A new charging station for your Wiimote saves batteries AND keeps your controllers organized.

I don't know about you, but one of my top concerns when Nintendo first unveiled the wireless Wiimote was "How long will the batteries last?" Surely all of that swinging, thrusting, turning, pulling, poking and twisting will cause the motion-sensitive controller's two AAs to drain in no time, right? Thankfully, batteries are practically a non-issue if you use Thrustmaster's T-Charge All NW. This incredibly useful charging station not only eliminates the need for purchasing hordes of AAs, but also keeps your Wiimotes and Nunchucks neat and tidy.

The T-Charge does not function like a typical charging device. Instead of including rechargeable battery packs, you place a plastic chamber inside the Wiimote's battery pack and insert two included rechargeable AAA batteries inside the chamber. This is actually quite ingenius as we all know that rechargeable batteries inevitably lose their juice faster and fail after a few thousand charges. With the T-Charge, even after the included rechargeable batteries lose their capacity, you can simply purchase new rechargeable AAA batteries of any brand.

After replacing the battery cover with a specially-designed cover with electrical contact points, you're good to go for about 12-15 hours. That's not as much playing time as you get with AAs, but seeing as how you place your Wiimote back in its charging cradle after every gaming session, it really doesn't matter. Simply plug the T-Charge into your Wii's USB port and a recharging Wiimote will draw power from it every time the console is on or in standby mode.  

As an added bonus, the T-Charge not only lets you charge two Wiimotes at the same time, but contains two trapdoor cubbies for holding Nunchuck attachments. A thoughtful idea, seeing as how it's nice to have your Wiimotes and Nunchuks organized together instead of lying around tangled somewhere in your home.

All in all, the T-Charge will set you back about $30, which is a bargain compared to what you'll save on AA batteries in the longrun. It's also a great thing for the environment. My only reservations are towards the plastic AAA battery chamber, which was not only a challenge for me to squeeze into my Wiimote's battery compartment but also makes the Wiimote ever-so-slightly heavier. It also would've been more fitting had Thrustmaster designed the T-Charge All NW in white to match the Wii rather than jet black.