Short Battery Life for Nintendo 3DS Means Game Over Comes Quickly
At the end of February, Nintendo will finally launch its 3DS handheld console in Japan, followed by a worldwide release in March. As those release dates near, Nintendo has begun serving up additional details about its 3D-capable gaming device, including battery life.
According to Nintendo's recently updated product page, you can expect just 3 hours and 30 minutes of run time in 3D mode. If you're playing regular DS titles in 2D mode, things are a little better with 5 to 8 hours of rated run time, but both of these figures are approximate values and will vary "depending on the brightness of the screen," Nintendo says.
We don't want to make a mountain out of a mole hill, but we can't help but be a little bit disappointed with these numbers, especially if they turn out to be high estimates based on unrealistic gaming conditions (ultra low brightness while playing less demanding games, for example). For comparison, the DSi XL is rated at 13 to 17 hours of run time (lowest brightness setting), while the regular DSi claims 9 to 14 hours.
According to Nintendo's recently updated product page, you can expect just 3 hours and 30 minutes of run time in 3D mode. If you're playing regular DS titles in 2D mode, things are a little better with 5 to 8 hours of rated run time, but both of these figures are approximate values and will vary "depending on the brightness of the screen," Nintendo says.
We don't want to make a mountain out of a mole hill, but we can't help but be a little bit disappointed with these numbers, especially if they turn out to be high estimates based on unrealistic gaming conditions (ultra low brightness while playing less demanding games, for example). For comparison, the DSi XL is rated at 13 to 17 hours of run time (lowest brightness setting), while the regular DSi claims 9 to 14 hours.
