Nintendo Wii Remote Charging Dock made by Penguin United
Reviewed By: Peench
Raise your hand if enjoy spending large amounts of money on batteries? Raise your hand if you have kids and have been forced to buy stock in battery companies to support the never ending parade of kids toys that all use double A batteries? There are many among us who make every effort to save our environment by using rechargeable batteries. Well whether you are a tree-hugger doing it for the environment or you are a cheap skate like me, the Wii Remove Charging Dock is for you.
Penguin United was the first to market with their Wii Remote Charging Dock. Other brands have followed suit with similar products, but none of them had the first product out of the gate.
The packaging for the Charging Dock is simple and fun. Yep, fun. Don’t believe me, see for yourself:
In case you are having trouble reading the list of prohibited uses for your new Charging Dock, allow me to clarify:
“Don’t Eat” “Don’t Burn” “Don’t Step On.”
What directions and disclosures could be more simple?
But the Charging Dock is no joke. The system ships with the Charging Dock, a power cord (USB on one end), a rechargeable battery and a new battery compartment door for your Wiimote.
The process of setting up your new charging dock is simple. Take the back off of your existing Wii Remote and remove the double A batteries. You then insert the rechargeable batter that comes with the Charging Dock into the Wiimote.
The battery is slotted so that it only fits in one way. On top of this feature, the battery is clearly marked with positive and negative terminal locations so there is really no way to screw up this part of the installation. Once the battery is in place, pop the back cover on and you are ready to roll.
You will notice that the new battery cover has two metal leads. This is how the rechargeable battery is charged without having to remove the battery pack itself. If I had to be picky, I would state that the new cover is a slightly different color than the original Nintendo battery cover. That being said, the different is so slight, I am simply being hyper sensitive in even making the observation. See for yourself:
The Charging Dock plugs conveniently into an available USB slot at the back of the Nintendo Wii.
Once this is done all you need to do is drop the Wiimote into the Charging Dock and you are in business.
Good to note is that the Charging Dock permits the Wiimote to be charged without having to take the security strap off of the Wiimote. The entire design is simple and easy to use, requiring minimal effort to keep your Wiimotes in optimal operating condition.
When you drop the Wiimote into the Charging Dock you are greeted with a blue light very similar to the blue light surrounding the disc slot on the Wii itself. While charging the light remains lit.
Once charging is complete the light blinks just like the blue light that blinks on the Wii when you have mail. And yes, this blue blinking light on the Charging Dock is just as bright as the one on the Wii itself! It lit up my entire room and once flashing was like a beacon for all the moths in the neighborhood. This really was not that big of a deal though as I simply removed the Wiimote from the charger when it was fully charged.
So you fancy yourself a custom installer and didn’t need my how to guide and you simply want to know how it performs? Well fret no more my all knowing reader, the Wiimote customized with the rechargeable battery from the Penguin United Charging Dock kit works great.
Like any rechargeable battery the level of charge drops while not in use. After a full charge (overnight), I let the Wiimote sit for 7 days without use. When I started it back up I noticed that the charge level noted on the Wii showed a drop of only one bar. After playing for about 3 hours with my son no other bars had dropped off the charge meter.
Since I am not a power user I did not perform a full drain test by playing for the day or two it likely would have taken to discharge the battery completely. In fact, I don’t know many people who would like play the Wii for that long without taking a break for a shoulder rub from all the arm swinging required to play the Wii games.
It is safe to say that the Penguin United Charging Doc is perfect for power users or casual gamers. If you enjoy the ambient, blinking blue light provided by the Wii, a fully charged Wiimote on the Charging Dock will add further bliss to your Wii experience. If you simply enjoy not having to stockpile batteries for when your Wii gaming urge hits, the Wii Remote Charging Dock is for you.
As an even larger incentive for you to save money and add another cool accessory to your gaming experience, for a limited time, Penguin United is offering all PreGameLobby members 15% off of any product at their store. The Wii Remove Charging Dock is currently priced at $19.99 (current as of March 21, 2007). Drop 15% off of this price and you have one heck of a deal! Head over there now to get started on saving the Earth or saving your wallet and enjoying more game time on your Wii.
www.PenguinUnited.com
Full resolution versions of the photos in this review can be found
HERE.
Penguin United Wii Remote Charging Dock
Linear Mode
