Do rechargeable batteries work well in Wiimote?

Wolfpup

CAGiversary!
Do rechargeable batteries (ie NiMH) batteries work well in the Wiimote? I used them for a week in my 360 pad and got sick of swapping them every other day, and how the battery meter wasn't really accurate (since NiMH behaves differently from alkaline). I ended up just ditching the wireless pad and using a wired.
 
I've been using rechargeable batteries in my Wii Remotes, and so far they have been working fine. Not to mention the fact that it saves a TON of money.

If I play for extended periods of time a day, then I usually get 5 days to a week's worth of life out of the battery before I have to recharge.
 
That doesn't sound bad. On my 360 I was replacing the rechargeables at least every other day (with maybe 6 hours a day play time) on Duracell 1800MAH NiMH. That pad does have a pretty strong rumble though which probably drains the battery fast. I got really annoyed with swapping and charging all the time, and it would pretty much go from 3/4 bars on the battery indicator to dead. So almost the entire time you used it, it showed 3/4 bars, whether you had 5 hours left or 5 minutes.

Got extremely annoying so I just switched to a wired pad (which is a bit lighter and less bulky as a nice bonus).
 
Well the battery life on Wii Remote is really iffy. I mean the remote has rumble, and of course special sensors, not to mention it's very own speaker, and its wireless. The manual even says that it uses additional battery power when the Wii Remote is used as a pointing device.

The Wii Remote eats normal batteries and spits them out faster than you can say Twilight Princess. Which is why its literally suicide to go with non-rechargeables.

I always say buy 2 or 4 extra batteries. That way when your first set dies, you simply grab an extra two that have already been charged and pop them into the remote, recharge the dead ones, lather, rinse, and repeat.
 
[quote name='hack']Well the battery life on Wii Remote is really iffy. I mean the remote has rumble, and of course special sensors, not to mention it's very own speaker, and its wireless. The manual even says that it uses additional battery power when the Wii Remote is used as a pointing device.

The Wii Remote eats normal batteries and spits them out faster than you can say Twilight Princess. Which is why its literally suicide to go with non-rechargeables.

I always say buy 2 or 4 extra batteries. That way when your first set dies, you simply grab an extra two that have already been charged and pop them into the remote, recharge the dead ones, lather, rinse, and repeat.[/quote]

My original Panasonic batteries that were included with the Wii lasted over 20 hours of Zelda time, not to mention quite a few Wii Sports marathons.

I think mine lasted so long b/c I actually turned the Wiimote speaker off. I usually play Zelda at night when my daughter is sleeping, and no matter how low the Wiimote speaker volume is set, some sounds still sound like they are blasting (collecting rupees for example) so I just turned it off.

I have rechargablebles for my digital camera, I just need to go out and get some more to use with the Wii.
 
I'm using 2500mAh NiMH-ers and have been pleased. They don't last forever, but I get several days usage between charges.
 
[quote name='lebowsky']My original Panasonic batteries that were included with the Wii lasted over 20 hours of Zelda time, not to mention quite a few Wii Sports marathons.

I think mine lasted so long b/c I actually turned the Wiimote speaker off. I usually play Zelda at night when my daughter is sleeping, and no matter how low the Wiimote speaker volume is set, some sounds still sound like they are blasting (collecting rupees for example) so I just turned it off.

I have rechargablebles for my digital camera, I just need to go out and get some more to use with the Wii.[/QUOTE]

I got 20+ hours with the original batteries, too, and I kept the speaker on.
 
Playing zelda I have some really cheapo AA's, that I've been using just to get rid off, and they only last MAYBE 8-10 hours tops before a changeout. Really quite awful. I invested in rechargeables VERY quickly
 
I have several rotating sets that go between my Wavebirds, Wiimotes, and even my PC mouse. Whenever one set runs out I just swap some of the unused ones (usually the ones sitting in the Wavebirds) and then put those in the charger. I've been using these same batteries for 3 years now in the Wavebirds so they presumably aren't holding as much charge, yet they work fine. Plus the Wii has that sweet feature where the game pauses when the battery runs too low. That is awesome. The Wavebirds, of course, just stopped working and a few times that has resulted in untimely deaths at parts of games that were hard to get back to :cry:.

