Unfortunately a serious engineering flaw holds Nyko's latest accessory back from adequacy.

So, you are playing an intense game of Gears of War over Xbox Live. You are sneaking up on an enemy, preparing to rain sweet chainsaw-y death upon your unsuspecting victim. You rev your weapon, savoring the sweet sound of enemy’s demise and... your controller goes dead. “Nooo!” you scream to the gods, but alas your cries go unanswered. That’s right, my friend, you have fallen victim once again to the curse of the dead controller battery. Well, never again, I say! NYKO is here to (try to) save the day with their Charge Station 360. We had high hopes that their latest product wouldn't have any of the design issues that plagued the Intercooler.

Appearance

I am of the opinion that appearance is not the strong point of NYKO’s recent XBOX 360 accessory line. That is not to say that the products are ugly. I just feel that the emphasis is put on function over form (or else someone needs to hire some new product designers). The Charge Station 360 is no exception to this rule. Rectangular and flat, the Charge Station 360 is fairly light on design. A chrome base (ala Apple's iPod) sits below a three piece upper section. The two included, plain white batteries flank a curved divider. On this divider are the two arrow shaped charge indicators, as well as the NYKO identity overlaid on a techno-ish, motion blurred, green, yellow and white graphic pattern. I much prefer the minimalist simplicity of the Microsoft branded Microsoft Xbox 360 Quick Charge Kit.