XCM II-Case Chameleon
Manufacturer: XCM
Site: Buy from TotalConsole
Price: $54.99

Overview : Stand out from the crowd with the ultimate Wii case: the ii-case that includes LEDS shining in the dark, with our Chameleon technology to rotate between colors! The ii-case is not only a full replacement transparent Wii case, but it also includes a LED system to enlight your Wii. Very complete, it includes Air Flow cover and DVD Rom cover (in metal).

The Chameleon version includes a system of color rotation for the ultimate light effect. An extra button allows you to select a specific color (Red, Purple, Green, Yellow, Blue, Apple Green or Orange) and keep it static on screen.

Includes matching color stand and special Tri-wing screwdriver for installation.


Quality/Usability : After receiving XCM's I-Case Black Knight and reviewing it, we received Team Xtender's second full replacement case, II-Case Chameleon on our doorstep (courtesy of TotalConsole). This time, it houses LEDs to make it even more unique. Those who love to have "flashy" consoles and when I mean flashy, I mean the type that will blind you, would want to read this review.

This is XCM's third? Fourth? Fifth, full replacement casing for the Nintendo Wii? I dont know, but I lost count as they have released so many ranging from chrome, to red, to blue, to even pink! As mentioned above, we reviewed their Black Knight, which is an all black casing. They have been known for slick and unique faceplates, casings, controller mods, cables and other accessories.

The XCM II-Case Chameleon includes the console shell, doors, faceplate, buttons and even the rubber feets at the bottom of the Wii which makes up the whole exterior of the Wii. To match the clear crystal case, they also included a clear stand and tools to help you dismantle the Wii! Not a single piece was left out.

Like all of XCM's products, the quality of the case is excellent and solid. Feels like it came out from Nintendo's factory. The case is clear which allows you to see all the innards of the Wii. The Crystal Chameleon also comes with a metal DVD cover which houses the LEDs near the DVD drive.

I wont go much into detail regarding installation as you can find tutorials on how to dismantle or disassemble your Wii, here. The whole installation process took approximately 50 mins. This is not to say that is how long it will take you to assemble everything. I am a perfectionist and anal when it comes to things like this. For some who are pros or better at things like this can be a lot quicker while noobs, novices or perfectionists like me, may take longer. The whole process is just time consuming and tedious. It will require some patience. It took longer than the Black Knight casing was because the metal DVD cover and Air Flow (which also has LEDs) needed to be installed and wires needed to be connected in order to power the LEDs. To install the metal DVD cover and Air Flow, you can read the tutorial here. Even though I had already installed the Black Knight case on to my Wii, you would think that the installation time would be shorter. It all depends on your skills and perfectionism.

Once installed and the Nintendo Wii put back together, the Crystal Chameleon case is fairly bright. Luckily, you have the option of turning if off but also the option of either having the LEDs fade into different colors or stick with one color.

Click here to see a video of the II-Case Crystal Chameleon case in action.

Conclusion : Overall, the XCM II-Case Crystal Chameleon is unique and flashy product but a bit pricey. But thats the price you have to pay to be unique and different amongst Wii owners. Those looking to kick it up a notch with the look of their Nintendo Wii should definitely look into purchasing the II-Case Crystal Chameleon case. You would be the cool kid on the block (HAHA, that was so cheesy). Again, the time it took me to install the II-Case depends on the person, experience and perfectionism. With the new mods for the Nintendo Wii such as the PulseVU, LED mods for both console and controllers, the Chameleon case would be able to flag a plane (just kidding). Be sure to check out the other colors that XCM has to offer if you want to be even more wild and crazy with colors!

Here is a video of the Chameleon Case with PulseVU and a few other LED changes installed: (by M37R01D)


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Wii Blue Light Charge Station
Manufacturer: PEGA
Site: Buy from Goldenshop / Buy from DealExtreme
Price: $15.00

Overview : Charge two Wiimotes at the same time. Includes 2 1800mAh battery packs.

Features :

• High quality 3rd party product.
• Comes with 2pcs of 1800mAh rechargeable batteries for the Wii remote controls - no need to take out the battery when charging.
• No need to add extra power supply - get the power from the USB port of the Wii console.
• 2pcs of Wii remote controls can be charged simultaneously.
• Light indicators to show the charging status.

Quality/Usability : Yes, another review on a batter charger (COME ON NINTENDO! Where's yours?!). This time is from the popular 3rd party peripheral manufacturer, PEGA HK.

