Penguin United Wii Remote Charging Dock - A Review
By seaempty. Sunday, 4. March 2007, 12:25:45
N+ member Khadgar recently purchased some rechargeable battery packs for his Wii Remotes. He has kindly written a review of the accessories for us, and taken a couple of pictures which display the equipment in all it's glory. Bigger photos can be found in Accessories album, and without further ado, here is Khadgar's review...
When the Nintendo Wii first came out the biggest gripe I had about it was that the Wii remotes used batteries. I've never been a big fan of batteries ever since my first Gameboy would eat them faster than Hungry Hungry Hippos eat white marbles. It looks like the Wii remotes are no exception. I never understood why they just didn't put removable lithium ion batteries in the Wii remotes along with USB cables to charge them with. They could sell docks separately like Apple does with their iPod dock. I've looked for other alternatives, but none of them seemed right... until I saw the Penguin United Wii Remote Charging Dock on eBay while trying to see how cheaply I could get a classic controller for (I still don't have one). Without knowing much about it being the Nintendo geek I am I bought two of them, one for each of my remotes. As the product wasn't yet released I had to wait a couple of weeks to get them in, but when I did it was to heck with everything else. Dustin had to set up his remote docks.
Each package comes with the following:
1× Wii Remote Charging Dock
1× USB Connection Cable
1× Rechargable Lithium Ion Battery
1× Custom Battery Cover for Charging
Setup
When I first opened the box and took everything out (frantically of course!) I was shocked to see that the connector in the back of the dock was not USB and that it uses a proprietary (at least to my knowledge) cable that has a mini power connector on the end that hooks into the dock and USB on the other end that hooks into the back of the Wii. I don't understand this as a straight USB (even mini) to USB cable would be cheaper than using some special made one and be better in the long run as if someone needs to get the cable replaced they could just go to a local Radio Shack or some other store and buy one. I plugged the dock in without any trouble, however. It's quite simple and straightforward. The cable is small, so hiding it from the open is quite easy.
After that I proceeded to get out my two Wii remotes, pop off the battery covers, and pull the batteries out. I found that the battery packs that come with this dock are a bit difficult to get in there, and there's a trick to it. It took a small bit of thinking to figure out how to get it in there, but after you know how it's not much trouble to get it in there. Hold the remote right-side up and hold the battery with the + and - sign at the bottom. Hold the battery at an angle, put the front of it into the hole, push forward, and then push down on the other end of the battery. The battery then pops in. It's an extremely tight fit.
To charge these batteries you cannot use the battery covers that came with the remote. You have to use custom ones with two metal pieces on the back that the charger sends power to to charge the battery. I would have thought that the battery could be charged through the port on the bottom of the Wii remote similar to how the iPod is charged through its connector, but I guess the port cannot receive power, only send it to whatever's attached to it. One thing I noticed about the new battery cover that it is a tad bit darker than the plastic on the Wii remote and is more of a matte finish than the slick surface of the Wii remote. It's not that big of an eyesore, but I think they should have spent a bit more attention to detail and used the same type of plastic the original battery cover used.
Usage
The instructions that came with the dock state to let the remote charge for 12 hours before using. I couldn't wait that long
, so I fired up my Wii with the remote. Everything seemed to work fine. When displaying the amount of juice the battery pack had from the home menu I was surprised to see there was 3 bars there without even a charge. I played a few hours of Zelda, and put my remote in the dock. You know the Wii remote is charging because of a blue LED light in the base. By the way, the charge on the battery pack didn't go to two bars.
The next morning I get up and the LEDs on the docks are blinking telling me the remotes are charged. I fire up my Wii and notice that there are still 3 bars showing up. This puzzled me at first, but then I did some math. The battery pack is a 2.4V battery pack, and the Wii requires two 1.5V alkaline batteries to function. Naturally to be fully charged it needs 3V. I don't know why they couldn't have made a 3V lithium ion battery pack that size. My guess is that it is another lack of attention to detail. This could confuse some users thinking that the dock doesn't charge the batteries completely. It does, but not to 3V like the Wii thinks is the maximum charge. I think it's a small price to pay for using this in any case, but for people who haven't figured it out it could make them think they just wasted their money.
Charging
I mentioned that the dock's blue LED light blinked when it was charged. For some people that might be annoying, including myself. The good thing is that you can sit the Wii remote in the dock and not charge it. Just sit the remote gently into the device and let go. It'll sit there, but not all the way in it. To charge you just tap the top of it and it'll sit down farther in the dock to charge. That's nice, but I can't help but notice that they could have just made the dock stop attempting to charge the battery after it's been charged.
