The GAMEware charging station will save you lots of money! (Gameware Wii Double Charging Station)

Member Name: eisbrecher

Product:	Gameware Wii Double Charging Station
Date:	20/06/09 (31 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Saves you loads of money, Looks great and fits in well with the Wii.

Disadvantages: Feels likes its made of really cheap plastic.

Having had the Wii for a year, I had spent well in excess of £50 on batteries, I thought this was unacceptable and I started searching for an alternative, for a while I used normal rechargeable batteries but the charger was too bulky and the batteries were heavily unreliable. I was directed towards the GAMEware charging station for the Wii, the charging stand comes with 4 special batteries and Wiimote battery covers necessary to charge the Wiimotes. It can charge two Wiimotes at a time.

Look and Feel

The charging station looks perfect, aesthetically pleasing and modelled to fit in next to your Wii, with the LED lights to tell you when the Wiimote is in place and when it has finished charging are the same electric blue as the battery/player indicator on the wiimote. It is small and really looks at home next to the Wii. However it feels very cheap, being very light and feels empty, the charging station may not feel robust but it certainly looks the part, the same white colour as the Wii with a sloping top meaning it never looks like a nuisance. There is one battery to go into a single Wiimote, the batteries feel a bit heavier than 2 AA batteries. The Wiimote battery covers included have two small metal squares where the batteries are charged in the charger but are otherwise identical in look and feel to the Nintendo battery covers.
3/5

Robustness and Durability

The charging station certainly doesn't feel robust, yet it is deceiving. The plastic, despite feeling cheap, can withstand everyday falls and bumps without showing a scratch. The batteries take quite a bit of force to push in, and the small bit of plastic in the Wiimote to separate what is normally the AA batteries can scratch the battery, which obviously cannot be seen in normal use and does not affect usage. The charging stand and batteries don't look robust but are surprisingly durable and resistant to damage.
4/5

Value for Money

The charger will generally take an hour or two to fully charge a depleted battery and the full battery will last roughly 6-12 hours of use before becoming unusable. If you use your Wii regularly it will save you money, and if you use it at least 4 hours a day like myself it will save you lots. Like the manual says, the batteries do not last forever, indeed, after hundreds of charges the batteries are now beginning to fade, they now last no longer than 4 hours. Though they are still very usable and still save me lots of money.
5/5

Instruction Manual

The manual can feel very text heavy and much of it is rather unnecessary, as simply looking at the front of the box answers most questions one will have. It obviously plugs into the back of the Wii and the replacement batteries and battery covers obviously have to be used with the Wiimotes. The manual is certainly thorough but maybe a bit too thick.
4/5

Overall

If you use your Wiimotes for over 5 hours a week I highly recommend this purchase, it will save you a very significant amount of money. It looks very sophisticated and fits in well with the Wii. The Wiimotes don't feel any different with the rechargeable battery packs inside or the different battery covers. I do recommend this to anyone, I have never had a problem with the charger itself or the batteries and it has proven to be a very effective money saving product.
4/5

Thanks for reading, any comments you have will be gratefully received. Also on Ciao.

Summary: Any faults with the plastic is more than overcome by the money you will save, Plus it looks great.