All the battery packs that we have reviewed such as Penguin United Remote Charging Dock + Rechargeable Battery, Wii Remote Battery Charger & Stand or Wii Remote Charge 'N Play, all have the same type of look...plain. Nothing stands out. Nothing fancy. Well, PEGA went and took it to the next step, lights.

The Wii Blue Light Charge Station comes with a dock, USB cable and two battery packs. Both battery packs are 1800mAh's which is pretty much standard for the 3rd party batteries.

The battery are ordinary battery packs and looks similar to Wii 1800mAh Rechargeable Battery. Instead of the 1800mAh being printed, the PEGA version is stickered. Also on the battery pack is a sticker that informs you that before using the battery pack for the first time, you must charge the battery for over 12 hours, or else the battery life will be reduced. Honestly, whether you use it first or charge it, gradually the battery life will be reduced like any other battery. I personally use the battery first and let it die out completely before doing a full recharge. Like the Wii 1800mAh Rechargeable Battery, there is a hole on the battery pack for easy access to the SYNC button.

The dock is what makes the product stand out from the rest of the crowd. Did you purchase the sweet looking Wii Crystal Blue LED Cooler Stand and change the casing of your Nintendo Wii to the Team Xtender II-Case Chameleon? Well your lighted collection isnt complete without this. Thats because the dock lights up also! No, not those cheesy small GREEN LEDs that goes on and off to let you know if its fully charged and done. All around the bottom of the dock is a clear window. This lets the lights from the LED shine through. There are 4 LEDs on the bottom of the dock. To turn on and off the blue lights, there is a switch on the back of the dock. On the top of the dock near the Wiimotes, are two more LED lights, one for each dock. When the battery packs are charging, the light will turn RED...more like pink. When the battery pack is done charging, the light turns blue.

In order to charge the battery pack, you need to have it inside the Wiimote. Sorry, but you'll also have to remove the wrist strap or the contact on the dock wont touch the contacts on the battery pack. Like all other recharging docks, it wont work with silicon skin/glove on. So you'll have to take that off as well.

Charging time took approximately 2-3 hours like all other docks but I left it on there for 12+ hours as recommended even though it wasnt necessary. During game play, I was able to get about a 4.5 hours out of a full charge.

Conclusion : Overall, the Wii Blue Light Charge Station ups the ante in looks for rechargeable docks. The blue lights look great! The battery packs? Well, they're just battery packs. Nothing special. Nice to have an ON/OFF switch for the lights on the bottom of the dock but the lights to show you if the Wiimotes are charging is permanently on. There is no way to turn them off. Placing the Wiimotes on the dock can take some fiddling around so that the contacts on the dock and battery pack touch each other. Having to remove the wrist strap off the Wiimote can be annoying for some Wii'ers. The price of the Blue Light Charge Station of $15 is fairly reasonable considering it comes with two rechargeable batteries and the dock lights up!

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Penguin United Remote Charging Dock + Rechargeable Battery
Manufacturer: Penguin United
Site: Buy from Penguin United (dock + battery) / Buy from Penguin United (dock + 2x battery) / Buy from Penguin United (battery only) / Buy from Penguin United (2x docks + 4x batteries)
Price: $19.99 (dock + battery) / $24.99 (dock + 2x battery) / $7.99 (battery only) / $44.99 (2x docks + 4x batteries)

Overview : The included rechargable battery will provide you with 38 hours of game playing time and tons of $$ saved on batteries. To recharge your Wii Remote, simply place your Wii Remote on the charging dock. Your Wii remote will be charged from USB cable using modified battery cover provided.

Includes : (dock + battery)

• Wii Remote Chargin Dock
• USB Connection Cable
• Rechargeable battery pack lasting 38 hours
• Recharge enabled battery cover

Includes : (dock + 2x battery)

• 1X Wii Remote Charging Dock
• 1X USB Connection Cable
• 2X Rechargeable battery pack lasting 38 hours
• 2X Recharge enabled battery cover

Includes : (battery only)

• Rechargeable battery pack lasting 38 hours
• Recharge enabled battery cover
• Requires dock

Includes : (2x docks + 4x batteries)

• 2X Wii Remote Charging Dock
• 2X USB Connection Cable
• 4X Rechargeable battery pack lasting 38 hours
• 4X Recharge enabled battery cover

Quality/Usability : Ever since the release of the Nintendo Wii whether it be in Asia, Europe or North America, 3rd party manufacturers have been releasing rechargeable battery packs. Why? Because everyone wanted rechargeable battery packs to save money rather then spend it on regular alkaline batteries. The Wii Remote would eat through batteries like no tomorrow and would need to be replaced as if it was a handheld system.

