And if you're going for a charging kit that charges a Wii remote without the need to remove the batteries from the controller there are plenty of options. And I've tried quite a few of them. My latest trial was of an Energizer branded charger that uses induction and a panel to power up your controllers. Fancy, yes. Worthwhile? Let's see.

Loved
Design: This charging station uses induction to do its job. That means that the charger is a flat panel that rests on a counter or desk and takes up almost no room. I love that I could put this thing almost anywhere and not have to worry about how it looks when not in use.

Snap To: While the panel is decorated with remote silhouette to show you where to place a controller for charging, it is the magnets in the panel that ensure the remotes snap into place.

Induction: Because this system uses induction for charging, you don't have to worry about whether you have a silicon sleeve on your remote or whether it has the MotionPlus accessory snapped on. Just plop the controller down on the panel and it instantly starts charging. A light changes from red to green to show when you're ready to roll.

With consoles and controllers of all kinds filling up the cabinetry around my television, space is at a premium when it comes to chargers. This new flat panel induction design makes the best use of that space, ensuring that it also works quickly and easily.

Fifty dollars for four rechargeable battery packs and the panel seems like a good investment to me.

Wii Energizer 4X Charging Station was developed by PDP for the Wii. Retails for $49.99 USD. A copy of the Wii Energizer 4X Charging Station was given to us by PDP for reviewing purposes. Used the charger over the course of a month.

Confused by our reviews? Read our review FAQ.

Performance Designed Products sent me this N-Strike Switch Shot Ex-3 last week (which they produced in conjunction with EA). The Nerf gun comes with three whistler darts and a red viewfinder. You can take the viewfinder off if you'd like and can also remove the air canister and pump that launches the darts.

Then all you have to do is slip the Wii remote into the gun and you've got an over-sized Wii blaster.

The gun doesn't come with it's own game, so I haven't had a chance yet to check out how well it works with Wii shooters. I did test out the Nerf aspects of the gun and managed to ping my son two out of three times.

Performance Designed Products Inc has issued a recall notice for 57,000 of the Guitar Hero controllers. A manufacturing fault means that improperly installed batteries can leak. PDP have been informed that one gamer has suffered chemical burns due to the fault.

The affected units are Blue or White and were purchased between June and September this year. If you think you have been affected, go to www.pdp.com, where you can apply for a full refund.

Rage Wireless Guitar Used with Nintendo Wii Recalled [Consumer Affairs]

[Thanks Luca & Tyler!]

Reps from Rock Band peripheral manufacturer PDP told us "Our packaging mistakenly states that that the microphone is compatible with the Wii. Unfortunately, this is not the case and will be corrected in future versions of the packaging." They apologized profusely for the confusion. Hope you didn't horde a few dozen of USB microphones based on the packaging mistake—and hopes that the Polyphonic Spree would appear as future DLC.

Send in your suggestions for the best GameCube, PS2, Xbox, Xbox 360, GBA, DS and Playstation Portable games of the year and I'll whip up a series of polls a bit later today.

Also, let me know what you think the best game of the year is. My personal favorite, at least for the holiday season, is Indigo Prophecy.

We'll also have a cool contest to announce by the end of the day. All I can tell you right now is that it will run through Friday and feature the most expensive prize we've given away to date.