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3DS battery life - 3-to-5 hrs for 3DS games; 3.5hr to charge[Various Realworld Tests]
- Thread starter Amir0x
- Start date
Holy shit, the ignorance in these last few posts has made my brain start dribbling out of my ears.
Have you seen how big the aftermarket batteries are? They increase the thickness of the system to almost twice of what it was originally.
Nintendo chose form-factor over battery life, and I think that's perfectly acceptable. Some of you people need to calm the fuck down.
Have you seen how big the aftermarket batteries are? They increase the thickness of the system to almost twice of what it was originally.
Nintendo chose form-factor over battery life, and I think that's perfectly acceptable. Some of you people need to calm the fuck down.
poppabk
Cheeks Spread for Digital Only Future
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2179701,00.aspkrypt0nian said:
"With Wi-Fi on, and the screen constantly on (meaning Auto-Lock is disabled) and audio playing, we got a reasonable four hours and 25 minutes."
This is just playing music - you think you lose less than an hour playing games?
"For video playback with the screen brightness at maximum and with no Wi-Fi on, we got one hour and 41 minutes"
So games are substantially less of a drain than playing video?
The iPad is huge compared to the 3DS. Doesn't it have 2 batteries in it? That's hardly a fair comparison, especially when it costs twice as much to buy. Should Nintendo have made the system a bit thicker for a larger battery? Absolutely; but that was an intelligent decision that most of us disagree with, it wasn't stupid. It sucks that the 3DS is overpriced and (for me anyway) requires an aftermarket solution, but it was obviously something Nintendo considered and thought that a slimmer system was more important than getting a few more hours of battery life.
Kai Dracon
Writing a dinosaur space opera symphony
krypt0nian said:
...
...
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You do realize, that the 3DS is not playing mp3s. It's not even playing back video.
It is expected to play console level video games + wifi + network play + 3D graphics.
Of course, Apple is magical; that's why iPod Touches and iPhones get 8 hours of battery life playing the most demanding 3D games with wifi play and maximum brightness - oh wait, no, they don't.
krypt0nian said:
The bigger battery requires a new bottom which makes the 3DS bigger. Again its down to whether they thought bulk was worth the extra battery life.
PSP had as bad if not worse battery life then 3DS, so how was nomad the last handheld that shouldn't have been released on current battery tech based on your reasoning that 3DS shouldn't be?
Also once again, 3DS can run all the new games for around 8 hours if you lower brightness and turn off 3D and WiFi. So if you think Nintendo should have chosen battery life over bells and whistles, well then their you go, you can turn off those bells and whistles and get the battery life you desire. Unless your going to complain about 8 hours..
krypt0nian
Banned
Hatty said:
It's actually the opposite of portable if you're worrying about recharging more than gaming, not to mention the ridiculous recharging rate. You already have users that are going to play it in the house.
This should have been allowed to mature until the tech was ready for it.
Barack Lesnar
Banned
Kaijima said:
To be fair, the "console level graphics" you're referring to date back to like 2001, although I'm assuming it has to render 2x?
krypt0nian said:
Or Nintendo could have allowed certain battery hogging features to be turned down/off for much better battery life.. oh wait they did, something you keep ignoring.
Also notice you've dropped the Apple battery bragging argument now that poppabk brought some rather embarrassing facts into the discussion.
There's no way Nintendo could have won either way. If they had completely eschewed 3D for improved graphics, the system would only see a marginal boost (about 25% boost as reported for 3D turned off) in battery life. And no one wants a bulkier system as a first iteration.
When NGP rolls around, no doubt we're going to have the same arguements. Nintendo was just unlucky in this regard that they're the first out of the gate.
When NGP rolls around, no doubt we're going to have the same arguements. Nintendo was just unlucky in this regard that they're the first out of the gate.
AceBandage
Banned
Billychu said:
As great as the DS was, I really didn't want to play it for another 10 or so years while they make some kind of new battery.
Me neither. Despite being one of my favorite consoles of all time, it feels a bit dated. Sprite based games are my favorite style so I'm happy that the screen's resolution is better. But the 3D models were the downfall of the DS. I didn't think the N64 looked great when it came out, and I certainly didn't think the DS needed so many polygonal games.AceBandage said:
Kai Dracon
Writing a dinosaur space opera symphony
Heavy said:
That the graphixx do not look like Uncharted 3 doesn't have any relation to what generation of technology the chips in the dang thing are from. It's portable technology. Different curve.
But it does have to double up rendering when the 3D is on, besides the fact that the screen itself draws more power when 3D is on.
A facet to this issue is that people seem to look at dry numbers on a page, without considering real world context. I wonder how many are thinking "but I played my DSi all day, that's like TEN HOURS! All I did was shut the lid every 20 minutes to pause my game..."
None of the DS systems have had like, Gameboy or Gameboy Advance battery life if reamed straight through in a white knuckle gaming session. However, the DS introduced the wonderful feature of easy sleep mode by closing the lid, probably the most common way it is used when out and about... effectively lengthening a daily charge in a way that people don't really notice. A DSi under full load with a heavy game, wifi on, max brightness, does not get 5 hours of continuous run time.
