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[Vampirolol]

3 hours is probably based on dev kits, right? Is it reasonable to expect an improvement from retail versions?

Yes, but probably nothing more than 4 hours (in power saving mode) unless there is something we're missing. Just by looking at it you can guess it's not going to last 5 hours.

 

[ZOONAMI]

For someone asking for a comparison with other mobile devices, these are GFXBench benchmarks from Anandtech's iPad Pro 9.7" review.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/10286/the-97-ipad-pro-review/3

Lol at iPhone 6s battery life. Terrible.

 

[JoeM86]

Hope there's a high capacity battery for it, then

 

[Zee-Row]

If the dock gives it extra power wouldn't it be possible for Nintendo to come out with a "Pro" dock with better hardware that improves the power in console mode?

 

[Protome]

I'd bet the performance stuff is just that it runs slower on battery than on power, like laptops do by default. Not that the dock itself has any processing power.

 

[DrROBschiz]

Itll be 3-5 hours depending on how you use it


3 hours is probably Max brightness, intensive gameing with wifi

Try to compare this to modern gaming tablets of the same spec profile guys

 

[cyberheater]

Let's hope it's a short flight. LOL.

 

[Speely]

3 hours is probably based on dev kits, right? Is it reasonable to expect an improvement from retail versions?

Yeah, though Ubi prolly has final dev kits and so they are prolly pretty close. That said, if there was one thing a final dev kit could cut corners on and not hold up development, battery would be it.

 

[Phoenixus]

Hope there's a high capacity battery for it, then

Aye, the WiiU Gamepad one works wonders.

 

[Nategc20]

I really hope the three hours battery life estimate isn't accurate.

Why?

 

[Red Liquorice]

3 hour battery life = wait for second hardware iteration. Gotcha.

 

[Kabuki Quantum Lover]

3 hours should be long enough for dropping into rooftop parties.

 

[Chû Totoro]

Specs of dev kits are not the same as final product...
And battery is one of the things you can improve easily even at the last moment before massive distribution.
Also possible to sell bigger batteries separately.

PS: still wouldn't expect more than 5 hours (see iPad's battery duration while watching a movie, complicated to do a lot better than that imo).

 

[big_erk]

I think they will run into the problem that the switch won't fit into the dock if they add heft to the console

I guess third parties may sell a whole new dock for this too but we have yet to see if that's even possible

Good point. But you are right, they can sell their own dock to accommodate the battery. Wouldn't surprise me one bit.

 

[OCD Guy]

I really hope the dock giving more power won't result in devs getting sloppy with the "portable version" of games. Would be a real letdown if portable vers. of games runs and look noticeable worse.

the dock having additional processing power could be the difference between me buying or not buying this system

The dock has NO additional processing power.

Nintendo said: CLICK ME

"The dock is not the main console unit of Nintendo Switch. The main unit of Nintendo Switch is the unit that has the LCD screen, which the two Joy-Con controllers can be attached to and detached from. The main function of the Nintendo Switch Dock is to provide an output to the TV, as well as charging and providing power to the system."

I can't make this any clearer Any difference in performance will likely come from the Nvidia SOC down clocking while portable to promote better battery life. Any increase in performance while docked will not be from additional processing power on the dock itself.

 

[jmizzal]

3 hours?! DOA. this thing needs to be able to survive a 5-6 hr flight at the least.

gonna have to walk around with the tablet plugged into a battery backpack

You guys love throwing around DOA lol

 

[Gemeanie]

3 hours MAX...?
Wake me up when they release a revised/slim model.

 

[TLZ]

Meh. I'm ok with 3 hours, considering I'll use it in bed an hour or 2 right before sleeping or right after waking up.

I like Laura.

 

[rekameohs]

For someone asking for a comparison with other mobile devices, these are GFXBench benchmarks from Anandtech's iPad Pro 9.7" review.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/10286/the-97-ipad-pro-review/3

Yeah, nothing is good when playing graphically intense games.

