Many families were trying to find things to do this summer with their kids, myself included, but the one thing that I noticed we did more of was playing games. We played board games, card games, outside games in the pool and different sport games, and yes, the very popular video games. I would venture to say that our game playing was at it’s all time high this summer! Our favorite game was our Wii system. We got some exercise in, drove a little, battled each other in strength and knowledge and had a great time growing as a family. We enjoy playing video games at home because other than the cost of a game, or even a rental from our favorite Family Video, and yes, we even took a few games out from our local library, the cost involved was very minimal overall. I was contacted by Performance Designed Products to have our family test out a few products and see how they enhanced our game play. PDP is a top name in video game accessories and has several products to keep kids entertained all summer and winter long.
As you may know from playing your own Wii games, the batteries in the controllers are eaten up so quickly. I was changing the batteries at least two to three times a month! Yes, we used our system a lot! When I received the Energizer 4X Charge Station for Wii controllers (retails for approximately $39.99) I was thrilled and excited beyond words! I don’t have to keep a stock of AA batteries in my house at all times. It is the simplest product to use. All you do is plug it in, replace your regular batteries with included rechargeable batteries and slide the controllers in the openings. The red/orange light means it is charging and the green light means its fully charged. It is the best recharging station that I have ever used. The other charging station that we received was the 2X Induction Charge Station (retails for approximately $49.99). This was another amazing little product because our old charging station did not allow for us to keep our silicone sleeves on, making charging the controllers a royal pain in the butt because we had to keep putting on and taking off that sleeve. Again, all you need to do is plug it in and put the controllers in the base and watch the lights change colors from uncharged to charged!
My family game night fun only just begun as the kids got to open their testable products. PDP has a NERF line of products and the kids were having a blast playing with those! I think I may need to get two more sets though! The kids have to take turns using the NERF products but I have found that the fighting over the product hasn’t even started! They are surprisingly taking what they learned in preschool about sharing and are putting it to action with these products. The NERF Sports Pack (retails for $19.99) comes with a fun add-ons for Baseball, Golf, and Tennis. Within the handle of the pack you place your Wii controller and then simply attach it to which ever sport accessory you are playing at the time. I thought it would be difficult for the kids to take apart and change but they seem to have figured it out better than me! Driving has never been more fun with NERF’s driving wheel (retails for $9.99). It is made using that special NERF foam, gosh I love that foam. I think that NERF foam is loved by all, really, who doesn’t love NERF foam products? Each kid gave their thumbs up to these sporty accessories!
My son was over the moon with his Transformer DS kit (retails for $19.99). The kit comes with it’s armor, that wraps or encases the Nintendo DS to protect it from elements and those endless, “Oops, I dropped it” moments. It also comes with a “really cool” matching stylus. He takes his DS everywhere and I am so glad that he loves this kit. If you have a child who is constantly dropping their system, you really need to pick one of these up! It also comes in the “Bumblebee” style.
All in all the products that we (myself and my three children) tested exceeded our expectations. I loved the recharging systems while the kids loved the NERF Wii and Nintendo DS products. It was a happy medium and completely helped in making our game nights more fun! Just knowing we had controllers that worked was all I needed![
Our fun doesn’t stop here though because we are going to be giving away some of the same products to one lucky reader! The details for this giveaway will be posted on Monday. Moms With A View and PDP will be giving away the following products: – NERF Racing Wheel, – NERF Sports Pack, – Transformers Stylus and Armor, and the – Energizer Induction Charger. Get your camera’s ready so you can share with us how you spent your summer!