Among those that do somewhat more than add an apparently unnecessary cooling fan, GameStop's Afterglow Cooler is a standout. The product replaces the grey plastic vertical Wii stand packed with the console and in so doing adds both extra cooling and some visual panache.



Powered via USB from the Wii's two ports, the Afterglow drives a small, extremely quiet fan that blows into the Wii's bottom cooling port. Aesthetic appeal is augmented by the blue LED lighting that illuminates the stand's clear plastic construction. While the integrated cooling fan does indeed move significantly more air, the Wii suffers from no reported cooling issues, which makes this feature something of a bonus, if not completely unnecessary.



The real strength, we feel, of the Afterglow is its LED lighting. The blue glow does a good job matching the Wii's own blue, pulsating highlight around its drive slot, and in the right circumstances makes the shiny white Wii look very cool, as though it is floating upon a nest of ethereal energy. Wii fans will appreciate the added significance the lighting gives the attractive, yet small, Wii, which can otherwise look inconsequential next to the comparatively monstrous Xbox 360 and PlayStaiton 3.

A three-way switch on the stern of the Afterglow allows owners to select whether the device is off, running just the lighting, or the lighting and the cooling fan. Because the Wii remains active even in its off/standby mode, the Afterglow remains powered at all times from the console's USB port. For owners that don't always want their Wii glowing, this could be a hassle, though in most cases we expect owners won't mind their Wii residing upon a bed of light.



Though the cooling feature of the Afterglow is apparently unnecessary, as an aesthetic enhancement to the Wii the Afterglow's blue lighting is quite attractive, and for committed fans, for which the Wii does not lack, the product should be able to justify its $19.99 MRSP. It is available now exclusively though GameStop's retail and online sales fronts.

i'd rather spend $19.99 on, oh i don't know, say a DS game.

Kinda pricy yet gimicky, cool to look at though

I don't think I'd get it, though it does look good. I think skins or controller grip stuff are more worth it.

How much do the skins run?? I seen soome chrome looking ones, not too bad looking. I am wondering if fingerprints show up on the chrome looking ones?

Those were 50% off this weekend, so $10 but I passed. I thought it was ok, but it didn't look like it ever turned off...

Wii does have cooling issues, the video card can overheat while on standby, causing artifacts. Does the fan run while the console is on standby?

I'd buy one, I can't wait to pimp up my Wii :)

I would not pay money for the Afterglow. I'd rather skin my Wii or simply repaint it black.

Looks very, very cool. However, the Wii's don't have over heating problems, do they? Can over heating even damage your console?