3DS Battery Life: "3 to 5 hours"

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Nohbdy

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By touting such a low battery life, Nintendo is doing themselves a huge disservice. I wish they'd get their facts straight, which is what I'm trying to do here.

From their Japanese 3DS specs page (when run through Google Translate):

http://babelfish.yahoo.com/translat...e/spec/index.html&lp=ja_en&btnTrUrl=Translate

Nintendo 3DS approximately three hours to five hours if you play soft
Nintendo DS when you play our games for about 5 hours to 8 hours
The battery life varies depending on the brightness of the screen.
The approximate battery life. May be less depending on operating conditions.
Click to expand...

You find this in the second to last point from the bottom.
 
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the battery life of most electronics depends on the brightness of the screen.. i don't see what the problem is
 
[quote name='Scorch']the battery life of most electronics depends on the brightness of the screen.. i don't see what the problem is[/QUOTE]

The problem is plenty of websites out there are not pointing out this detail and it's bringing out the trolls in droves.
 
That can't be right AT ALL. 3-5 hours? I'm guessing that was meant to read 13-15 because the PSP, with the UMD running, gets 5-6 hours easily, more depending on screen brightness.
 
Since the specs Nintendo provided declare the battery life to be between 3-5 hours when playing 3DS games, I'm liable to belief that the battery life when playing 3DS games will be between 3-5 hours. For all we know, the brightness levels are what's causing the 2 hour gap...3 hours at max brightness, 5 hours at lowest.

Once the features started coming out for this thing, I didn't expect it's battery life to be all that great...always on wifi...having to generate 2 different images for the 3-d thing...those things eat up a lot of power.
 
[quote name='SynGamer']That can't be right AT ALL. 3-5 hours? I'm guessing that was meant to read 13-15 because the PSP, with the UMD running, gets 5-6 hours easily, more depending on screen brightness.[/QUOTE]

Say what you will about Sony but they know how to make hardware. If they can only compete with Nintendo's first party titles.....
 
[quote name='laaj']Say what you will about Sony but they know how to make hardware. If they can only compete with Nintendo's first party titles.....[/QUOTE]

I was in no way disrespecting Sony or the PSP. Merely stating a fact that the UMD drive is universally known to be a battery drain.
 
[quote name='laaj']Say what you will about Sony but they know how to make hardware. If they can only compete with Nintendo's first party titles.....[/QUOTE]

You act like he's saying something bad about Sony? Go Troll somewhere else.
 
[quote name='mission42']You act like he's saying something bad about Sony? Go Troll somewhere else.[/QUOTE]

You need a lesson in reading comprehension. Read my post again.
 
[quote name='62t']just wait for 3DS Lite which will be smaller and have better battery life[/QUOTE]

And maybe a cheaper price. That sounds like a good plan.
 
3-5 hours WITH the brightness lowered. WTF? If it weren't from Nintendo themselves I would think it to be a joke. That's just terrible. And of course, they didn't say how long it lasts with high brightness. Is that because it may be as low as 1-2 hours? Jesus. And people were in an uproar about the PSP's battery time when it was nowhere near this bad.

Also, the Japanese launch lineup sucks. I probably won't be getting this at launch as planned...
 
None of this will matter. This will sell out, people will buy it in droves, then about a year later Nintendo will release a 3DS lite that will get better battery life and a 10% bigger screen.

And it'll come in 3 colors. ;)
 
As much as this sucks I'm probably still gonna order one come the 19th when we get details. I'm basically always near some sort of outlet anyways.
 
I'm with cochese. I play my DS primarily at home, and it won't be too big a deal to put it on the cradle when I'm not playing. If it's a big enough deal, I'll buy another charger for the other areas in my home I play, so I can play plugged in.

Will they come out with an upgraded unit with better battery life a year or so down the road? Yes. Can I wait until then? Heck no.
 
[quote name='Scorch']the battery life of most electronics depends on the brightness of the screen.. i don't see what the problem is[/QUOTE]
That it's much shorter than what people have come to expect from Nintendo handhelds?
 
[quote name='FriskyTanuki']That it's much shorter than what people have come to expect from Nintendo handhelds?[/QUOTE]

Indeed at 3-5 hours that is in Game Gear territory. Interesting...
 
I find the OP's reasoning fro this topic to be funny. Like he is doing Nintendo a service by being a fanboy.
 
[quote name='utopianmachine']will they come out with an upgraded unit with better battery life a year or so down the road? Yes. Can i wait until then? Heck no.[/quote]

word.
 
[quote name='seanr1221']They said according to Nintendo so take it as you will.[/QUOTE]

I take it as Kotaku being bullshit as usual and you needing to find a better place to get your news.
 
Jesus, calm down. No one knows the real numbers until it comes out anyway. It's not like this news will crush sales and destroy Nintendo. 99% of people who are buying the 3DS won't even know.
 
