Having logged quite a few hours on my Nintendo Wii there is one thing that is very evident, the batteries that I go through. Add to this that it always seems that I have to change batteries at the most in opportune times. Yes, I know I can use rechargeable ones, but that does not stop the fact that I still have to change depleted batteries with a fresh set that are recharged. This problem became even worse when Nintendo sent us the silicone sleeves for the Wii Remotes way back, and then the new Wii MotionPlus with its own silicone sleeve was released in mid 2009, making it even more of a chore to change batteries. So what is a guy to do? Well enter Nyko and their innovative and very practical Charge Base IC system.

Anyone who has been following my reviews over the past couple of years knows that I am a big fan of Nyko and their third party products. Sure, not all of them are homeruns so to speak, but they put a lot of work and effort into designing useful stuff for all consoles out there. Their Wii products in specific have been very good. Nyko was kind enough to send us a review unit of their Charge Base IC. This is one of the most practical battery and charging solutions I have seen for the Nintendo Wii to date.

In the box you will find two battery packs, an AC adapter, the charging station, and a sync tool. The batteries have a rubberized back so if you do not use Nintendo’s silicone sleeve when gaming you’ll get a good grip on your Wii Remotes with these batteries installed. The batteries add very little weight to the Wii Remote as well, so this is also a plus. The charge base has a USB port to allow you to charge anything USB related (e.g. cell phones or a PS3 controller come to mind). If you look at the pictures that I have included with this review, you can see that the whole package is typical Nintendo white and really does match the simplistic design of the Wii. Overall I was very impressed with everything that was included in the package and it seems that Nyko’s designers were definitely thinking when they designing this unit.

For the tech-heads out there the IC in the title stands for induction charge. Now I am not a scientist so I had to do a bit of research on this technology and found the best definition on Wikipedia. It states that inductive charging uses the electromagnetic field to transfer energy between two objects. A charging station sends energy through inductive coupling to an electrical device, which stores the energy in the batteries. So in a nutshell you have how it works. What is important to this writer is that the batteries are easily charged and there nothing complex for me to do.

The charge base itself holds the Wii Remotes, with the installed battery packs, in the cradle magnetically. There is no need to clip it on. This brings a much needed air of convenience to the Charge Base IC. Why you ask? Well, if you use the Wii MotionPlus on a regular basis, this allows you the ability to keep the Wii Remote attached to the MotionPlus adapter at all times. Remember, the MotionPlus adapter comes in a necessary silicone sleeve. Should you need to recharge your batteries the magnetic cradle allows you to just put it on the charging dock and walk away, no need to take everything out of the sleeve. This is so handy as I can now charge my Wii Remotes without any of the hassles that I have had to endure in the past. No more sitting down and taking the Wii Remote off the MotionPlus and out of the sleeve. Just walk over, put it onto the charge base unit, and away I go to do other things.

In terms of everyday use, the Charge Base IC batteries last as long as you’d expect a set of regular batteries to last. So you don’t have to feel like you are getting something that doesn’t hold a charge. I played some very long sessions of The New Super Mario Bros. Wii and I also played quite a few extended sessions of Excitebike: World Rally without any power issues. Once I was done I just put the controller on the Charge Base IC and walked way. Simplicity at its best my friends.

The charge base itself has a nice blue glow to it. This again is in line with the color scheme of the Nintendo Wii. These lights are not just decorative though, as they help indicate when your charge cycle is complete. They stay blue during the charge and then turn green when the charge is complete. I did not time the initial charge for the battery packs as I was fiddling about in my home office, but a time of anywhere from 5 to 7 hours should get the battery packs up and fully charged. If there is any negative here, it would be that the LEDs that provide the light are pretty darn bright. This makes sense as you want to be able to see the it during the day or while lights are on, but man they sure can be a beacon of light given how bright they are especially if you have no lights on in your room. A minor complaint indeed, but I thought it was worth noting.

Overall you really can’t go wrong picking up Nyko’s Charge Base IC for the Nintendo Wii as the design and technology of this unit really does shine (no literally, it’s the LEDs). I know that some may not like the fact that it only charges two Wii Remotes at a time, but this is a minor issue given the thought that went into this battery and charging solution. Well done Nyko, you have done it again.