Honestly, the only real criticism of the 3DS here that is not a critique shared by the previous systems, is its recharge time. That's the bug in the honey; and it's obvious that's what Nintendo was really worried about, with their heavy emphasis on cradling it at all times it is not in use.
zeioIIDX
Member
It's 3-5 hours...depending on brightness, wi-fi, 3D. Aside from going on long trips in a plane/train/automobile, does the majority here honestly play a portable away from a charge source...for longer than 3-5 hours? It's not that bad, IMO. If you are not playing it, charge the bitch. If you know you're gonna go do laundry later and want to bring your 3DS, make sure the thing is sitting on it's cradle charging for a while before you leave. Maybe bring the AC adapter with you.
I know, I know...it's a portable, you shouldn't have to do that. But most people I've known carry their portable around in a case and usually there is room for several games and even the slim AC adapter of the DS/DSi. The other thing is that unless you have problems seeing, the brightness doesn't really have to be set to max. You don't have to play with 3D the whole time. And unless you're a StreetPass junkie, Wi-Fi can obviously be turned off to save some power consumption.
It just kinda seems like some people are overreacting by canceling preorders on the thing because they can only get 5 hours out of the battery before they have to place it back on a cradle....or plug it into the wall and continue playing. If you were truly excited for the system and the experience of having the 3DS at launch (which I assume you are if you preordered it), you probably also know that Nintendo will make a revision and that you'll more than likely be able to trade in your 3DS towards it to get a nice chunk taken off the price. The revision will most likely be slightly cheaper as well. Every time there's been a revision such as the SP, DS Light, DSi, I traded in the previous system and had to pay maybe $40-$60 at most for the revision. I personally prefer doing that as opposed to not being able to play the thing for a year or longer so I can wait for the cheaper/sleaker update.
Then again, it's just my opinion that the battery life is okay. I just know based on the way I play portables, where I play them, and when I play them that 3-5 hours will serve me just fine until a revision comes out. I know people have their preferences as far as brightness settings and Wi-Fi go and I guess you shouldn't have to be inconvenienced with carrying along your portable's charger, haha....but is it really bad enough to truly make you want to change your mind about buying the system at launch? Obviously there are other factors as well such as the launch lineup...but that's for another thread.
I know, I know...it's a portable, you shouldn't have to do that. But most people I've known carry their portable around in a case and usually there is room for several games and even the slim AC adapter of the DS/DSi. The other thing is that unless you have problems seeing, the brightness doesn't really have to be set to max. You don't have to play with 3D the whole time. And unless you're a StreetPass junkie, Wi-Fi can obviously be turned off to save some power consumption.
It just kinda seems like some people are overreacting by canceling preorders on the thing because they can only get 5 hours out of the battery before they have to place it back on a cradle....or plug it into the wall and continue playing. If you were truly excited for the system and the experience of having the 3DS at launch (which I assume you are if you preordered it), you probably also know that Nintendo will make a revision and that you'll more than likely be able to trade in your 3DS towards it to get a nice chunk taken off the price. The revision will most likely be slightly cheaper as well. Every time there's been a revision such as the SP, DS Light, DSi, I traded in the previous system and had to pay maybe $40-$60 at most for the revision. I personally prefer doing that as opposed to not being able to play the thing for a year or longer so I can wait for the cheaper/sleaker update.
Then again, it's just my opinion that the battery life is okay. I just know based on the way I play portables, where I play them, and when I play them that 3-5 hours will serve me just fine until a revision comes out. I know people have their preferences as far as brightness settings and Wi-Fi go and I guess you shouldn't have to be inconvenienced with carrying along your portable's charger, haha....but is it really bad enough to truly make you want to change your mind about buying the system at launch? Obviously there are other factors as well such as the launch lineup...but that's for another thread.
Arpharmd B
Banned
Why am I the only person who enjoyed Nomad, Game Gear, PSP, despite their small battery life? I must be some kind of sane person who doesn't mind AC adaptors, Car chargers, or recharging stations.
I have absolutely no problem at all with the battery life of the 3DS since I'm not going to take it out of the house. What I have a huge issue with is the charge time of this thing, 3.5 fucking hours? Jeez maybe I've been spoilt by the iPhone but that's not on at all, the charge time is unacceptable.
AceBandage
Banned
Magnus said:
Not insane, just unrealistic.
You can have one:
1. Power
2. Batter Life
You can not have both with current technology.
rollingstart
Banned
WonkersTHEWatilla said:
No one in this thread arguing for the 3DS will be arguing for the PSP2. Generally the saner ones here are expressing disappointment about an issue with the 3DS, like they should for the PSP2. The people defending it are trying to either protecting an inanimate object or a company; pick your sadness.
The battery life isn't good; that isn't debatable. Whether that's important depends on the person, no matter how many people are trying to tell you "If you turn off the system, it has unlimited battery life!"
