Japanese gamers, or those willing to import can soon consider an alternate solution to charging their Wiimote(s): Sanyo's Contactless Charger Set for Wii Remote Control.

For the product, a custom battery back based on the company's eneloop technology (a low self-discharge NiMH battery which charges on contact) was developed. Here, an electromagnetic induction system is used for charging the batteries, even through the silicon jackets some use.

Charging once (just under four hours) gets you about six hours, and up to four remotes can be subsequently charged. Nintendo says retainment of the charge is much longer than that of the average NiMH battery, meaning more juice in the long run; about 90 percent of its charge is preserved after six months, 85 after a year, and 70 after two years.

However, there are a few hang-ups that might warrant the Nyko Wii Charge Station (three times cheaper for two controllers, two-thirds for four) a smarter purchase, licensed or not. Firstly, the recharge times are pretty long, and remotes can not all be charged at once (meaning charging overnight is your only sane option, really). Second, it's unclear whether or not the station could accomodate the Wiimote once the WiiMotion Plus is connected. The final issue is its region-specific availability; as stated previously, it's only set for Japan at the moment, though you'll be able to purchase it from GeekStuff4U.com exclusively starting August 25.

Will Nintendo bring this over to retail outlets in North America and Europe? Only time will tell, but in the meantime, the question is, should they?