Battery tech has really been a bottleneck on mobile tech advancement. I'd be okay with 3 hours. Sucks,but thems the breaks.

 

[Speely]

3 hours should be long enough for dropping into rooftop parties.

Haha

 

[Intel_89]

3 hours is probably based on dev kits, right? Is it reasonable to expect an improvement from retail versions?

Go away, you're making too much sense for someone in this thread.

 

[Mugsy]

But what if it IS 3hours zelda? Real 3 hours

New speedrun category for Zelda, beat the game before the power cuts off.

 

[alternade]

The expectation is going to be alot more than 3 hours since people have other tablets to compare it to. If thats true this thing is dead on arrival

 

[digita1alchemy]

Hopefully they'll offer a high capacity battery that triples battery life separately like with the Wii U gamepad. Or one that would get it to 5-6 hours at least. Triple is probably unrealistic.

The only reason they did this for Wii U was because there was empty space left in the battery compartment for a larger battery. Just empty, unused space. As for why it didn't come with a larger battery in the first place:

Ibuki:
Making it lighter was also important. The Engineering group took the lead in making it lighter. With Wii U GamePad we put in a lot of effort in reducing its weight. There is a part called a chassis to protect the screen, and at first we were planning on using materials like aluminum and magnesium. But ultimately we decided against those and used what's called a resin chassis to further reduce its weight. In that way, we chipped away one or two grams here and there.

Iwata:
We made it as light as possible without causing durability problems. There may be some that would think 500 grams is heavy for a controller, but the result of pecking away at it like that was something much lighter than at first.

Ibuki:
Yes. Any suggestions for a change in the design had to come with how many grams it would increase the weight. It was like: "I want a design like this." "How many grams will that increase the weight?" "Five grams." "Request denied!!"

Everyone:
(laughs)

Ibuki:
Five grams is about how much a 100-yen coin weighs! (laughs) (Editor's note: A US Nickel weighs five grams) We wanted the Wii U GamePad to weigh about 500 grams, so when we were approaching 500 and some grams, all suggestions that may put more weight on it were refused.

This is why the larger battery was only offered later, as an optional upgrade. I highly doubt there is any extra space inside the Switch for a larger battery.

 

[FTF]

3 hours is bad enough...but 3 hours max, that's really terrible.

 

[pastrami]

people are making this rumor on a dev kit a 100% true info disregarding anything.

yes it can very well be true, but it is unfair to give the system breath. May be the "doomed" cycle needs to happens again, like in every other system.

it is similar.

3 hours is similar to 3-5, why is it so hard to understand?

A Chevy Suburban gets 16/23mpg (huge SUV). A Toyota Camry gets 24/33mpg (midsize sedan). I guess a Suburban and a Camry have similar fuel efficiency right? Because 23 and 24 are pretty close?

 

[Faiz]

.

3 hours is similar to 3-5, why is it so hard to understand?

Because math exists? I have no idea how to answer that question any other way. Three hours max (which means less than or, at the very very outside of low load applications, equal to three hours) is in no way similar to 3-5 hours.

 

[kiguel182]

I only intend to play mine around the house. Even if I didn't I can't imagine being 3 hours without a plug near by.

I mean, I wish it had more but it's not a deal breaker.

 

[Shifty1897]

3 hours sounds about right. It doesn't affect me, the only time I would want a longer battery life is when I go camping.

 

[Triggerhappytel]

Three hours is fucking abysmal if true. The Vita does better than that.

 

[lenovox1]

So 3 hours is pretty much what's to be expected, for games like Zelda at least.

Pretty much.

It's also worth noting that the only thing rocking a solid 30fps in that test was the iPhone 6s.

 

[Sky Chief]

3 hours?! Christ... How the fuck do you even call that portable?

