Nyko Charge Base 3 for PS3

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $29.99
Sale Price: $21.80
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The Nyko Charge Base 3 competes with the official Sony dock with extra flair and a $5 price difference. It certainly looks a whole lot slicker, but all the things it aims to do fall terribly short of customer expectations...

1. Magnetic Docking

The main feature of this product is that it uses magnets to 'dock' your controller. What they don't show you (even on the box of the product itself) is that it requires a huge and ugly clip to be connected to your PS3 controller. Make no mistake, this is not just a little bumper that you plug into the usb port of the controller, this is a plastic clip that covers the entire top, most of the rear, and front sony logo with Black and Clear plastic. The pictures don't show this plastic adapter at all, because if they did, the angle of those controllers would show you just how bulky and ugly they are. They cover the lights on the controller as well, but that's an aesthetic issue and doesn't really hurt functionality. It would probably be ok if the magnetic docking feature worked as well as advertised, but just looking at my score you can probably tell it doesn't.

Don't shake whatever the dock is sitting on -don't slightly nudge a controller in the dock -and don't you dare think of looking at this thing funny either; the controllers will fall off like a ton of bricks. The controllers are bottom heavy, because of the rumble feature. The fact that they are docked horizontally with weak magnets is asking for disaster. The PS3 sending vibrations through my desk has been enough to shake a controller loose and have it come crashing down. If you are trying to dock multiple controllers, just brushing up slightly against the dock or pushing it may detach the other. The point of the magnet dock was simply to wave your controller over it, and have it seat itself. What it ends up being is something you have to take extra care to maintain and place.

If you want true "drop and charge" functionality, the official Sony dock is the way to go.

2. Build Quality

The main unit itself feels very sturdy, but the stand and clips are made of cheap plastic. They flex with slight pressure. Also, the kick stand of the Nyko dock basically extends as far as the Sony dock, meaning it doesn't save any space having controllers stacked up.

3. LEDs

An important feature is the LED lighting; rather the ability to turn OFF the LED lighting. Many of us use these docks in our bedrooms, and LEDs have become quite obnoxious. The wonderful thing about this dock is that there is a power button sitting at the top. This is a great feature, even though it may be annoying to shut the dock off every once in awhile. I was afraid I would have to unplug it every once in awhile (I was willing to do so), but the addition of an easy to hit power button exceeded my expectations. Automatic shut off would be better, but I wasn't expecting it.

4. AC Adapter

It comes with an AC Adapter as opposed to USB power. This is good or bad depending on what your availability is. The only issue is the fact that this is AC only, rather than a choice, but I don't believe any other product offers anything better. As a result, this didn't really affect my review.

Conclusion

It charges, and it looks cool. It's also a hassle, prone to damaging your controllers by dropping them, and comes with deceptive marketing to hide two large ugly controller adapters (never shown in product packaging or website). It works as a conversational piece, a USB slot preserver, and a method to reduce the amount of cords running around, but it fails as a quick and easy solution for actually charging your controllers. Go figure...

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I really liked the charger. I didn't have any problems with the controllers falling off and I'm not bothered by the aesthetics of the magnetic clips. I thought they were a convenient way of connecting to the charging system until my dog ate one. Now I can't seem to find a replacement, so I can only charge one controller at a time. Idiot dog. He's fine by the way, but the clips don't seem as convenient now that I view them as bite sized.

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PRO

1) Price.

2) Looks snazzy.

3) Room room to modify a silicon skin to fit (just trim around the clip). Looks nice when coupled with a black silicone skin.

CON

1) Weak Magnets. They can fall off even by just placing the unit on the table. However, so far my massive Klipsch 12" sub hasn't rattled one off.

2) Bulky clip. While it is ugly, I could survive that if my finger tips didn't rest on the corners of the rear portion of the plastic clip. However, placing a silicone skin on the controller has helped to create a more flush surface and I hardly notice anymore.

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I think this is a really good charging stand. Yes, there is a big clip that needs to be attached to the controller but once it is attached you don't have to think about it. It is really easy to attach the controller to the stand to start charging. The build quality is very good and the plastics feel high quality (although I must say the stand has nicer plastics than the clips that go on the controller). The clip does get in the way of the controller indicator lights except for indicator 4 but the plastic is transparent over this area so it's not really an issue. And if you have the controller in your hand playing a game and still don't know what player you are then you probably shouldn't be playing :).

The lights are intuitive. When charging, the appropriate light(s) for the controller(s) will change to orange. Also to note that the lights are frosted plastic so they aren't as bright and annoying as normal LED lighting. Furthermore, if you're still concerned about lighting, the controllers are actually angled such that when faced head on they cover up the status lights and only if you're close to the stand (i.e. moving to pick up a controller from the stand) you'll see the lights on. The base only lights up when no controllers are connected, and the entire unit can be turned off by pressing a switch at the top of the stand.

The only issue I have with this stand is that it needs a more substantial weight to the base. It comes with a sticky pad to keep it stuck to surfaces but I prefer not to use it.

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This is the best charger that i have had in a while. If i were to change anything it would be to make it mountable to a wall or something similar. Def buying one for my xBox controllers.