortunately we were only able to get about 5 hours of continuous play from a single charge which is far less than we got from the Nyko Dual Charge Station. That’s quite disappointing!
On a more positive note, the grip on the new battery covers is a big improvement over the stock grip, so that prevents you from even needing the protective sleeves.
Pros:
- Can charge up to 4 Wiimotes concurrently!
- Unique colors for each battery cover
- Quick charging time
- LED lights on station to indicate charging progress
Cons:
- Dissappointing battery life
Summary:
The Nyko Quad Charge Station has many positives but one glaring negative that prevents us from recommending it as a purchase. Only 5 hours of continuous play from a single charge. That’s just plain weak! Sorry Nyko.
Therefore, Wii Charge Station gives it a rating of…
(1 votes, average: 2.00 out of 5)
You need to be a registered member to rate this post.
Loading ...