With the need of rechargeable battery packs, Penguin United has jumped in to help fellow gamers. Penguin United released their Remote Charging Dock and Rechargeable Battery. PU originally offered only the dock and battery but due to demand, they are offering different bundles. You can pick up either a dock and battery, dock and two batteries, batteries only or two docks and 4 batteries, at relatively cheap prices!

Upon opening up the box (dock + battery), you'll find a USB cable, dock, rechargeable battery, battery cover and instructions. Setting up the dock is easy. Just plug one end of the USB cable into either your computer or the Wii and the other end into the dock. Thats it.

Putting the battery into the remote isnt as easy. It takes a bit of trial and error but once you know what to do, it shouldnt be a problem. To insert the battery into the remote you would need to hold the remote right-side up and hold the battery with the (+) and (-) sign facing the bottom. While holding the battery at an angle, place the (+) and (-) into position and then push down. At the same time, push the top of the battery into place. The battery should now be inserted into the remote.

In order to charge the batteries, you must use the included battery cover as it has a custom connection that will work with the dock. The battery cover though is a bit darker then the Wii remote itself. But if you have a glove or case on the Wii remote, you wont notice it. Speaking of glove, you will either have to remove the glove or lift it up enough so that the remote can fit into the dock. When the remote is placed into the dock, there is a blue LED. A steady blue means it is charging and if the LED is blinking, it means it is done charging.

In the instructions that were included, they suggested that the battery require 12 hours of charging before use. The battery were done charging within 2 hours or so and the dock started to blink.

Once the battery was fully charged, I took it for a test (7 straight days of playing). After the first couple hours of WarioWare, Wii Sports and Zelda, the Wii remote still showed 3 battery bars. Played a couple more hours the next couple of days and it still showed 3 bars. Probably by the 4th or 5th day, the battery dropped a bar. By the 7th day, it was still at 2 bars. Had I played longer, it would of probably lasted me almost 2 weeks on one full charge! Thats insane.

Conclusion : Overall, the Penguin United Remote Charging Dock + Rechargeable Battery exceeds my expectations. The battery life is long lasting. Only minor complaints is the non-matching color of their battery cover to the Wii remote and the dock not stop charging if it is fully charged. If you're looking for a rechargeable battery pack, I suggest checking out PU's Remote Charging Dock + Rechargeable Battery. Interested International buyers can purchase this through their eBay store. PU will be releasing a dual charger sometime in April. But it would be nice to see a charger only for the battery rather then a dock.

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CycloWiz Modchip v1 (DMS/D2A)
Manufacturer: Team Cyclops
Site: Buy from Divineo US (v1) / Buy from Divineo US (v2) / Buy from Divineo China
Price: $30.00-$40.00

Overview : The amazing CycloWiz Mod Chip for the Nintendo Wii has arrived! The CycloWiz is possibly the easiest modchip to install on any system. A quicksolder pattern on the PCB board removes the need for wires. All you need to do us solder onto the designated parts and the installation is complete.

Not only is the CycloWiz easy to install, but this ModChip also has amazing features including Stealth Mode, the ability to play both WII and Gamecube backups, GameCube homebrew and imports. The CycloWiz also has an optional LED to let you know when the Mod Chip is ON or OFF.

Features :

• Fully upgradable via DVD
• Easy installation(5 solder points / no wires required)
• Stealth Mode to keep the Mod Chip from ever being detected by the current Wii firmware
• Play both Wii and GameCube backup copies
• Play GameCube homebrew and Imports
• Built In audio-fix for GameCube backup copies
• Multidisc GameCube game support
• Supports both 8cm and 12cm discs
• Optional disable feature to turn the Mod Chip ON or OFF
• Multipurpose LED to let you know that the CycloWiz Mod Chip is on and working, if there is an error, or if it is off

Quality/Usability : Let me start off first by saying that this review is based on the first version (v1) of CycloWiz Wii modchip and on a North American (NTSC-US) Wii. All games tested during this review, we own the original games. CycloWiz v1 comes in a plain unbranded ESD bag. New modchips will come in a CycloWiz branded ESD bag. This modchip is only compatible with Wii's that have a DMS or D2A chipset. This will NOT work on a D2B chipset.

If you bought your Wii after January 2007 and it contains a D2B chipset and have a CycloWiz v1, you email Team Cyclops and they will exchange your CycloWiz for a v2. Also, during manufacturing, there was some chips that had their solder points bridged together. You can easily fix this by following their PDF guide. If not, they will also replace it for a new one.