I've had two docks since Tuesday, and I've yet to have the need to charge the battery on either remote. The instructions say the charge lasts 38 hours of continuous play. I don't think I've put that many hours in, but I've yet to see it go to two bars. That's a heck of a lot better than how long regular alkaline batteries were lasting me.
You can order the dock straight from Penguin United here. It's $23.99 US. As far as I know it's only sold in the United States and Canada. I'm sure anyone elsewhere can probably snag one through eBay. Since it uses USB power it can be used anywhere around the world regardless of power standards.
The N+ Points
N+ Charges using USB. Can work anywhere in the world regardless of power standards.
N+ Never run out of power (unless you play over 38 hours straight... wouldn't put that past .Ed).
N+ Never buy batteries again for your Wii remotes.
N+ Always know where your remotes are. Organization + functionality in one package.
The N- Points
N- Proprietary USB Cable. Cable is irreplacable if damaged.
N- Battery is a bit awkward to get in.
N- New battery cover doesn't completely match the remote.
N- Will never show fully charged on the Wii home menu even when fully charged.
When the Nintendo Wii first came out the biggest gripe I had about it was that the Wii remotes used batteries. I've never been a big fan of batteries ever since my first Gameboy would eat them faster than Hungry Hungry Hippos eat white marbles. It looks like the Wii remotes are no exception. I never understood why they just didn't put removable lithium ion batteries in the Wii remotes along with USB cables to charge them with. They could sell docks separately like Apple does with their iPod dock. I've looked for other alternatives, but none of them seemed right... until I saw the Penguin United Wii Remote Charging Dock on eBay while trying to see how cheaply I could get a classic controller for (I still don't have one). Without knowing much about it being the Nintendo geek I am I bought two of them, one for each of my remotes. As the product wasn't yet released I had to wait a couple of weeks to get them in, but when I did it was to heck with everything else. Dustin had to set up his remote docks.
Each package comes with the following:
1× Wii Remote Charging Dock
1× USB Connection Cable
1× Rechargable Lithium Ion Battery
1× Custom Battery Cover for Charging
Setup
When I first opened the box and took everything out (frantically of course!) I was shocked to see that the connector in the back of the dock was not USB and that it uses a proprietary (at least to my knowledge) cable that has a mini power connector on the end that hooks into the dock and USB on the other end that hooks into the back of the Wii. I don't understand this as a straight USB (even mini) to USB cable would be cheaper than using some special made one and be better in the long run as if someone needs to get the cable replaced they could just go to a local Radio Shack or some other store and buy one. I plugged the dock in without any trouble, however. It's quite simple and straightforward. The cable is small, so hiding it from the open is quite easy.
After that I proceeded to get out my two Wii remotes, pop off the battery covers, and pull the batteries out. I found that the battery packs that come with this dock are a bit difficult to get in there, and there's a trick to it. It took a small bit of thinking to figure out how to get it in there, but after you know how it's not much trouble to get it in there. Hold the remote right-side up and hold the battery with the + and - sign at the bottom. Hold the battery at an angle, put the front of it into the hole, push forward, and then push down on the other end of the battery. The battery then pops in. It's an extremely tight fit.
To charge these batteries you cannot use the battery covers that came with the remote. You have to use custom ones with two metal pieces on the back that the charger sends power to to charge the battery. I would have thought that the battery could be charged through the port on the bottom of the Wii remote similar to how the iPod is charged through its connector, but I guess the port cannot receive power, only send it to whatever's attached to it. One thing I noticed about the new battery cover that it is a tad bit darker than the plastic on the Wii remote and is more of a matte finish than the slick surface of the Wii remote. It's not that big of an eyesore, but I think they should have spent a bit more attention to detail and used the same type of plastic the original battery cover used.
Usage
The instructions that came with the dock state to let the remote charge for 12 hours before using. I couldn't wait that long
, so I fired up my Wii with the remote. Everything seemed to work fine. When displaying the amount of juice the battery pack had from the home menu I was surprised to see there was 3 bars there without even a charge. I played a few hours of Zelda, and put my remote in the dock. You know the Wii remote is charging because of a blue LED light in the base. By the way, the charge on the battery pack didn't go to two bars.
