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TeknoCreations InCharge for Wii
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VixenViewTreasures's Review
Keep your Wiimotes at the ready and save the environment!
Every day computer user, computer literate, always online, noticing the details, value conscious, loving this product
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| Cons |
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NOV
28
2008
Here's the scoop...
The Wii InCharge Dual Charge Station is the only charging dock I've found that can charge the Wiimotes without removing the skins. Woot! What a great idea!
The Wii InCharge Dual Charge Station Product Features Include:
- You can charge your Wiimotes with their silicon sleeves and wrist straps in place
- They weight 50% less than AA batteries and other charging solutions
- You can charge one or two controllers at one time
- The package Includes two Lithium polymer battery packs
- They have Non-metal conductive charging solution
- The charge is not affected by dirt or grime
- There are no contacts to break or have to align
- The Wiimote is barely warm after charging; heat dissipates within a minute or less
- If you really want to - you can charge just the pack without the Wiimote attached
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I have looked and looked for a charging station that I didn't have to "tear-off" the skins each time I charge my Wiimotes. That's a lot of wear and tear on those rubber grips, and you go through that each time you change batteries. If you are a relatively heavy or a very heavy gamer/Wii-user, you know you can go through a lot of batteries in a short amount of time. That's a lot of wear and tear on the silicone grips, and a lot of batteries in the landfill. Keep that up and soon you'll be tossing not only used batteries, but also that skin. Value conscious and environmentally friendly rechargeable is the way to go in the land of Wii-Playing time.
Go on a hunt for battery-free and you will see a variety of charging stations. They have cool lights, cooling stations or other neat features, and all entice you with their pretty displays. However, as you read further about each of these products, you come to find that each one of them requires you to do the same Wii-torture operation each time you charge them as you did when you replaced batteries. Yep, that's right, you need to de-skin them! Aww, come on....don't you know those things are not going to last very long at that rate? Plus it's not the most fun time of game play, let's at least make it simple.
In comes Wii InCharge Dual Charge Station. When you open your package you will find the included charging dock, an AC power supply, and two lithium battery packs. Looks relatively harmless and similar to other charge ideas. Ahhh, but wait.... the dock is an open face dock with a cut-out for the straps, and hmmmm...what's this? No metal contacts? Indeed you read that right. No metal contacts. Wait, what does this mean, how will I charge these little babies? It's so much simpler than trying to align metal contacts or having to worry about keeping the contacts clean and making sure they are fully seated. This is a no-hassle way to charge your Wiimotes on so many levels. No more de-skinning, de-wriststraping, aligning metal contacts - just set them in the dock fully dressed in their skins, and off you go about your business while they charge. I haven't seen any other Wiimote charging station out there with this feature. There are no contacts to wear down, rust, or corrode. It's a magnetic charging similar to that of a Sonicare toothbrush charger. The packs are Lithium ion batteries, so it doesn't have that battery memory problem like other types of rechargeable batteries that are nickel cadmium.
The charge seems to last a reasonable amount of time - it really depends on game play. I'm on my Wii-Fit daily for a minimum of an half an hour, but upwards some days of two hours. During the two hours I use the Wiimote for: aerobic step (uses the Wiimote the entire time), running (uses the Wiimote the entire time), Yoga (uses the Wiimote intermittently, but it's on the whole time), strength training (uses the Wiimote intermittently, but it's on the whole time days), and sometimes games (another intermittent use of the Wiimote). Then there's Guitar Hero, Jillian Michael's Ultimate Fitness workout (a hard use of the Wiimote) and other games and activities (moderate use of Wiimote) used by all members of the family. Ours lasted one week until it needed another charge. During that time was about 10 hours, could be more or less as sometimes I get called away and the Wiimote is still on until it shuts itself down. There's nothing that says you can't drop the Wiimote in the charge station after each game play to make sure it's always ready. After that first test, to see how long it lasted, we keep the Wiimotes in the charge dock in-between use to keep them always at the ready - remember the Lithium battery doesn't develop a memory or get too hot so it doesn't appear to be a problem. Read on and you'll see why this is really the best option anyway.
Now, we all know that nothing in life is perfect, so you know there has to be some downfall somewhere. Well, it's not so bad actually. First, it does take longer for the initial charge than what the package says. I believe ours took about 12 or so hours the first time, but after that first charge, they charge pretty quick: 2-4 hours if you run them completely dead, less if not totally deceased. This is definitely not a major problem, just a little advanced knowledge and you can prevent any problems you might have by being unprepared for the charge time. Besides, remember the little note above - you can charge the pack without the Wiimote - so the pack can be charging that first time while you still use the last of the juice in the existing batteries. I also think the packs charge a little faster without the skin, so that may be a plus.
Next we have the "Blue-Light-Special". This can be pretty or pretty annoying, LOL. There is a solid blue light that tells you when the remote is charging. It's backwards, at least to me. It's solid when it's charging and then switches to a blue flashing when it's done charging (and it's really bright when there are no other lights on in the room). Everything else I own, either is flashing when it is charging and then switches to a solid light, or it is a solid light when charging and no light when done. This flashing can get annoying, so I wouldn't put it in a place where it will be a distraction. Ours is on the floor between the stereo and the speakers so you don't see it too much, and we just take it out when it starts the flashing business.
One final "ouch" note. The traditional non-chargeable battery triggers a warning in the Wii that lets you know when the Wiimote is going low or is about to "kick-the-bucket" - with this set-up however...ooops a glitch; that feature does not work. With the traditional battery you can also click the home button to see how the batteries are dropping - not so with the battery pack. Clicking on the home button with the charge-pack attached it always looks fully charged, even if it's about ready to shut you down - and shut you down it will, with no warning. You can be in the middle of game play or just about to begin, but if it died, it's dead and won't do a thing, won't turn on or anything. This is probably my biggest gripe and what prevented a 5 star rating. However, I offer up this solution to this issue: just drop the Wiimote in the InCharge Dual Charge Station every now and then, or when game play for an extended amount at any one time.
Overall, a very worthwhile product to invest your hard earned cash. As long as you remember to drop the Wiimote in the charger when not in use, you should find hours of game play at your finger tips without fear of stripping your Wiimote's skin and feeding the weekly battery monster. Happy Gaming!
Last edited on Nov 28, 2008
TeknoCreations InCharge for Wii is recommended by VixenViewTreasures
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