I have changed them several times in the primary Wiimote, but we get a lot of use out of it between myself and the kids. It is certainly not an inconvenience (especially with the pause feature). It is WAY better than if I had gone through 10 or so regular batteries (not to mention how bad I'd feel throwing that many away in such a short time!).

Having said that, it is no surprise that the Wiimotes go through them MUCH faster than the Wavebirds with all that extraneous stuff going on ;).
 
I purchased a brand new set of batteries for my Wii Remotes.

Specifically, I picked up the Duracell 2650mAh Rechargeables. Been working great for me.
 
I played 40 hours of Zelda, about 10 of Excite Truck, and who knows how much Wii Sports, with a dash of Red Steel for flavor, and my batteries are still going (OEM batteries). Granted they're now at one peg of life left, but I've not experienced the Wiimote "tearing" through batteries. Rumble and speaker have been on the whole time too. *shrug*
 
I thought I read somewhere that only alkaline batteries should be used. Was that crap?
I hate the idea of going through Duracells when I have some great rechargeables from my camera that I could be using.
 
Does the battery indicator on the Wiimote (or Wii, however that works) seem accurate when using rechargables? Like I said, it's totally broken when you use them on the 360.

I was just using my camera's batteries too on the 360 :)

Oh, and the 360 also pauses when the batteries die (with some sort of "controller disconnected" message). Not sure if the PS3 does as well or not.
 
[quote name='natureboy46']I thought I read somewhere that only alkaline batteries should be used. Was that crap? [/quote]
It says that in the manual that came with the original shipment of Wiis. The Nintendo web site now says that NiMH rechargeables are OK too.

From...
http://www.nintendo.com/consumer/systems/wii/en_na/wiiRemoteUsing.jsp

"Important Note: If you would like to use rechargeable batteries, the only type of battery recommended are Nickel Metal Hydride batteries. When it comes to using rechargeable batteries, you must follow manufacturer guidelines for safety and proper usage. Failure to do so could cause damage to the Wii Remote and void the warranty."
 
[quote name='ZoneFighter']It says that in the manual that came with the original shipment of Wiis. The Nintendo web site now says that NiMH rechargeables are OK too.[/QUOTE]

That's good to know. Thanks.
 
[quote name='Wolfpup']Does the battery indicator on the Wiimote (or Wii, however that works) seem accurate when using rechargables? Like I said, it's totally broken when you use them on the 360.
[/QUOTE]

Yeah, it's not accurate here either for me. Brand new, fully charged batteries show up with 1 bar already used.

But I'm getting around 20 hours per charge, so I can't complain.
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']Yeah, it's not accurate here either for me. Brand new, fully charged batteries show up with 1 bar already used.

But I'm getting around 20 hours per charge, so I can't complain.[/QUOTE]

Yeah! That's just how it was for the 360 too. It was pretty much 1 bar used right out of the charger, and it would go straight from that to dead without much of a warning.

I guess it's because the discharge characteristics are different between the battery types and the systems are programmed to use alkaline characteristics (whereas NiMH probably starts off weaker, and then retains most of that level until it just suddenly cuts off).
 
[quote name='Wolfpup']Yeah! That's just how it was for the 360 too. It was pretty much 1 bar used right out of the charger, and it would go straight from that to dead without much of a warning.
[/QUOTE]

The latter doesn't happen though. It will drop down to 1 bar and 0 bars before dying, and like I said seems to last around 20 hours.
 
The reason that the charge meter doesn't work properly with the Xbox 360 and Wii is the difference in chemistry between rechargeable nickel metal hydride batteries and standard alkaline batteries.

