The Wii U GamePad is a wonderful piece of kit that allows the user to do some amazing things. The problem with that is that you’re going to want to use it a heck of a lot, meaning that you're going to have to get used to seeing that flashing red battery warning light.
Thankfully peripheral maker Nyko has already set about alleviating this problem by introducing a range of accessories that will prolong the battery life of the GamePad. Possibly the most useful of the lot is the UBoost, which is essentially an add-on battery pack that is inserted in the rear of the GamePad. According to Nyko, the UBoost doubles the GamePad’s battery life - which will certainly come in handy during long gaming sessions.
There’s also a Charge Link which can connect the GamePad to any device with a USB port, naturally including the Wii U itself. While plugged into a USB port the GamePad will take charge, provided the device with the USB port is also plugged in to a power socket, obviously.
If you’re looking for a novel way to charge up your Pro Controllers then you may be interested in the Charge Base Pro which can charge up two of them simultaneously. Nyko is also selling replacement Power Stands as well as AC adapters to simply plug in your GamePad to the mains. The UBoost, Charge Base Pro and power stands are available in both black and white, so you should be able to keep your all-important Wii U colour scheme going.
Are any of these accessories of interest to you? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
[source joystiq.com, via nyko.com]
Comments 45
Cool!
looks interesting. will definitely think about getting those. i have to get a Wii U first
Might pick up a Charge Link, would make things much more manageable than the giant charging brick...
I don't get why Nintendo doesn't produce its own versions of this type of stuff. I bought a Wii remote charger a few years ago (Nyko I think) but it doesn't work anymore. 3rd party products just aren't as reliable. I'd be willing to pay a bit more for 1st party Nintendo products.
This is nifty. :3
I think Nintendo should be making these products. Nintendo should make "everything" you need to use their console, including a wireless headset!! Geewiz Nintendo!! Did you know you can not use a head set with the Pro Controller?
Rather than having to buy these add-ons I really hope Nintendo just brings out an updated version of the GamePad down the line that increases the battery life significantly. Surely that's got to happen, right?
This sounds cool but I'm a bit worried. When I first got rechargeable battery packs for my Wii remotes, the actual rechargable battery was significantly lighter and actually required me to overtilt the controller when I was playing motion games. Even after Wii Motion + I was having these problems, so until I actually found some induction charging batteries that weighed the same as real batteries, I ended up us normal AA's anyway.
The Gamepad also has really good motion detection from what I have played, and that Uboost thing looks pretty bulky on the back. I don't know if the WiiU calibrates in such a way that weight doesn't matter, but I'd rather not pay $20 on twice as much battery life at the expensive of decent motion control.
Mine's always plugged into the wall anyway,and the lead's plenty long enough. Whenever that battery light comes on, I just flick the switch and voila! Instant battery charge.
On the other hand, Uboost will greatly increase the weight of the GamePad as well. You should've mentioned that.
@H_Hunter
Nyko's page claims the Uboost features a lightweight design.
Do you actually have one or are you just speculating?
@RupeeClock
I am not speculating... My friend is already using Uboost with the GamePad and he told me that.
I had to get a Nyko battery pack for my 3DS as well. I suppose I'm going to get the UBoost, because I've already experienced the low battery life of the gamepad.
With the short battery life and supposed 500 charge cycle, Nintendo needs to come up with something quick. This device, though useful, is ugly, bulky and adds more weight to the pad. If you look inside the battery compartment, you'll notice a much bigger space than what the battery takes up. Hopefully Datel, Amstron, Dantona or some others battery maker can come up with an extended life battery that fits inside the battery compartment.
Problem I have with these third party accessories is they don't recharge very well after a short while. Where's pelican when you need them?
I personally don't have a problem with the Wii U's battery life. Unlike the 3DS, it's a home console that's meant to be played at home.
Also my sitting space is near enough to the charger that I can charge while playing.
"Piece of kit" doesn't make any sense, even for a britishism.
I personally bought some Duracell rechargeable batteries for my wiimotes. I could be bothered buying essentially the same thing that only worked with the controllers. This way I can swap them into other remotes in the house or easily buy new ones cheap from any store that sells batteries.
