Playstation 3 Charge Base

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If you have an entertainment center where you prefer not to have wires spilling out the front, this is the perfect product for your PS3. It conveniently (and quickly) charges up to 4 PS3 controllers at once. But it does have a bad point that doesn't make the product terrible, but might give you pause before you purchase it.

The Goods:

1) Power Source: It's handy to be able to plug this into the wall instead of the PS3 via a USB cable. You don't have to have that wire hanging off the front of the unit all the time, which kept the glass door on the front of my entertainment center from closing.

2) Design: It can charge up to four controllers at once and has LED indicators to indicate if the controller is charging or fully-charged. It has a slim design that allows you to put it anywhere convenient.

The Bad:

1) It can be a bit tricky to plug the controller's USB socket into the one on the charge base. Out of the six or so times that I put my controllers on the charge base, there hasn't been a single time where I got the controller to easily slide on without having to gently manipulate both the charge base and controller. It can take about a minute to line up the sockets and get the controller in place, and you need to do this GENTLY.

Overall:

To me, it's worth it because of the slim design, the wall-power source, and the convenience of being able to charge 4 controllers at once. But since it can be tricky to get the controllers in to the base, I wouldn't recommend this product to kids who might get impatient when the controller doesn't slide in quickly.

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After reading several reviews about this product, I was a bit concerned that it would be difficult to insert and remove a SIXAXIS controller, but that concern proved to be unfounded.

Yes, it does take a bit of lining up to get it to work, but it's so trivially easy to do that I got used to it within the first three times I inserted the controller.

What makes it tricky is that there are spring-loaded plastic nubs that are intended to hold your controller in place, and you have to push the controller past the nubs before you reach the connector. So you push a bit, then make sure the controller is lined up with the connector--which is easy to do since the USB socket on the SIXAXIS is recessed. Once you can feel that the connector within the recession, a gentle push completes the connection.

The device includes scratch-prevention stickers that you can apply to your SIXAXIS, but they really aren't necessary. Just be a bit patient the first couple times you do it, and it becomes second nature.

If you've got multiple controllers, this is an ideal product to have--it allows you to charge them in a place that may be more convenient for you than having them tethered to your PS3. If you're looking for a convenient way to charge your controllers--up to four of them--don't let concerns about how "tricky" it is to insert the controller dissuade you from purchasing this.

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The product works great, it even looks great. I really like that it allows me store the controllers in one compact location. However, there is the major design flaw that everyone mentions: It is Very difficult to seat the controllers USB recactacle port onto the chrgers USB plug!!! I am very patient and gentle with the thing, but it takes me at least a good 1-2 minutes to get it to seat properly. I have already damaged the port on one controller. I design electronic products for a living, they could have easily made this product better with very little added expense.

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The charger is almost an essential add-on; charging your controllers via the PS3 can take time and if you only have a single USB cable, forget it. The charger charges the controllers quickly and doesn't take up a lot of room.

Never once have I gotten the controllers plugged in without an argument. I figured it would be something that would get easier over time as I did it more, but it hasn't. You would think, given how fragile both the male and female components of the USB connectors are, that the designers would have ensured an easy slide in/out, but they didn't.

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Having not purchased a new gaming console since the NES, I am fascinated with the advancements made in gaming, as well as the peripherals. Fear not, adding a few wireless controllers doesn't detract from the sophisticated appearance of one's entertainment system. Integrating the Nyko Charger into the system only contributed to the ease of the system's maintenance. Before purchasing the charger, I was charging my controllers while using the computer via USB cables, given the system must be on to begin charging. Additionally, there is very little downtime, as it takes about an hour to fully charge the controllers. Some may find it appealing that the charger is a self-contained unit, meaning it doesn't need to be connected to the console. Thus, allowing the console to focus on what it does best without having to bear the burden of allocating energy for the controllers.

There are a few inherent drawbacks in the charger's design. However, they shouldn't be vexing enough to prevent anyone from purchasing it. Similar to everyone else's comments, it is difficult to plug in. I can't throw the controllers in the charger haphazardly. Admittedly, I read the comments prior to purchasing it, and just shrugged it off. As mentioned above, the charger provides you with a few stickers to place around the USB port, which affords you some protection against possible scratches.

The slots are very slim allowing only the controller to be inserted. If you have a silicone cover, it will need to be removed before performing the arduous task of aligning the controller for insertion. Regardless, it is still valuable tool that will integrate nicely.