Alkalines tend to put out 1.5 volts when fully charged. This voltage decreases at a predictable rate as the cell's useful life decreases. So, at full charge, the battery will put out 1.5 volts, and at half charge it will put out half that. So you can make a pretty good estimation of a cell's useful life by checking out its voltage.

Nickel metal hydrides, on the other hand, tend to put out 1.2 volts over their entire useful life. The voltage only drops when the battery is practically dead. This confuses most battery meters; they think that since they are reading 1.2 volts, the battery has only about 75% useful life left.

So, even if a rechargeable battery is fully charged, or if is it at half capacity, it will read as being 75%. The only time that will change is when the battery is really low, and when that happens you know that you need to change the battery soon.
 
ya I just bought this. I think its working fine, except there are only 2 battery packs and 4 wii motes. so right now i have 4 wii motes and 2 usable ones :'(
 
I use Energizer rechargables. Sure they are not perfect but they do work well. I get pretty good gametime out of them and the battery meter works fine with them.
 
[quote name='Sir_Fragalot']I use Energizer rechargables. Sure they are not perfect but they do work well. I get pretty good gametime out of them and the battery meter works fine with them.[/quote]

I use the same thing.

The Waggle sticks still manage to suck those things down pretty quick, but it's better than wasting batteries or spending $30 on a charge station.
 
I've just been using my regular NiMH rechargeables and they're working fine. They're not even recent ones that have higher mah ratings.

From another thread, I found out my old chargers should work just fine with newer batteries, so I'll probably pick some up at some point.

I've discovered that the use of rumble seems to be what really sucks the batteries dry on the 360. Earlier games I was going through a set a day, but Blue Dragon I played for a week with one set.

Not sure yet whether Bluetooth of the 360's proprietary protocol is more efficient.

[quote name='gamekreep']ya I just bought this. I think its working fine, except there are only 2 battery packs and 4 wii motes. so right now i have 4 wii motes and 2 usable ones :'([/QUOTE]

You just bought what? We're talking about batteries, not battery packs of some sort...
 
I use the Rayovac Hybrid rechargables. They seem to work ok, and the battery meter in the Wiimote seems to work fine with them. It starts out at 3 bars, and will go to 2 and then to 1. They stay a lot longer on 3 bars, than on 2 or 1, but they work fine.

I've been thinking about getting some Eneloops. They match the Wii :lol:
 
I am using the Sanyo Eneloops and so far, I can't say I'm too pleased. I got those batteries because they were supposed to be really good at holding charges when not in use. Everyone said they would be good to go right out of the box so I put them into my Wiimote. Once I started playing, I noticed I was down to one bar on the battery meter that shows up when you press the Home button on the Wiimote.

Thinking it was no big deal, I charged up the batteries on Black Friday. Didn't play until yesterday and the meter showed I was down to two bars. Is it possible the meter is off and the batteries are fine? Or is that meter pretty accurate, regardless of the batteries?
 
I'll have to adjust my original estimate above. My rechargeable Nihms seem to last more like 10-12 hours rather than 20. At least with MP3 and Mario.

Guess using the pointer all the time sucks them faster than just using the motion controls and buttons most of the time in Wii Sports, Zelda and Super Paper Mario that I played previously.
 
I have also had great luck with the NiMh batteries. However Stay FAR FAR away from Energizer AA's. I have had 14 of them all 2300 mah or even 2500 mah and they suck, and bad.

I still use them but they have no shelf life and die rather qucikly.

I have been using cheapy harbor freight 1800 mah (?) AA's NiMh and they outlast 2 of the Energizers.... and they were only like $4 for 4 AA's.
 
