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.
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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)
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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)
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DreamGEAR Wii Dual Charging Station
This review is going to be on the Wii Dual Charging Station by DreamGEAR. It retails new for about $30.
This unit comes with an attractive, glowing charging stand that houses both your Wii console and two (2) Wiimotes. It has an LED charge indicator that makes it quite obvious when the remotes are fully charged.
Also, one unique feature that DreamGEAR’s Wii Dual Charging Station has is that the Wiimotes can be charged even when the Wii console is powered off. That sure is handy because you never have to think about flicking a switch or plugging anything in; the controllers will ALWAYS be charged as long as you place them in the stand.
Some comments from users include:
- “Customer service is excellent. I had one of the batteries become corroded and the pack would not charge. I emailed the company and got a speedy response and they promptly sent a new battery pack free of charge. Thanks DreamGear!”
- “The wii remotes do not fit very well and you really have to play with it to get it to charge. One of the battery packs did not fit so will have to fight to return.”
- “You have to remove the straps and the wii covers and you still fudge around with it to get it to charge. My kids are not able to put on and take off the strap and covers themselves. This is way more work for me. I will return to rechargeable batteries, the are much less work.”
- “This is a good charger but it is hard to get the remotes on the charger with the strap attached. I would recommend the charger with the fan because the chargers fit better.”
Pros:
- Attractive design
- Can charge Wiimotes even when console is off
- LED lights indicate when remotes are fully charged
Cons:
- Must remove the straps and protective sleeves to charge Wiimotes
- Stand is a bit bulky
- Battery packs are difficult to fit into controllers
Summary:
The DreamGEAR Wii Dual Charging Station has some decent features and is attractive enough. Unfortunately, it has received mediocre ratings from customers, largely in part to the controllers being difficult to fit into the stand, and the battery packs being difficult to fit into the controllers (sounds like the design team needs to get back to the drawing board!). If you’re looking for a better dual Wii charge station, perhaps consider the Nyko.
Thus, Wii Charge Station gives it the rating of…
(1 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5)You need to be a registered member to rate this post.
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