I personally don't find it to be an issue with how I play portables. The last time battery life hindered my experience was Ys 7 on the PSP because it would constantly play (awesome) music off the UMD. Really great, addicting and lengthy games that constantly reading an optical disk is a bad bad bad.
Mailenstein
Member
I guess they redesigned it for the NDS systems. You know, USB and NDS differ in voltage needs.VOOK said:
plagiarize
Banned
the battery life is nothing new for those of use that are truly platform agnostic in our portables. the PSP 1000 had this battery life. the PSP-Go has this sort of battery life. as someone that has a Go, and had a 1000, i can absolutely say that this sort of battery life is acceptable for me, and the way i use my devices.Linkzg said:
yeah, i laughed at the PSP's battery life in comparison to the DS before i had one, but i realised that it was almost never an issue when i got one.
i'll be arguing for the NGP's battery life if it's around these levels too. mark my words.
but hey, i guess i'm 'insane' because i found the battery life on the PSP fine in the YEARS i spent playing on the PSP.
Frankfurter
Member
AceBandage said:
That's just plain out wrong. Nintendo could've made the 3DS a tiny bit thicker (say ~0.2cm, so a bit less than 0.1 inches) and used that space for the battery (+ the space that's already used). The result of this probably would've been a ~100% increase in battery life (i.e. 6-8 hours with 3D on and ~15 with 3D off), while portability would've decreased by a bit (due to the thicker device and the weight increase).
I'm not saying that they should've done this btw., I'm just pointing out that it is not at all unrealistic to have both power and good battery life.
rollingstart
Banned
plagiarize said:
You misunderstood me. I'm saying the people getting angry at others for showing concern about the battery life are nutty. Pretty sure I said I have no problem with the battery life either, but I'm not about to yell at people and tell them they're wrong because they don't feel the same way.
krypt0nian said:
Crap, that wind, oil, coal power is sooo Sega Nomad level bad tech. I wish we had cold fusion for our energy needs too. Reality has a way of getting in the way of our childish demands. Sorry.
Frankfurter said:
Are you just making this up or do you have supporting and reputable links to this tech?
Minsc
Gold Member
Father_Brain said:
FWIW, it does a good number on it, but on "normal" settings (max brightness hurts my eyes) Infinity Blade runs for ~4:15 hours on the iPhone 4 (I did an thorough test a while back) (and that's with WiFi and Bluetooth on).
There's a few options for those on a 12 hour flight / ride. Bring a battery pack - they make USB battery packs, so even the iPhone 4 could run for ~ 16 hours with a small device, or better yet hope you're traveling on a flight/train with USB ports for charging. Not a big deal for me, I usually just take an extra battery pack myself.
I've joked about the PSP before, but since I've gotten a PSP, I picked up an extended battery pack, and the thing goes for a week without even needing charging, playing an hour or two a night. As long as the standby time on the devices is very good and I don't have to constantly stay on top of charging if I'm not using it for a week or two, I'll be happy.
AceBandage
Banned
Billychu said:
Pretty much the same as with the DSi.
You get like a day or so in sleep mode with WiFi on.
Dreamwriter
Member
You have a wild imagination thereFrankfurter said:
Let's see, take a 10mm thick battery, make it 2mm thicker, and that somehow doubles its power?AceBandage
Banned
WiFi off on Medium brightness is probably like 6 hours or so, I'd think.
Or a flight from New York to LA.
Or a flight from New York to LA.
AceBandage
Banned
Oh, with WiFi off in sleep mode you're probably looking at like a week.
I know my old DSPhat could go forever in sleep mode.
I know my old DSPhat could go forever in sleep mode.
Jim E. Rossler
Banned
I ordered 3 extra battery packs for the 3ds.
Crazy prepared.
Crazy prepared.
DSLite does not have manual WiFi switch. In fact, it is activate by the game, which was considered problematic in plane flights. DSi and forward started using system controlled WiFi (can be deactivated entirely at will), with the 3DS the first to have its own WiFi switch.Billychu said:
If, for a DSLite, you can get 10 hours of battery life with the screen set at second to brightest, the DSi got you at least 6 with the battery at 3 (= to DSLite's second to brightnes). Turning off your WiFi (which is always on in DSi unless deactivated) will yield you a few more hours.
I will need to have the 3DS to do some tests. Starting April, I'm going to post results with SSFIV in demo mode. (Somebody should recommend me a polygonal intensive game for the DS. I keep thinking Nanostray 2.)
AceBandage said:
Then my DSi must be godly. I can definitely push a week in sleep mode with WiFi on. I switch between my dorm/home often, but I constantly leave my DSi at home with sleep mode/WiFi on. Granted, the battery would probably quickly turn red after that week in sleep mode, but it wouldn't be completely shut off. But it can definitely last more than a day with WiFi on and still be in the green with regards to battery power.AceBandage
Banned
MooMoo said:
Hmm, is the DSi constantly searching for data via WiFi like the 3DS is?
I honestly don't know.
I'm still rocking a DSPhat.
Dunno if that would be an effect or not, but I could have sworn someone on here said the in sleep mode the 3DS got like a day with WiFi on in sleep mode.
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