The CycloWiz comes in a plain ESD bag but does not provide any protection during shipping (unless retailer protects it). The CycloWiz is basically a chip on a small thin PCB. The solder pads allows you to either quick soldering or wire installation. Wire installation is the best way to go because if for whatever reason you need to remove it, it is a lot easier and cleaner.

Installation : Before installing the CycloWiz, you must have at least some experience with soldering and have read their instruction manual which can be downloaded from here. As for me, I dont have any experience with soldering, so I had a friend install this for me. In order to install the CycloWiz onto your Wii, you must take it apart. Here is a tutorial on how to dismantle your Wii. You can also find other tutorials or even videos on the web.

Once you have dismantled the Wii, you must locate the points outlined in their installation manual. These points are where you will connect the soldering between the Wii and the CycloWiz. When soldering, you must remember to stay within the points and not to use too much solder or you may risk shorting out the chip as well as the Wii. When soldering the CycloWiz, you also have the option of installing 3 more wires which is then connected to a switch (sold separately). Any type of switch will do whether it be a push-in switch or a flip switch but the smaller the better. You can install the switch anywhere you want. It can be in the vent at the bottom of the Wii or you can drill a hole into the casing of the Wii, whichever is more convenient to you. This switch will enable you to upgrade your CycloWiz via DVD.

On the CycloWiz, there is an LED that will light up if you’ve installed the chip correctly. You would want to try the Wii out before closing it up by hooking the Wii back together without the casing or you will not be able to view the LED. This is a great way to tell you whether or not your installation was successful or not without having to reopen your Wii later on.

Wii Compatibility : With v1, compatibility of games were not that great. There were DRE (Disc Read Errors) and it took a couple of tries before the Wii can recognize the game. Some games even experienced heavy lag during gameplay. Playing imports is a hit or miss when it comes to playing on a different region. Some games will work and some games will not. But if you're playing in the same region such as NTSC-US (North America) and NTSC-J (Japan), there is not problem. With the great support from Team Cyclops, they have fixed these problems in the upgrades which will be explained further down.

Homebrew Compatibility : There are three ways to load GameCube homebrew; bootable disc, SDLoad and GCOS. Loading via SDLoad, you will need a SD Gecko adapter as well as an SD card. If using GCOS or a bootable disc, you can load the emulators and games on to a DVD and be able to load from them without having to use additional media. All emulation ...

Wii Remote Charge 'N Play
Manufacturer: Unknown
Site: Buy from Goldenshop
Price: $17.00

Overview : The Charge 'N Play converts your Wii Remote into a rechargeable gaming remote. The Charge 'N Play features a USB charging dock that keeps your Wii Remote charging when not in use. With Charge 'N Play, drained batteries are a thing of the past.

Features :

• High quality 3rd party product.
• Comes with a rechargeable battery for the Wii remote control - no need to take out the battery when charging.
• USB socket on the charger stand - another charger stand can be connected at the same time.
• No need to add extra power supply - get the power from the USB port of the Wii console.

Quality/Usability : With the flood of rechargeable battery packs hitting the market, there has been different styles and different kinds.

The Charge 'N Play is a little different than all the other rechargeable batteries. The Charge 'N Play comes with a rechargeable battery and a dock. The dock has a USB cord that can plug into a USB port whether it be your computer or your Nintendo Wii.

The dock has two hooks on the left side that can attach to another dock (of course they need to be the same type). The right side has two openings for those hooks to be clipped onto another dock. On the front of the dock is a small LED. The LED is red when the battery is charging and blue when it is done.

What is unique about the Charge 'N Play is that you can either charge the battery with the Wii-mote or you can just charge the battery pack. Other rechargeable battery packs on the market require the battery to be on the remote control in order for it to charge.

The dock has two levels. The "upper level" is for the battery pack and Wii-mote. If you have a controller glove also known as rubber skin on the Wii-mote, you will need to remove it or lift the bottom high enough that it does not block the dock. The "lower level" is big enough just to fit the battery pack. The battery pack stays in place by pushing its clip itself against the upper level. Sometimes it does take a few tries to get it correctly in place. Once in place, it is snug and wont come out.

Charge time is approximately 2 hours. Once fully charged, the battery lasts for about 3-4 hours on continuous play and approximately 5-6 days with on and off play (approximately 30-60 mins a day).

Conclusion : Overall, the Wii Remote Charge 'N Play as I know of posting this review, is the only charger that allows you to only charge the battery without the need of the Wii-mote. Battery life is fairly decent. It would have been nice if the LED light turned off once the battery was fully charged. The idea of allowing another dock to be attached is good.

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