There’s two types of Wii owners. The ones like yours truly head to Sam’s Club to buy an obscenely large package of AA batteries to support your multiple gaming devices (it usually breaks down to $.30 or so per battery). The rest use some kind of rechargeable solution, and many Wii owners have opted to use a charge base. If you’re one of those that happens to own the Psyclone Wii Recharge Station, you may appreciate this heads up.
Wired’s Game|Life says that these chargers can actually damage your Wii Remotes if you leave them in too long. It seems that the batteries can overheat as the charger doesn’t know when to stop adding “juice” to the batteries. From the product page:
WARNING – Rechargeable batteries left unattended in the recharge unit for an extended period of time may cause the batteries and/or unit to overheat. If the Wii (TM) remote doesn’t charge properly or begins to heat up, please stop the charge process and contact our customer service line to prevent further damage. If you feel that your batteries are heating up, please do not use those batteries any more. We are happy to help you and replace your product.
Game|Life also points out that the product’s Amazon page is packed with negative comments. A quick check of the first page of reviews showed that every reviewer claims to have lost at least one Wii Remote by using this product.
That 48 pack of AA batteries isn’t looking so bad now, huh?
[Thanks, JR]