Too bad I can't do the same with the gamepad. Hopefully something that looks better, fits into the gamepads batter space, will come out closer to Christmas.
Sucks that I bought a wiiU and made a deal with my wife to not open it until Christmas.....
I will not get any accessory that increases the weight or changes the balance of the pad, even only a little. The pad is perfect in those areas as it is and changing it will likely make it less comfortable to use. If that comes at the cost of a somewhat short battery life, so be it.
I have been playing my Wii U heavily since day 1 and I don't find the battery life too limiting. Having the Deluxe set's charging cradle handy helps of course.
@mumof2kids82 yeah that might be useful!!
Looks interesting though, might see how often my game pad dies on me before I decide
I will probably get this but first i need a Wii U.
I had a friend hating on WiiU because of the said lack of battery. So I'm glad there are ways to extend it.
@Wolfbiggr There might be a reason for the extra room around the battery. Like keeping it from over heating.
Well, if the Gamepad's battery only lasts about 5 hours, I might have to snag one of these down the road.
@Dogpigfish
They're Rocketfish now exclusive to Best Buy, but they still don't make the stuff even though they have Nintendo support. I agree, Nintendo needs to step up, and make their products better with added battery life attachments, wireless suround sound headset(would probably just be officially licensed and not made by them), usb to optical out adaptor(possible?), and a few more apps that take advantage of the mic and camera like the 3DS.
should i have a big, very sligthly big, charger, or longer charge time? i think you know the answer
battery life of the gamepad has been my only complaint of the Wii U so far. The Nyko battery pack for the 3DS has served me well, so i won't hesitate to pick up the UBoost...
@Kid_A piece of kit is very much a military-ism... we use it all the time. everything we use is issued kit...
Nyko makes some pretty good stuff. I would get something like this.
Seems unnecessary to me. When I'm done playing (or anytime I'm not holding the GamePad), I set the GamePad on the charging cradle. If the battery gets low while I'm playing, I plug the AC adapter directly into the GamePad. This is why the GamePad has it's own AC adapter - so you can plug it in the power socket closest to where you sit when you're playing. There are already simple, obvious solutions to this "problem" that don't involve buying clunky accessories.
This seems like a good add on. However, I have an electrical outlet near the TV, so I can charge and play the GamePad at the same time.
This solves a non-problem. It's not a handheld so there's bound to be a mains socket near you. I keep mine permanently plugged in
When do these come out?
What is game pad battery life?
I don't like Nyko after the bad faults with their memory cards for GC and the wiimote melting issue with the charge docks. I won't get this.
was looking for something like this earlier today at target but there wasnt any but the first pic kinda makes the gamepad look ugly D: come on ninty make your own version for us
@Wolfbiggr You know you can replace the battery, right?
This is nice, but considering how light the pad is there is indeed no reason why Nintendo can't just start including a little bit bigger battery with it. Even a couple more hours would be worth a tad more weight. Most games don't have you holding it up right very much if at all. This and a little more flash memory will be how all the patient ones will win when there is a new model in a year or less; mark my words.
I'll wait for a longer lasting, bigger charge, and more reliable battery.
I set my gamepad to 'power save' mode and 'brightness' on 2 and it lasts 7 hours and the screen still looks good while playing
Is that a built in stand on the back of the battery pack? That would make it a nice 2fer.
Why is the battery life so bad? 7" screens on all the tablets run 7 or 8 hours and they are also running multscore processors and WiFi. And they don't have a lot of space inside and are light. And the Kindle Fire is only $160 so don't tell me it's price.
I'm more interested in replacing the internal battery itself with something triple the charge.
It should be fairly easy to do...? this looks and probably feels bulky.
I have a power outlet right next to where I play so this isn't a issue. But why not make a better battery instead of ugly add-ons?
I can never justify buying a bigger battery when it adds bulk to the system. For some reason I just can't do it.
So is the big thing in the picture is a stand? Or does the new battery make the back of the gamepad look really uncomfortable to hold?
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