DreamGEAR Charge 'n Play Charging Cradle for Nintendo Wii: Review

Now as all Nintendo Wii fans know the biggest gripe we have with our systems are not really with the systems at all, but with the dang controller!
A raise of hands now... "Who here is sick and tired of spending money on buying batteries for their wii motes?"
Ah yes... I see a crowd of virtual hands rising. Ah yes, I feel your pain.
However there is something available on the market right now, promising all of us freedom from batteries! This cannot be true! You're saying that I don't have to buy batteries anymore!?
That's correct! The Dream Gear Charge 'n Play Charging Cradle for the Wii Remote is the name, free from buying batteries is its game.
I bought mine for a decent price of $25 at Circuit City thinking I had hit the gold mine, not to mention I got the last one in the store, which sort of made me mad. I wanted at least 2 of them so I could charge 2 remotes. This product only allows the charge of one remote. Grrr! I went ahead and bought it anyway though. I knew if I didn't I'd be waiting forever to see the Dream Gear Charge 'n Play Charging Cradle hit the shelves again.
What Does It Come With?
The Dream Gear Charge 'n Play Charging Cradle comes with pretty basic easy to use things. Honestly you don't even need to read the manual to understand how it works.
You have your charging stand, or cradle where the Wii mote stand as it charges. You have your battery pack that simply clips right into the Wii remotes battery compartment in the back, you have a USB connector, and it plugs directly into the Wii, and will charge as you play. Then you have your power wall plug adapter. If you don't want to use the USB you can use the wall plug.
I know of other Wii mote charging systems that does not give you the wall outlet plug option, so I was glad that this one included it.
Any Problems?
Okay so with every great concept comes the flaws, and yes Dream Gear's charging station has flaws indeed.
When I tried putting the battery pack into the rear of my Wii's battery compartment it did not fit correctly! Ahh! What gives!
Obviously they tested it before they released it, so why release it flawed?
Nonetheless, my pack squeezed into it, and needed an extra squeeze to get it in correctly. I was afraid of breaking the battery pack or the remote, but after the squeeze it was in just fine, and taking it out afterwards is just unnecessary.
Flaw number 2:
The Wii remote is wobbly when you place it into the charge station for a charge. So it can easily fall off track and stop charging.
Yeah that can be annoying to some, but the solution is simple: keep the cat out of the room, don't knock it over, and all is good. Sheesh!
Next flaw in which I think consumers may find annoying:
"WAH... it takes so long to charge!"
-Well my friends this is true, but I have found this to only stand true for the first initial charge. It will run about an hour to 2 hours until you see the blue light, which means FULL CHARGE. The red light means... Gimme some time dude!
Patience is a virtue. Don't expect to plug this thing in and have it up and fully charged in 5 minutes. It's going to take awhile, and could take longer than 2 hours. Brace yourself, take a deep breath...it's okay. I was mad waiting too.
POWER TIME!
I have had no issues with the remote dying too fast and what not. I play a full 2-3 hour session of gaming without any issues, plop the remote back into the charger cradle, and go off for round two whenever I feel like playing again.
If you get all lazy and leave the remote on the couch game session after game session, expect it to die out again, and expect to wait again. Really it's your own fault if it 'dies' too fast.
Design:
Sex-ay! Sitting right next to my Wii console it matches its design and color well, and looks as if it belongs there.
ONE WARNING AND ONE WARNING ONLY NEEDED:
Be careful opening the box. More people land themselves in the hospital each year for wounds caused while opening plastic packaging aggressively, than they do the flu. The Dream Gear Charge 'n Play Charging Cradle comes in a really thick plastic package. Be careful opening it!
Overall Opinion:
For the money you save not having to buy batteries, the Dream Gear Charge 'n Play Charging Cradle is a Wii gamers dream come true.
I spent so much money on new batteries in the past, that I could of bought 3 of these chargers. The Dream Gear Charge 'n Play Charging Cradle is a gaming investment indeed!
Recommendation:
I recommend the Dream Gear Charge 'n Play Charging Cradle to all serious Wii gamers. It's easy to use, looks nice next to the Wii, and takes up little to no room. The price is right and it saves me tons of money.