I've got 5 (odd number sucks i know) Radioshack brand NiMh batteries that I've been using since i first got my Gamecube (4-5years now). I have a recharchable 360 remote and just use that on my 360 and keep 2 in the wiimote and 2 in the charger so I always have a ready pair. I've been doin this for years, just using the same 4 batteries. When I play with other people (not very often at all, I just have them use the other rechargable ones in the 360 or regular Alkaline in the second Wii remote.
 
i use energizer rechargable batteries... they last at least 20 hours... and i have the sound and rumble on

it would be really smart to get some kind of rechargable battery if u play a lot since u'll be going through a lot of batteries otherwise...
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']I'll have to adjust my original estimate above. My rechargeable Nihms seem to last more like 10-12 hours rather than 20. At least with MP3 and Mario.

Guess using the pointer all the time sucks them faster than just using the motion controls and buttons most of the time in Wii Sports, Zelda and Super Paper Mario that I played previously.[/QUOTE]

That would require that the camera in the controller actually gets shut off...and even if it can be (which may not be possible), I know Zelda and Super Paper Mario use it all the time.

Rumble is probably the only thing that would make a difference.
 
[quote name='Wolfpup']That would require that the camera in the controller actually gets shut off...and even if it can be (which may not be possible), I know Zelda and Super Paper Mario use it all the time.

Rumble is probably the only thing that would make a difference.[/QUOTE]

I suppose that's true. I thought maybe it used more when the camera was actually reading the signal, but that's probably not the case.

I probably just either overestimated battery life initially when I was more fond of the Wii :D, or the Energizer NiHMs I bought for the Wii just suck and aren't lasting as long now. But still, 10-15 hours per recharge isn't that much of a hassle since I have to remotes, and just grab the other one when the batteries die and get thrown in the charger.

Would be nice if they'd put out a first party charger and battery packs. The Quick Charge kit and batteries for the 360 are great. Last around 25 hours a pop (so do regular batteries).
 
NiMH rechargeable batteries with high rated capacities like the current generation of 2500+ mAh have a problem with high rates of self discharge. They lose quite a bit of charge even when they're not being used. They work best for high-drain devices that are used for extended periods like (you guessed it) digital cameras.

The Wii remote though is not "high-drain", and it's likely going to idle for some time with partially charged batteries, in which case they will self-drain some. Thus, the more intermittently you use your Wiimote on a single charge, the fewer hours of playtime you'll get on that charge.

Personally, I would recommend LSD (Low Self Discharge >.>) NiMH batteries for use in the Wiimotes. Rayovac Hybrid and Sanyo Eneloop batteries are both exceptional examples of these.
 
Can you charge these hybrids--i.e. the Eneloop--with a normal NiHm charger?

If so I pick mine up, as my Wii gets used very intermittently compared to the 360, so they would probably help. But I don't really want to shell out for a new charger.
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']Can you charge these hybrids--i.e. the Eneloop--with a normal NiHm charger?

If so I pick mine up, as my Wii gets used very intermittently compared to the 360, so they would probably help. But I don't really want to shell out for a new charger.[/quote]

The short answer is yes, according to their respective FAQs.

http://www.rayovac.com/recharge/hybrid_faq.shtml
http://www.eneloopusa.com/eneloop.html

However, they only guarantee the batteries when used with their respective brand of charger. Who knows how much weight that actually holds, as I have no idea how the hell anyone can prove what charger you're using.

What is not recommended according to consumers though, is the use of "quick chargers" (charges in 1 hour or less) to charge these batteries, as this reportedly results in a significantly lower number of full charge cycles the batteries can take before they become duds when compared to slow charging. While this isn't explicitly stated in any of the official FAQs I've found, Rayovac Hybrid rechargeable batteries will not "quick charge" when inserted into Rayovac branded quick chargers, which is a curious cockblock and is possibly related to this phenom.
 
[quote name='RyokoYaksa']NiMH rechargeable batteries with high rated capacities like the current generation of 2500+ mAh have a problem with high rates of self discharge. They lose quite a bit of charge even when they're not being used. They work best for high-drain devices that are used for extended periods like (you guessed it) digital cameras.

The Wii remote though is not "high-drain", and it's likely going to idle for some time with partially charged batteries, in which case they will self-drain some. Thus, the more intermittently you use your Wiimote on a single charge, the fewer hours of playtime you'll get on that charge.

