By Stevie Smith Jan 25, 2008, 7:47 GMT
A few days ago M&C Gaming ran a Wii accessories review spread across various products created by third-party specialist NYKO. One of the products we covered in that review was the NYKO Charge Station, which is capable of housing, charging, and protecting a pair of Wii Remotes thanks to its replacement NiMH battery packs and rubberised battery bay covers.
NYKO offers official comment on Charge Station complaint. Credit: NYKO.
While we found the Charge Station to be a superb piece of kit – which we continue to use without complaint – it came to our attention upon posting the review that certain commentators have apparently been less than pleased with the performance and reliability of NYKO’s offering.
Minor issues have sprung up concerning the need to first remove the Wii Remote strap or any applied controller skin in order to sit the Wii Remote comfortably in the Charge Station, other allegations have been lodged against NYKO in the form of a lack of individually sold replacement NiMH batteries, reduced game time through depleted charging, and even battery meltdown caused by unit overcharging.
Although the official NYKO site links to a plethora of positive reviews for the Charge Station, we thought it best to approach the California–based company with these supposed problems and get its reaction.
First up, the rather petty subject of needing to remove the Wii Remote strap to connect the battery bay charge points with the Charge Station docking ports:
"You do not need to remove the Wii strap in order to use the Charge Station. The well at the base of the Charge Station is enlarged to accommodate the extra strap and knot on the bottom of the Wii Remote," outlines Chris Arbogast, NYKO’s director of marketing. "As Nintendo has increased the thickness of the strap we have increased the size of the cradle to accommodate it."
Unfortunately, seeing as though the Charge Station’s docks are sculpted for ‘naked’ Wii Remotes, and their charge points are located on the rubberised battery bay covers, use of a Wii Remote skin or jacket does cause a modicum of inconvenience when looking to charge the controllers.
Peeling away or removing the skin or jacket is therefore the only answer to this particular issue, although Arbogast correctly points out that while "it is not as convenient" as some consumers would like, "it is something you also need to do when replacing normal AA batteries."
For those still not convinced about (the lack of) problems with the Wii Remote strap, then allow this helpful YouTube clip to illustrate exactly how to successfully dock into the Charge Station, and also how the front-facing LEDs change colour when the docked Wii Remotes have received a full charge of power.
"The Charge Station has an automatic shutoff system that will stop transferring power into the batteries when they are fully charged," explains Arbogast for those consumers worried about any potential heat build up due to overcharging.
While conceding that all consumer electronic devices suffer with a small defect rate, Arbogast maintains that problematic issues such as overheating or depleting charge performance are "extremely rare" in the NYKO Charge Station. "The Charge Station actually has a very low defective rate in comparison to most electronics."
Despite boasting a miniscule defect rate, NYKO is keen to point out that it stands firmly behind its products and its consumers.
"If a Charge Station, or any NYKO product for that matter, is not functioning properly we will replace it for free," says Arbogast. "Furthermore, if one of our products damages the product it was made for we will replace that at no cost to the consumer as well."
And finally, what about the apparent lack of consumer access to replacement NiMH batteries at retail, which subsequently forces the purchase of a brand new Charge Station?
Yet another falsehood easily quashed via THIS LINK to the official NYKO site. It’s also worth noting that replacement batteries can be found at major retailers who stock the Charge Station, says NYKO.
Anyone experiencing problems with their NYKO products should call customer support at: 1-888-444-NYKO, or e-mail NYKO at: customersupport@nyko.com.
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