Try getting low self-discharge NiMH batteries (wikipedia).  The most popular brand seems to be Sanyo Eneloops.  Wal-Mart (Canada at least) carries Rayovac Hybrids.  I bought the Costco Eneloop kit that comes with a charger, and got some extra Rayovac Hybrids.  Both work great in my Wii remotes.

well rechargable batteries aren't charged when you get them, you have to charge them first.

that could be your problem

The_vagabond7 said: I actually didn't get a charger with them, I figured I would let them run down and then get a charger for 5 bucks then, but now they don't work at all and I'm not sure if they are charged or no.

Well, when you buy a battery charger, make sure that it isn't the type that uses timer to manage the charging.

Read the section "What makes a charger a 'smart charger'?"  in this link.

The same website recommends this battery charger, but you can look at the table here.

My rechargable batteries work perfectly for my Wiimote (and lasts pretty long, too). I'm not sure if you have to charge yours first, though---I know I did that to mine.

 

Normal Rechargable batteries are never charged when you buy them.

This is because normal ones will lose charge even when not in use, so if they charged them befor packaging, by the time they are shipped and put on shelves and bought by someone there would be hardly any charge left anyway.

You can buy special recharchables now though that lose significantly less charge... I have 2 pairs of UNiROSS Hybrio batteries that came precharged, and unlike normal rechargables I can leave them for a month after charging them and they still work. (I have a pair of normal rechargables, which if left a week will have lost half the charge)

Most cheap rechargable batteries are only 1.2 volts instead of 1.5 volts. There are different kinds of rechargable batteries, so you must make sure you get the kind designed for digital electronic equipment such as cameras and rated for 1.5 volts and not cheap kind rated for 1.2 volts. What does the package say for how many volts it's good for?

Personally, I just buy regular batteries in bulk packs of 120 or more batteries at a time.

jlauro said: Most cheap rechargable batteries are only 1.2 volts instead of 1.5 volts. There are different kinds of rechargable batteries, so you must make sure you get the kind designed for digital electronic equipment such as cameras and rated for 1.5 volts and not cheap kind rated for 1.2 volts. What does the package say for how many volts it's good for?

Mine are 1.2 volts and they work fine. Even the 1.5 volt batteries (rechargeable or not) will drop their voltage as they discharge, so I don't think that's a problem.

 

damn, I just wanted some batteries. I guess I need to get a consumer reports magazine to find out which batteries best suit my needs as a consumer first. I'll go buy a charger for them, I'm guessing that's the problem, they aren't charged.

The_vagabond7 said: damn, I just wanted some batteries. I guess I need to get a consumer reports magazine to find out which batteries best suit my needs as a consumer first. I'll go buy a charger for them, I'm guessing that's the problem, they aren't charged.

Don't care about the details, just buy a charger and be done with it. The only thing you should take care with is to only charge them when they're fully discharged, since they probably aren't lithium that would screw them pretty quickly.

If your batteries are NiMH type, any NiMH charger will do.

 

Also don't over charge them, especially if you have a cheap charger.

what's the difference between NiMH and mAh? I have mAh.