Personally, I would recommend LSD (Low Self Discharge >.>) NiMH batteries for use in the Wiimotes. Rayovac Hybrid and Sanyo Eneloop batteries are both exceptional examples of these.[/QUOTE]

Do you know anything more about the technology behind Rayovac's new Hybrids? I assume they're just some new formulation of NiMH? Are there any disadvantages compared to regular NiMH? Do they actually work in low drain devices where you might keep the battery in there for a year or more? (Like a smoke detector, clock, remote control, etc.?)

Is so, I may have to really look at these things. Could be really cool if I could replace ALL my alkalines with NiMH...although I've blown up a couple of flashlight bulbs by trying to use NiMH in them (I guess because the voltage is lower?)

One thing I noticed on Rayovac's FAQ that's totally bogus-they claim NiMH doesn't have a memory effect. That's a flat out lie. I guess supposedly it's not as big as with NiCD (and those are more dangerous to the environment too), but NiMH ABSOLUTELY has a memory effect... which isn't a big deal for all the devices we're talking about. Just use them in your Wii or whatever until they die, then swap them out.

One thing that bugs me about the 360 controller is how HARD it is to pull the batteries out. Not as big of a deal with alkalines, but I don't want to wreck my NiMH's that I use for YEARS by yanking them out of there...
 
[quote name='Wolfpup']
One thing that bugs me about the 360 controller is how HARD it is to pull the batteries out. Not as big of a deal with alkalines, but I don't want to wreck my NiMH's that I use for YEARS by yanking them out of there...[/QUOTE]

Yeah, NiHMs stick in those a bit.

I just picked up the quick charge kit and two battery packs (well it comes with one, and the other I got with my second controller which I got in a sale on amazon that came with a play and charge kit/battery).

Much more convenient and they last longer.
 
The disadvantage with the low-discharge NiMH batteries is that they are usually more expensive, and typically have a slightly lower mAh rating than the highest mAh rated NiMH batteries. They also don't hold their charge as well as alkalines but they do hold much more than standard rechargeables.

[quote name='Wolfpup']Do you know anything more about the technology behind Rayovac's new Hybrids? I assume they're just some new formulation of NiMH? Are there any disadvantages compared to regular NiMH? Do they actually work in low drain devices where you might keep the battery in there for a year or more? (Like a smoke detector, clock, remote control, etc.?)

Is so, I may have to really look at these things. Could be really cool if I could replace ALL my alkalines with NiMH...although I've blown up a couple of flashlight bulbs by trying to use NiMH in them (I guess because the voltage is lower?)

One thing I noticed on Rayovac's FAQ that's totally bogus-they claim NiMH doesn't have a memory effect. That's a flat out lie. I guess supposedly it's not as big as with NiCD (and those are more dangerous to the environment too), but NiMH ABSOLUTELY has a memory effect... which isn't a big deal for all the devices we're talking about. Just use them in your Wii or whatever until they die, then swap them out.

One thing that bugs me about the 360 controller is how HARD it is to pull the batteries out. Not as big of a deal with alkalines, but I don't want to wreck my NiMH's that I use for YEARS by yanking them out of there...[/QUOTE]
 
The only real disadvantage with the LSD NiMH compared to regular NiMH is lower potential charge capacity.

I wouldn't entirely replace alkalines with them because they still experience a slow self-discharge, and also their lower terminal voltage can adversely affect the performance of a few devices. I wouldn't keep them in a safety detector or an emergency flashlight, but I would use them in a clock or a remote control.
 
I've read that the higher rated batteries actually discharge down to a lower level really fast anyway, so I think for my uses getting ones with a higher rating really isn't much of an advantage anyway.

I may try to find some of these Rayovacs. Hopefully the secret ingredient isn't arsenic or something :D

I read somewhere too that NiMHs normally lose 5-10% in their first day, and then slow to .5-1%/day.
 
bread's done
Back
Top