Gaming Rechargeable Batteries

[Venko]

I was in the middle of fighting Bowser at the end of Super Mario Galaxy earlier when I was presented with a fearsome message that my Wiimote was not responding (dead batteries). After looking around the house and trying two pairs of batteries I realised everything I had was flat and that I would need to go out and buy some batteries to finish the boss. Luckily, just as I was about to leave a friend suggested I check in my camera and, lucky me, I had a working set of A batteries there.

It seems like a bad idea to use batteries that I end up having to replace often though because of the cost and I doubt it's very environmentally friendly. Which brings me to the question: What rechargeable batteries do people recommend for the Wiimote? I was looking into USBcells but I heard that they don't hold much power.

I would rather get rechargeable batteries than one of those wiimote power pack things as that means I can also use the batteries for other things.

 

[Bob Evil]

I use USB AA Batteries ... you charge them in any USB port, by popping the tops off to reveal USB connectors ...

 

[jaxxster]

buy some 2500mah batteries. They have a decent life span.

 

[arctic_flame]

I use USB AA Batteries ... you charge them in any USB port, by popping the tops off to reveal USB connectors ...

Do they charge relatively quickly?
What's their capacity?
Are they relatively cheap?

 

[Sotoro]

buy some 2500mah batteries. They have a decent life span.

Yep, i use them too...

 

[Bob Evil]

http://www.usbcell.com/


Prices vary considerably ... shop around ... the ycharge pretty quick, in my experience ...

 

[James B.]

umm... rechargabale batteries?

Brand doesn't really matter, just get one of those packs with a charger and like 10 of them, and make sure you label all your batteries as rechargable so you don't throw them out.

 

[GizmoDuck]

I use this cheap rechargeable battery I got from Amazon for around 10 bucks. It charges via USB port, which is pretty convenient. However, each full charge only lasts around 3 hours or so. I don't mind since I never play my Wii for that long anyways, and that you can charge and play at the same time if you so desire.

 

[Venko]

Holy crap. You guys reply fast.

http://www.usbcell.com/

Prices vary considerably ... shop around ... the ycharge pretty quick, in my experience ...

I did mention that I looked into USBcell batteries but, as I heard at the time, they don't hold much power which sounds like quite a problem to me.

QUOTE(James B. @ May 17 2008, 07:58 PM) umm... rechargabale batteries?

Brand doesn't really matter, just get one of those packs with a charger and like 10 of them, and make sure you label all your batteries as rechargable so you don't throw them out.

You're not meant to recharge regular batteries. Take these Duracell ones I have next to me, for example, it says on the back "Do not dissemble, recharge or dispose of in fire."

 

[jaxxster]

wow, those usb ones are a rip off, only 2 batteries and only 1300mah for 10.99,

 

[airpirate545]

I bought this thing that had rechargeable batteries especially for Wii. I regret buying them because now even if I charge it to the maximum the batteries only last for like an hour now...

 

[Narin]

Holy crap. You guys reply fast.

http://www.usbcell.com/

Prices vary considerably ... shop around ... the ycharge pretty quick, in my experience ...

I did mention that I looked into USBcell batteries but, as I heard at the time, they don't hold much power which sounds like quite a problem to me.

QUOTE(James B. @ May 17 2008, 07:58 PM) umm... rechargabale batteries?

Brand doesn't really matter, just get one of those packs with a charger and like 10 of them, and make sure you label all your batteries as rechargable so you don't throw them out.

You're not meant to recharge regular batteries. Take these Duracell ones I have next to me, for example, it says on the back "Do not dissemble, recharge or dispose of in fire."

Yea, recharging batteries that were not made to recharge could cause them to literally explode or leak or simply destroy the battery. My friend learned that the hard way, ruined both the batteries and the recharging station.

Those USBcell batteries look pretty cool though, I wonder how they compare to normal rechargable batteries.

 

[Ato Puro]

I have Sony's (2700mah) and they last ~26hrs playing games like SMG and Zelda:TP and it takes 2-2.5 hours to charge two of them.

 

[Hooya]

Best rechargeable batteries I have ever used come from

www.allbattery.com

Seriously, based on the MaH rating there's not much to go "wow" at, but they last significantly longer both on the shelf and in devices that Duracell or Energizer. They also sell the best battery charger on the market, IMO.

And they're considerably cheaper than B&M bought brands, even after shipping.

 

[Narin]

Best rechargeable batteries I have ever used come from

www.allbattery.com

Seriously, based on the MaH rating there's not much to go "wow" at, but they last significantly longer both on the shelf and in devices that Duracell or Energizer. They also sell the best battery charger on the market, IMO.

And they're considerably cheaper than B&M bought brands, even after shipping.

Do you work for them?

At any rate, good find, they look to be pretty decent batteries.

 

[shtonkalot]

A note for most, the Higher the Milli Amp Hours (mAh) the longer the charge time.
Charge time can't be accurately given because it is dependant on the charger you use.
There are a couple of different configurations of NiMH rechargeable batteries (I don't know the specifics) that can make them have much longer 'shelf life' power storage. Sanyo Eneloop are a good example of these but you can buy other cheaper brands.

The USB cell may be convenient for some but I've found them to be very pricey for low capacity AA cells.

**edit**
You don't get what you pay for with batteries most of the time. Cheap cells from eBay can be better than off the shelf name brands, the trick is knowing which is best at purchase time.
NiMH cells also have a lower nominal voltage and a fairly quick drop off from their ~1.7V peak capacity to 1.2V, this makes them appear to go flat quickly on the Wii's battery indicator but they will last a long time on 1-2 bars before actually going flat.

 

[Venko]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Energizer-Compact-.../dp/B000N85UP4/

Does that look any good?

 

[krazykirk]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Energizer-Compact-.../dp/B000N85UP4/

Does that look any good?

I use those batteries personally, and they are really good quality. They hold a charge quite well too.

 

[Venko]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Energizer-Compact-.../dp/B000N85UP4/

Does that look any good?

I use those batteries personally, and they are really good quality. They hold a charge quite well too.

Thanks, krazykirk, I'll buy them

 

[stok3d]

I toyed with the idea of getting the Niko docking station but decided against it and went with one of these.

It's a Duracell kit with 4 AA 1.2V, 2050 mAh rechargeable NiMH batteries included and it has a 6 hour charge time.

These kits are generally around 25$ but if you catch a sale you can grab one for around 15$.

These last quite a while with the WiiMote, around a week or more with moderate to heavy use. If the 6-hour charge time is an issue you can just buy some extra AA's or opt for a 15-minute charge solution, which, while much faster, can be 2-or-3 times as much money.