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Psyclone / React Wiimote chargers recalled due to fire hazard
Wii owners, you just can't catch a break, can you? First you're busting up the TV when all you ever wanted was a little ball-free faux-bowling action, and then there's that Rock Band controller / chemical burn fiasco. And now? The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has just announced a voluntary recall of a little something called the 4-Dock Battery Recharge Station. This guy (available from Target, Toys R Us, and Amazon.com under the Psyclone brand, or from Best Buy under the React name) has been recharging batteries, excessively overheating batteries, posing fire risks, and burning the occasional hand since they first went on sale in January, 2008. Think you may have one of the offending units? Don't just call the Waaaambulance -- hit that read link and demand satisfaction! [Via GamesIndustry.biz]
Psyclone Wii rechargers recalled, pose 'burn or fire hazard'
The US Consumer Product Safety Commission has issued a recall on the "Psyclone Essentials and React Wii 4-Dock Battery Recharge Stations." There are approximately 220,000 of them out there in people's homes and the battery packs (remember, it's a recharge station) can overheat "posing a burn or fire hazard to the consumer." Six incidents have been reported to the agency, with two people reporting minor burns to their hands. The recalled products are distributed by Griffin International and were sold in Target, Toys R Us, Best Buy and Amazon. The Psyclone recharge stations have apparently had problems for a while: we first reported issues with the product back in 2007. Caveat emptor! [Via GamePolitics]
And our latest contest winner is ...
Well, our latest giveaway has come to a close and it's about time we chose the winner. The winner of our prize pack is none other than: kurisuchanrin, who will likely share this prize pack with his wife Congrats to our winners and better luck next time to all of you. Keep your eyes on Wii Fanboy. We'll be starting up another giveaway soon.
Psyclone TouchCharge for the PS3 tested
Not liking the clutter of USB cables used to charge your controllers in front of your PS3? Psyclone has a more elegant solution for you -- their TouchCharge kit allows you to charge two DualShock 3/SIXAXIS controllers on a contact-based charge pad via one AC adapter. Unlike the version Psyclone offers for the Xbox 360 and the Wii, no third-party battery is required as the pad is able to charge the battery inside the official controllers. An added bonus is that at $49.99, the kit will cost $20 less than the 360 version. Gizmodo took the peripheral for a spin and gave it a thumbs-up. Best Buy has the TouchCharge Kit for sale, but it is currently backordered.[Via Engadget Simplified Chinese]
PS3, Wii users get Psyclone TouchCharge pads, too
We caught sight of Psyclone's WildCharger-based TouchCharge kit for the Xbox 360 a few weeks ago but, in case you missed it, the company is also offering similar kits for the PlayStation 3 and Wii. At $49.99 the PS3 version is actually the cheapest of the lot, due to the fact that it's able to use the controller's own rechargeable battery, while the $59.99 Wii version and $69.99 Xbox 360 version each include some rechargeable batteries of their own courtesy of Psyclone. The charging pads themselves are, of course, interchangeable, and you can even charge more than one device on a single pad, although finding the necessary controller adapters separately seems to be another matter.[Via The Gadgets Weblog]
Reminder: Psyclone Touchcharge Kit and 3 games up for grabs
Hey folks, you like free stuff, right? Of course you do! So have you checked out our latest giveaway yet? Well, if you haven't, you should, as we've got plenty of goodies up for grabs. Head right on over to the giveaway post here and see how to enter. Best of luck to you all and thanks for reading!
Thankswagging: Holiday prize pack up for grabs
We've got a special giveaway lined up for you this week. We're calling it Thankswagging, bundling together a bunch of items for one lucky reader as a thanks for, well ... just being you! We appreciate you guys (and gals!) stopping by every day to read us and make our cold, dark corner of the internet a little brighter. So, we're running this giveaway starting today and ending Sunday, November 30th at 11:59pm ET. The winner will be selected the following day via random drawing. To enter, simply tell us what you're thankful for this year. It can be gaming related or not. Just tell us what you're thankful for.One lucky reader will walk away with a Psyclone Touchcharge Kit ($70), along with a copy of Heavenly Guardian ($20), Summer Sports: Paradise Island ($20), and Battle of the Bands ($20). Of course, we've got a couple of rules. For one, you have to be at least 18 years of age and a current and legal resident of the United States or Canada (excluding Quebec) and you may enter once per day. Also, before entering, read the official rules right here.Best of luck to you all and thanks for reading!
Psyclone's TouchCharge Kit for your 360 controller finally puts WildCharger to good use
We keep waiting for "wireless" contact charging pads to blow our minds and revolutionize the way we use gadgets, but perhaps we're just being idiot optimists. Or perhaps not. We're seeing great possibilities with this latest implementation of WildCharger's tech, the TouchCharge Kit from Psyclone for Xbox 360 controllers. The kit includes a rechargeable battery pack with the appropriate contacts and of course the charging pad. If you need to keep four controllers charging simultaneously, the $69-per setup pricetag might put this out of reach, but the Federal Reserve wouldn't be dropping interest rates right and left if it didn't want us racking up hundreds of dollars in consumer debt for game peripherals, right? EB Games has this up for pre-order now, should ship on December 15th.[Thanks, Ken C.]
Rumor: Psyclone Wiimote recharger de-charges Wiimotes permanently
If you're looking for a cheap, simple way to recharge your Wiimote, it would appear that Psyclone's Nintendo Wii Recharge Station is not it. While it may look like a convenient battery recharging system, its primary function actually seems to be irreversibly destroying Wii controllers. If that's what you're looking for, you could just smash the things with your shoe and save some money.According to most of the Amazon reviewers who turned in low ratings, the thing doesn't know when to stop charging its batteries, causing it to overheat and fry the attached remote. Reports of "incredibly hot" Wiimotes, "burn marks," and "killed Wii Motes" are widespread (among Amazon reviewers), lending us enough reason to avoid the product, especially with non-destructive alternatives on the market.Amusingly, Amazon sellers seem to be trying to capitalize on the sudden notoriety of the product. Two Marketplace sellers are offering Wii Recharge Stations starting at $174.44.[Via Game|Life]
