A budget remote cradle that doesn't suck

by Eric Caoili { Jun 20th 2007 at 12:00PM }

We've had some laughs over Dragon Electronics' ill-conceived accessories in the past, but the Chinese manufacturer really seemed to hit all the right notes with its latest charging dock. Taking more into account than just bundling battery covers and rechargeable AAA batteries, the cradle has every feature we're looking for in a budget solution -- USB adapter, unobtrusive design, room to charge two controllers simultaneously, and LED status indicators.

Play-Asia has the charging station listed for $14.90 ($6.70 s/h), while eBay auctions have it priced a few dollars higher. To compare, Nyko's dock sells for about $30. Check past the post break for the full fact sheet.

[Via Play-Asia]

Tags: batteries, battery, charging, charging station, ChargingStation, cradle, cradles, dock, docks, dragon, dragon electronics, DragonElectronics, nyko, recharge, recharger, stand, station

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

vidGuy @ Jun 20th 2007 12:08PM

That's nice and all, but I'm suspicious that the documentation lists AAA when the remote takes AA!

I'm content with my 10 AA rechargeables that I got on sale for $15.

Chachi @ Jun 20th 2007 12:09PM

that actually looks pretty good. i've been skeptical about getting a wiimote charger, but i might have to invest in one of those.

Steve @ Jun 20th 2007 12:24PM

What's wrong with the Nyko charger? It can hold two remotes and has uses LED indicators to report when the remote is charged (green) or charging (blue). I've had one for a few months and it works fine. Yesterday I discovered that Nyko sells a package that's just a battery and remote cover which is something that I've been wanting since I own 3 remotes. The only thing I don't like about this setup is that you must remove the nunchuck in order to sit the wiimote in the charger, and since the Wii supports 4 remotes it would be nice if the base supports 4 controllers.

Yea, the Nyko doesn't use a USB adapter for powering the base, but does that matter? Wouldn't that mean the USB base would only receive power when the Wii is on? But if the Wii's on then I'm using the remote!

Cliff @ Jun 20th 2007 12:22PM

So does anyone actually physically own one of these yet? I'm also a little cautious to invest in two of these before people have actually tried them and confirmed that they work, especially with it using AAA batteries and the controller taking AA's.

jfong @ Jun 20th 2007 12:25PM

It would definitely work with the AAA batteries. Both AA and AAA have the same output. In the end though, the AAA won't last as long. But if you constantly keep your batteries charged on the dock it shouldn't be too big of an issue.

vidGuy @ Jun 20th 2007 12:35PM

It be interesting if they actually WERE AAAs. It's possible, but based on the picture the dimensions look like AAs, which would make more sense. I'd just be worried buying from a company that doesn't proof something like that when it appears several times on the same sheet.

And I'm with Steve, I'd prefer an AC adapter.

VRTemjin @ Jun 20th 2007 12:46PM

Well, if you'll take a careful look at the battery covers, it appears that the batteries fit on that into an AA adapter. I can imagine they chose AAA batteries because they're smaller and they'll allow the charging stuff they've put in to not cause any disruptions. Besides, a AAA will charge faster than a AA.

John @ Jun 20th 2007 3:10PM

look guys it "holds two pieces of remote"!
damn im gettin one of those!

Norm @ Jun 20th 2007 4:57PM

I have the Nyko charger, and it rocks! The batteries last for a long time, and the gripped battery cover makes using the remote much more enjoyable. The batteries don't take that long to charge, and it looks great in my cabinet. The only down sides are the cost ($30) and the charger prongs don't touch as well with the new wrist straps.