[quote name='seanr1221']They said according to Nintendo so take it as you will.[/QUOTE]
Kotaku did the same thing the OP did and came away with something different, so they don't know anything more than anybody else does.
 
My original batteries from my original Phat Game Boy are still keeping the system running. I turn it on from time to time to play some Wario Land too.
 
I don't see where the complaints are coming from: is an electrical outlet really that hard to find if you're going to play for such a long time? Where and what are you doing if you're going to play for 3-5 hours straight without access to an electrical outlet? And how often are you in that kind of situation?

Didn't get to charge it overnight? Car charger. If you're careful with your technology (even remotely) battery shouldn't even be that big a problem.
 
[quote name='The Holy Pretzle']I don't see where the complaints are coming from: is an electrical outlet really that hard to find if you're going to play for such a long time? Where and what are you doing if you're going to play for 3-5 hours straight without access to an electrical outlet? And how often are you in that kind of situation?

Didn't get to charge it overnight? Car charger. If you're careful with your technology (even remotely) battery shouldn't even be that big a problem.[/QUOTE]
Having to charge the battery more frequently means that its battery life gets shorter and starting with a small life at launch isn't great for long-term use of the device. also, people tend to not like having to be tethered to an outlet to use their portable electronics because it doesn't last that long, especially with as long of a recharge time as the 3DS has.
 
[quote name='seanr1221']They said according to Nintendo so take it as you will.[/QUOTE]
The only source on the Kotaku story is Nintendo's Japanese site, and the author of that article doesn't speak Japanese.
 
Not surprised, I just hope there is a way to charge it via USB so I can hook the USB method into my Wii while my Wii is on standby and charge up my 3DS :D.
 
Maybe it's just me, but 3D on the go just isn't doing it for me. I just want improved graphics, touch/stylus, online/multiplayer/wifi, and most importantly, the same or better battery life. I'll pass until a 'lite' version is announced and we see what changes they make.
 
[quote name='Dead of Knight']
Also, the Japanese launch lineup sucks. I probably won't be getting this at launch as planned...[/QUOTE]

I'm interested, but I have some expenses coming up with a home theatre and Kinetik Festival and possibly a pinball machine, so I will not be buying at launch either.
 
[quote name='62t']just wait for 3DS Lite which will be smaller and have better battery life[/QUOTE]

This is what I'll be doing

So now the three major factors that are preventing me from buying a 3DS

1) Price - $250 - $300 is console level pricing. Stupidly high for a hand held system, but I know many people will buy it because they want the latest and greatest things. Hell look at Kinect.

2) Battery Life - Nothing short of 7+ hours for a portable system is acceptable unless you plan on playing it in your house 24/7.

3) Heavy console user - I use my 360 for 90% of my gaming, and found myself buying DS games less and less each year. So this look like a big pass.
 
I think the 3D effects will be awesome enough to warrant a purchase by a fan even if they have to play plugged in all the time. Like others have said, this will sell faster than they can manufacture them... The big N is not worried.
 
[quote name='SynGamer']Maybe it's just me, but 3D on the go just isn't doing it for me. I just want improved graphics, touch/stylus, online/multiplayer/wifi, and most importantly, the same or better battery life.[/QUOTE]

Yep. 3D is fucking stupid and I'll probably always play with it turned off except in very special circumstances.

Not liking what I'm reading about the 3DS so far
Click to expand...

Yep.

I'm waiting for the next version.
Click to expand...

Definitely.
 
I must say, after rocking a DS Lite for 3-4 years and then upgrading to a DSi, even the DSi's shorter battery life has bothered me, and it still gets a good 6+ hours. It's just they set such a good precedent with the DS Lite that anything significantly lower is hard to accept.

I'm still intrigued by the 3DS and I'm eager to see the 3D for myself, but I'm not as sold on it as I have been on other systems in the past. I have no doubt in my mind it's going to be a success, of course.
 
I'll definitely be trying my best to get one on Day 1. I want everything shown from the Nintendo 1st party lineup as well as the stuff from Level 5. That alone makes it worth purchasing ASAP.
 
http://kotaku.com/5738668/short-cords-long-friend-lists-and-other-burning-3ds-questions-answered

The system will take about 3 1/2 hours to charge and then last about three to five hours on a full charge. That's with the 3D effects activated. The company guesses that people who keep the 3D turned off could get as many as eight hours. Turning off the system's wireless via a switch, lowering its brightness settings or even running it in a dimmer power-save mode will all help the machine last longer. The system charges off of a power cord or while sitting in a plugged-in "cradle."
Click to expand...

Up to 8 hours with max brightness is quite impressive. There's a Power Save feature that desaturates the colors (makes the screen appear dimmer) to extend life even longer. You can it briefly in here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrI7uTMjGic
 
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