The next morning I get up and the LEDs on the docks are blinking telling me the remotes are charged. I fire up my Wii and notice that there are still 3 bars showing up. This puzzled me at first, but then I did some math. The battery pack is a 2.4V battery pack, and the Wii requires two 1.5V alkaline batteries to function. Naturally to be fully charged it needs 3V. I don't know why they couldn't have made a 3V lithium ion battery pack that size. My guess is that it is another lack of attention to detail. This could confuse some users thinking that the dock doesn't charge the batteries completely. It does, but not to 3V like the Wii thinks is the maximum charge. I think it's a small price to pay for using this in any case, but for people who haven't figured it out it could make them think they just wasted their money.
Charging
I mentioned that the dock's blue LED light blinked when it was charged. For some people that might be annoying, including myself. The good thing is that you can sit the Wii remote in the dock and not charge it. Just sit the remote gently into the device and let go. It'll sit there, but not all the way in it. To charge you just tap the top of it and it'll sit down farther in the dock to charge. That's nice, but I can't help but notice that they could have just made the dock stop attempting to charge the battery after it's been charged.
I've had two docks since Tuesday, and I've yet to have the need to charge the battery on either remote. The instructions say the charge lasts 38 hours of continuous play. I don't think I've put that many hours in, but I've yet to see it go to two bars. That's a heck of a lot better than how long regular alkaline batteries were lasting me.
You can order the dock straight from Penguin United here. It's $23.99 US. As far as I know it's only sold in the United States and Canada. I'm sure anyone elsewhere can probably snag one through eBay. Since it uses USB power it can be used anywhere around the world regardless of power standards.
The N+ Points
N+ Charges using USB. Can work anywhere in the world regardless of power standards.
N+ Never run out of power (unless you play over 38 hours straight... wouldn't put that past .Ed).
N+ Never buy batteries again for your Wii remotes.
N+ Always know where your remotes are. Organization + functionality in one package.
The N- Points
N- Proprietary USB Cable. Cable is irreplacable if damaged.
N- Battery is a bit awkward to get in.
N- New battery cover doesn't completely match the remote.
N- Will never show fully charged on the Wii home menu even when fully charged.
(75%)
WIDGETIZE
Becky # 4. March 2007, 16:24
Anton # 4. March 2007, 16:56
.ed # 4. March 2007, 17:47
are the cables it comes with white, gray, or black?
and about how long?
also are the battery packs heavier or lighter than 2 AA's?
the rechargables i got aare about twice as heavy, if not more, adding a nice weight to the calorie burning remotes
thanks for the awesome contribution, too.
Dustin Wilson # 4. March 2007, 19:31
Joel Luther # 5. March 2007, 01:22
Could you post a picture of the back of the WiiMote showing the battery cover?
Anyone got a Nyko Charging Station to compare it to?
Dustin Wilson # 5. March 2007, 01:29
StrawHousePig # 5. March 2007, 06:41
Peter # 5. March 2007, 14:18
Personally, I use a bunch of AA NiMH batteries and swap out as needed. Sure, any given set runs for less than alkalines, but recharging is cheaper and cleaner than replacing.
Dustin Wilson # 5. March 2007, 14:59
@Xoder: Using lithium ion (what this battery pack is) it is possible to get 3V out of a battery that small. The battery pack for my digital camera is 7.4V and is approximately the same size. Probably the reason why it isn't a 3V is for weight reasons. A 3V battery would be more dense than a 2.4, creating additional weight on the remotes. Many would find the additional weight to be more of an issue than the smaller voltage. 1.5+1.5=3.0 and the Wii manual says 3V total for two batteries. Any NiMH battery only does 1.2V or 1.25 (high capacity) and last around 14 hours. I've used Panasonic, Energizer, and Moixa (USBCell) and got the best results out of the USBCell batteries out of the bunch, but still only got maybe 10 hours out of them. I've played 10 hours straight (especially when Zelda came out), and never got any more than out of batteries be they the batteries that came with it, alkaline replacements, NiCD, or NiMH. I tried everything that could be put into those remotes. Either way you'd be replacing batteries with charged ones when a battery pack would be at half charge or more.
Just to test how long the battery does last, I haven't put my first remote on the dock to charge it yet. By doing math and counting the times I've spent doing each individual thing since last Tuesday I've spent 20 hours and I've yet to go to 2 bars. I've replaced batteries twice before in that timeframe.
Dustin Wilson # 6. March 2007, 17:13
Anonymous # 26. March 2007, 17:37
Do you know if you have the silicon skin cover on your remote, the remote still fitting in the charging dock? From the product picture, can't tell if the "extra thick" on the remote still can fit in.
Anonymous # 9. April 2007, 19:13
The battery pack clearly says NiMh
Anonymous # 13. April 2007, 13:39
I think it is great and I Got it http://www.thewastenotwantnotshoppe.com/