That's true - you should never charge batteries that aren't intended for it. The protective lining which seals the electrolyte in the cell is typically not strong enough to withstand a charge. They'll definitely vent, and either leak or catch fire. The batteries should include a message on the cell itself to not charge them. At the moment, NiMH cells are probably the best bet if you want rechargeables for the Wii remote. They come in a good range of power densities and the the required AA size. Just remember to use a NiMH charger; NI-CD charges can't properly detect the peak and can overheat the cells potentially causing a fire. Personally, with use from myself and my wife (and a number of friends on the weekends) it takes at least two weeks to kill a set of alkaline batteries. We haven't really timed the NiMH cells, since we charge them when we're not using the unit. I'm looking forward to picking up one of those charging stations, so we can just sit them in the charger without taking the cells out.

Don't answer Kwaad, he has a disturbed mind. How clueless someone can be to think that people that don't put $3000+ of batteries in their digital camera will put that amount in batteries for a wiimote ? If we'd believe Kwaad, people don't buy rechargeable batteries for their camcorder or camera, which is just plain BS of course. Guess what, they'll do exactly the same thing for their wiimote. And it will be far less expensive than what you described, which is the worst nonsense someone can come up with. Your mind is seriously destroyed to even think of stupid things like that, really. You lack every bit of common sense, it's frightening. Instead of saying nonsense, try saying something worthy for a change. For example, your batteries life. Every people I heard talk about their battery life with the wiimote said they average at 25 hours with those provided (with nunchaku attached I think). I'm not sure for rechargeable batteries, but IIRC it's the same .