4cr Review – Nyko Charge Base IC

Let me start off with the obligatory statement that product reviews aren’t typically my bag. Aside from controllers, and a guilty obsession for light guns and Dreamcast fishing rods, I’ve never paid attention to third party peripherals and accessories. With wireless controllers the standard, and a steady supply of options for charging them on the shelves, I’ve also been called a Luddite more than once for still using wires. But my 360 controller wire still reaches from the console to the couch quite comfortably, and I’m absolutely lazy when it comes to buying batteries.

So, maybe I could tell you that this stirred my interest in Nyko’s Charge Base IC, though it really didn’t. Given the amount of Wii titles I play for review alone, my WiiMote gets plenty of use, and I’ve still only changed the batteries twice. Mind you, this always happens at an entirely inconvenient time.

Yet, my early interest in this charger was completely an issue of vanity.

EDIT

Congratulations to Kyattsuai, who won the draw for the charger. Thanks to everyone who commented!

Based solely on design, this toy is suave, and certainly the most aesthetically pleasing creation from Nyko in memory. If I ever have one of those Ikea designed living rooms, this charger would easily blend in to that environment. I’ll also admit to being taken with the idea of magnets holding the WiiMotes in place and charging them via induction, which as I mentioned when this device was first announced, is a wonderful blend of science and witchcraft.

The base of the charger has a peel away strip that allows for it to be secured wherever you fancy. I’m not particularly fond of doing something like that because moving it again would be a pain, but the base will move slightly whenever the WiiMotes are placed on it given the magnets involved, so it’s up to you.

Anyway, using the charger is straight-forward stuff – push the power button and the charger slots glow green when empty, blue while charging, and green again to let you know when the charging is finished. The base comes with two rechargeable battery packs for use with a WiiMote or Nyko Wand – and also include a pinhole on the back, along with a plastic poker to hit the sync button on a Nyko Wand. The base also has a usb plug on the back should you wish to charge another device.

Beyond the eye candy, what really matters is that the Charge Base IC attempts to solve the problem of charging a WiiMote while the rubber grip is on. Before owning a Wii, I wouldn’t have thought much of that concern, but removing that rubber is an annoyance, especially given the amount of times one would likely do so for a rechargeable battery pack.

The charge base grabs a fully dressed WiiMote as eagerly as a naked one, with one noticeable snag when I began this experiment. The first time I placed a WiiMote with the rubber grip onto the base, I found I had to shift it around several times before the light changed from green to blue, indicating that it was indeed charging. After that, the light changed over everytime, and without the rubber grip attached there was never an issue – but it’s clear that that piece of rubber is a pain to work around.

It’s also clear that the rubber lessons the connection. The paperwork included with the charge base indicates that the process will take longer when the grip is left on.

How big is the difference?

Out of the box, the battery in a WiiMote wearing the rubber grip took just shy of eight hours to charge, versus just shy of four hours for one without – so approximately twice as long.

Not quite the promised land, but your WiiMotes would always be charged in the morning, assuming you remember to place them on the charger after you finish playing. It still represents a significant attempt at a solution.

That’s my time spent with the Nyko Charge Base IC, but I want to leave off with a note about this whole idea of product reviews, which are not something I expect to ever write many of.

I’m well aware that there are plenty of reviews about products that were written because someone wanted a new toy for their collection. But I don’t think that should stop us from looking at a product when there’s a perceived interest. Anyway, to address my own concerns, and because we wouldn’t get these opportunities if you didn’t drop in to visit us, I’m going to give away this Charge Base IC that Nyko sent to us – which I realize isn’t as nice as getting a still sealed one, but it’s what I’ve got to work with, and I handled it very carefully while checking it out.

So, if it doesn’t bother you that I’ve touched it, simply leave a comment that includes the words “Gimme that charger” somewhere in the comment.

Let’s keep it casual, I’ll take all the names with valid email addresses that leave a comment with those words, and pick a winner at random Thursday afternoon.