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35 of 39 found the following review helpful:
 Works but beware of timer based charging Apr 19, 2010
By positivethinking
This product charges the included batteries when they are on the Wii remote even with the plastic protective sleeve and wii motion connected.
The main weakness of this product that I did not know until after purchasing it is that it charges based on a simple timer system.
If you place the battery on the base it will charge for 2 or 3 hours (I have not measured it) and the LED will turn from red to blue to indicate that it's fully charged. If you then take the battery off the base and immediately return it then the light will change to red and charge the battery for another 2 or 3 hours before the LED turns blue again. The battery gets very hot.
I'm very disappointed with this, I thought it would work like a regular battery charger and only top up the charge for the time required.
It means you cannot store the wii remotes on the base, returning them to the base each time you finish with them so that they are always fully charged. I think that doing this could damage the batteries and significantly reduce the life of the batteries.
I think I am going to use the batteries until they go flat and then recharge them. This is going to mean that we are going to at times find that the battery is flat when we want to use the wii and will need to either wait until they charge or change the batteries.
Very disappointed, for a dollar or so more in the manufacturing they could have fixed this problem and then it would have been an excellent choice.
22 of 24 found the following review helpful:
 AMAZING! Jan 09, 2010
By happykat826
"crochet and donate lady"
After researching for hours we fell into this newly released charger for our Wii remotes. We have 3 remotes and have been having a ball playing the Sports Resort Frisbee Golf and Bowling. Since Christmas, we have had to replace batteries three times but that is to be expected when you play from early afternoon until 3 or 4 AM LOL.
We learned there is a new technology that allows you to recharge your remotes without removing skins or the Motion sensor.
Dreamgear just released this model of Induction charging dock. We learned Nyko will be releasing a 4 station dock in early March after a phone call to them.. they will also release the induction charging dock in black for 2 and 4 remotes. We almost decided to wait but further reading and calls to Dreamgear lead us to buy this one.
There are some advantages to this Dreamgear charger station. 1. Just lay the remote down when you are done.
2. Battery packs can be charged by themselves. When they release a battery pack for sale this will be great! Spare batteries charged and ready to insert in case your dies while playing. 3. uses a wall AC adapter, 4. Appears to be charging the black model but we have to check.. the lights still blink but I suspect it is charging fine. I plan to update this as soon as we can verify that the black remote charges with skin on but that the blue light does not come one indicating the charge is complete.
The cons are that when you hook it all up and place a controller on the dock, the lights blink red then turn to solid blue when done. The little instruction booklet never mentions red blinking lights. It states that the lights will blink blue and then turn solid when done. I plan to call them to let them know this is a big error because we thought we had either a defective unit or battery packs, or where placing them down the wrong way.
The other minor issue you need to be aware of is that the battery packs are really tough to put on. The batteries are attached to the cover and you have to lay the controller flat and use just the right angle and pressure to get it to click in so you can close the cover.
There is no word on what to do when you need to replace the battery packs but if they follow suit with all other chargers, there should be packs available in the near future.
Overall, Induction is the way to go for your Wii. No removing skins or motion sensors and the advantage I see over the Nyko (without owning the Nyko) is that Nyko only has a 2 controller induction stand for sale right now and theirs is a stand up cradle. I am afraid it will get toppled over and that the cradle will snap after lots of use. The Nyko also does not allow for charging extra battery pack to be charged on their own out of the controller that I am aware of. They do state that the same issue with the black skinned controller is similar. The lights to indicate full charge do operated properly but the batteries are being charged. This is a quote from their support team.
We have the sports pack Nerf set on one controller and that requires and additional plastic snap on jacket making is a bit wider. No problem with the Dreamgear charger. We just lay it down like the others. I was concerned it wouldn't fit well in the Nyko cradle.
This looks to be a great item and we are looking forward to not having to change batteries.
I will update my review as we put this to the test. Power Base Quad Induction Charging Dock
9 of 9 found the following review helpful:
Induction Charging Dock for Wii-motes Feb 19, 2010
By Amy Y.
"Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?-- Mary Oliver"
We were going through batteries like toilet paper for the Wii-motes. I was a little skeptical about how well this charging dock would work but I have been very pleasantly surprised!
First, you take the batteries and battery cover off the wii-motes and replace with the special rechargeable battery packs. Plug in the charging station and lay the controllers in the depressions- they'll be charged and ready to go in no time.
My husband and I tried to figure out how much playing time you get from a full charge. It is difficult to say because it seems to depend on what you are playing. We figure somewhere in the realm of 20-30 hours of playing time.
The dock is flat and there are lights at the base of each depression- when you place the controller on the dock, the light will flash. When it stops flashing, the controller is completely charged. This is saving us money already. We are so glad we opted to try this. I like that you can just set the controller on the dock- no monkeying around trying to get it plugged in, taking off the sleeve so it will fit in a dock, etc.. Easy enough my 7 year old has it figured out.
The dock is about the size of a sheet of paper(then a couple inches thick). We don't mind the size- it holds 4 controllers at once which is perfect for our family. We keep it in our entertainment center and hardly notice it. If you have tight space this may not be the most effective charging apparatus- there are others that are smaller that the controllers fit into vertically. Since the controllers just lie on top of this dock, it is only possible to use in the horizontal position. Still, entirely happy we went with this. Have had it for a couple months now and I have not noticed any deterioration of the batteries, taking longer to charge, retaining less charge, etc..
This is a great deal if you play your Wii extensively- or have kids who do. Save yourself some batteries!!
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
Charger Feb 10, 2010
By Natasha Vistrand
"Mom of boys"
I think this is the best charging dock. It charges the remotes quickly and effeciently. You can have your sleeve on and the WMP and it will still charge. I can't say how long the charge lasts, since we always put our remotes there when we are doing using them. The blue light is not too bright and neither is the red one. It's small and compact design make it easy to place anywhere. The cord is longer than I would have thought, so plugging it in is not a problem.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
Works Just Fine! May 13, 2010
By R. Morris
"GoteeGeek"
I had a Psyclone version of this charger but it didn't last long, batteries fried. I've never had any dreamgear products, but this unit works great.
I've read the other reviews about the red lights blinking, and the "Timer based charging" but I'm not seeing that with my unit.
It took a little time for the first charge, but it wasn't a big deal. Once they were charged the lights turned from red to blue. The batteries were warm after the full charge, but not anymore than my Psyclone got. When my Psyclone batteries died they were Hot, not warm.
How long do they last? Sorry can't comment, between the PS3, Xbox360, DSi's, Wii, and outdoor activities not one thing gets used long. We are a family of 6, 4 boys, 5 if you include me lol.
If the remotes are used and placed back on the charger the red lights come on, it charges, and turn blue when they are done. They don't stay red for hours, just the time they need to charge. If they are fully charged, and you take them off and put them back on, yes the red light turns on, but it turns blue not long after. So as far as timer based set charging times id have to say no. If yours stays red for a long time, and you know it's charged I would say get a replacement, they are man made, things happen.
My Psyclone lasted 6 months, hopefully this unit will last longer. So far I'm happy, all the Wii remotes work again :-)
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