I was a little annoyed to see that I needed a second AC adapter to charge my GamePad back in October. My TV unit is already fairly densely populated as it also houses my modem, router (so it's close to the phone line), NAS, PS3 and Sky+ box.

I checked out the specs of the AC adapter and the output is 4.75v at 1600mA. I know that USB 2.0 ports only provide 500mA, which means it should work but it will charge slower because the wattage would be much lower (~2.5 instead of ~7.5). This, I don't mind, since I plan on keeping the AC adapter handy so that I can plug it in at the other side of the room if I need more juice, which would mean I'm not tethered to the TV's power adapter. This is also assuming the Wii U's USB ports are still powered when the system is on standby (the Wii's were)

So, is there anywhere I can get a USB-GamePad cable, preferably in the UK?

There is always this last option, if I can't get hold of a USB cable:
http://www.play.com/Games/Wii/4-/37807936/0/Venom-Stand-Charge-Black/ListingDetails.html

If I read the description right, it charges the GamePad and powers the Wii U using the Wii U's AC adapter, but it's not out for another month.

 

Crap... must have clicked the wrong section before posting, wasn't really paying attention at the time. Can a mod move this, pretty please?

Hmm... is the Pro Controller's charging port the same? It's not mini/micro-USB? If that's the case, I could just use one of those cables (I was planning on buying one anyway).

 

Nope, not out here yet. Nyko cables for charging PS3 controllers are available, though, so perhaps they won't be far along.