Hopefully 3rd party batteries will be able to save us

"It's a console first and foremost"

 

[JudgeN]

Battery tech hasn't been keeping up for years, this is and will be my major concern when you start pushing power in portable format. 3-5 wouldn't surprise me and its awful.

 

[Chobel]

Calling bullshit on this "additional processing" when docked.

 

[Milly Osworth]

3 hours should be long enough for dropping into rooftop parties.

You need more than 3 hours to even find a rooftop party.

 

[big_erk]

Hopefully you can change the internal battery out or put some kind of battery life extender on it.

I hear Samsung has a surplus of batteries right now. Maybe we can get some of those.

 

[Sectorseven]

So based on this thread, people game so little on the go that a 3 hour battery is sufficient, yet still enough to justify the over-design, cost increases and sacrifices of a 2 in 1 system?

 

[Wickerbasket]

So it has less battery life than a Game Gear? What were they thinking.

 

[Mpl90]

For someone asking for a comparison with other mobile devices, these are GFXBench benchmarks from Anandtech's iPad Pro 9.7" review.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/10286/the-97-ipad-pro-review/3

Oh, thanks, was waiting for something like this to be posted.

 

[DeuceGamer]

Hope there's a high capacity battery for it, then

Also hope it uses a USB style charger. Those portable battery packs would make it a lot less of a concern. At least for me.

 

[OCD Guy]

Calling bullshit on this "additional processing" when docked.

Do you know who you're talking about? Laura knows everything about the switch. It's impossible for her to be wrong.

It is kinda funny seeing people melt down about a figure plucked out of someone's ass with ZERO context.

Although Im seeing a lot of people that have no intention of buying this thing anyway (judging from their posts elsewhere) but they love to come in and shit post real quick.

 

[cyberheater]

Calling bullshit on this "additional processing" when docked.

The only thing it will do is unlock cores that are already there in the portable when running on mains.
On batteries those cores will be shut down to help with battery life.

 

[Candescence]

Three hours is fucking abysmal if true. The Vita does better than that.

Well, that's only expected when comparing the Switch to a weaker system with lower power output...

 

[ThatStupidLion]

Every plane I been on had a charger plug, are you gonna walk around the plane for 6 hours

You guys love throwing around DOA lol

what airline are you flying, mine typically dont. in fact the last flight I took I noticed them and was so surprised to see them, it was an international flight, which may be why.

 

[Herb Alpert]

The dock has NO additional processing power.

Nintendo said: CLICK ME




I can't make this any clearer Any difference in performance will likely come from the Nvidia SOC down clocking while portable to promote better battery life. Any increase in performance while docked will not be from additional processing power on the dock itself.

they said THE MAIN fonction. This could be a non answer.
Not holding my breath though.

 

[Gestault]

I'm coming closer to a conclusion that the hardware is so-so as a portable due to size, pieces, and potentially battery life, and it may not warrant the space around my entertainment setup for TV play without an incredibly strong software factor. I have a lot of devices that do similar things right now, and this isn't demonstrating the sort of jump that normally motivates me to reshuffle those.

Also, I'm assuming the base is just providing full electrical power for the CPU/GPU, and in mobile mode, it's clocked lower to extend battery life. That would explain Nintendo's statement and Dale's at the same time, unless I've missed something. If Dale is insisting that it's actually a co-processor, I'd be surprised if it were true.

 

[casey_contra]

Also hope it uses a USB style charger. Those portable battery packs would make it a lot less of a concern. At least for me.

I'm trying to figure this out right now. I tweeted at Emily and Laura but no response.

 

[73V3N]

And I wanted to sell my wii u for this lol

Thanks nintendo, now that can wait and i can keep using the wii u to play mk and smash Bros with my friends

 

[lenovox1]

The expectation is going to be alot more than 3 hours since people have other tablets to compare it to. If thats true this thing is dead on arrival

Other tablets last about 3 hours on heavy load.

 

[Thoraxes]

I basically expected 3DS life.

I'll wait till people test it with final units. Also sleep mode times.