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Wii U gamepad takes 2.5 hours to charge, works 3-5hours

LJ11

Member
Tablets aren't constantly receiving video streaming from another device though. How much time does it take for an iPad to run out of battery streaming Netflix?

Depending on brightness I get over 5 hours pretty easily.
 

AndTAR

Member
I'm sure they've saved on battery size to minimize weight. I'm satisfied.

I'll just plug it in when the battery warning sounds, to keep playing indefinitely.
 
Don't care much about the Wii U regardless but I'll just play with the thing plugged in. No big deal. Assuming they don't make me purchase a reasonably long cord just so I can play for a few hours without worrying about my controller dying.
 

big_z

Member
For comparison, Ipad3 gets ~5.75 hours at medium brightness playing games.

80% of the ipads innards is battery. streaming video and running a screen eats battery like mad and with nintendos cost cutting its probably only using a single 3ds battery in it.
 
LOL at you guys who play a system for over 5 hours per sitting without charging. This is only a problem for a handheld. How can you care about this news.
 

Cartman86

Banned
What's the charging cable? Better be standard Mini-B or Micro USB or include the cable with the controller (a really long one).
 

Culex

Banned
But then again, the WiiU gamepad doesn't have a crazy power-hungry A5X processor and a 10 inch 2048 x 1536 display. 3 hours is beyond pathetic.

Considering what's packed into the Wii U Gamepad, and the fact that it's constantly streaming, 3 to 5 hours isn't too bad. Ipad also is much more expensive, therefore containing better tech.

You have to make sacrifices somewhere.
 
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Acheteedo

Member
80% of the ipads innards is battery. streaming video and running a screen eats battery like mad and with nintendos cost cutting its probably only using a single 3ds battery in it.

It's hardly as battery consuming as rendering the graphics.
 

Alexios

Cores, shaders and BIOS oh my!
People really play for much longer periods without breaks? Just set it to charge every time you stop playing and it'll probably be good outside the very occasional long session. It's not a portable that you take with you to places that may not give you access to power outlets (yet the current portables hold a very similar charge, which is in fact quite bad for them). I always set my mouse on the charger when I'm not on the PC even though it's not really necessary but maybe that's just me.

As for the size of the battery, I imagine the issue was the necessity to keep it light and easy to hold/move, unlike the iPad.
 

Eusis

Member
It's hardly as battery consuming as rendering the graphics.
I dunno, it could still be really demanding on power for streaming at a very high quality with little to no lag.

People saying they want a version without the Pad are crazy, if they do that then that thing's going to get too little support and it'll basically be treated as a Nintendo branded Xbox 360+. HOWEVER, they should definitely put in a "turn off the screen entirely" option to make it exactly the same as a Pro Controller, I imagine things would flip around instantly and we'd have an absurd battery life, much like when you use an iPod Touch only for music.
 

Acheteedo

Member
People really play for much longer without breaks? Just set it to charge every time you stop playing and it'll probably be good outside the very occasional long session.

Looks like you get a 1:1 to 1:2 charge time to play time, so if you take a 5 minute break you're going to get at most an extra 10 minutes of battery.
 

jett

D-Member
...wat? That thing is fucking HUGE, more than enough space for a proper battery. Nintendo unsurprisingly skimping on costs again. Bad news for Wii U just don't stop.
 

Somnid

Member
Man I wish this was a problem for me. I can't even think about the last time I had 3 uninterrupted hours to sit down and play continuously.
 

jmdajr

Member
Out of all my controllers the wii batteries always seem to last the least...
They seemed to do just fine on the wavebird.

but that's just for double a.
 

Fox318

Member
I wonder what the parts will cost Nintendo to produce the Wii-U and controller?

111.34 for the system
12.02 for the controller.
 

Poyunch

Member
For me that's fine. I've got to take a good look at myself if I spend a third or more of my day playing video games.
 

Eusis

Member
Looks like you get a 1:1 to 1:2 charge time to play time, so if you take a 5 minute break you're going to get at most an extra 10 minutes of battery.
I have to admit, a fast charge would alleviate this a lot. Who cares if it's only 3-5 hours of playtime if 1 hour could fully charge, or at least get it MOSTLY charged with an extra half hour for the very last step or whatever?

Actually, it may function like that anyway, which would help.
 

Pre

Member
This probably would have concerned me if I was still the kind of person who regularly gamed for 5+ hours at a time.
 
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