Nintendo chief says 3DS much more battery-hungry
updated 10:20 am EDT, Fri October 8, 2010
Nintendo 3DS to use up more battery life than DS
Nintendo's upcoming 3DS portable gaming system will have a shorter battery life than the current DS, company president Satoru Iwata said recently, according to remarks in an investor Q&A session. The handheld's more hardware-intensive 3D support and larger main screen all affect battery life compared to the slower, smaller design. To help alleviate issues with this, Nintendo will ship the device with a charging cradle and the company may tell users to place the 3DS into the cradle whenever they get a chance to keep the battery topped up.
"As for the battery, it is inevitable that Nintendo 3DS will be a device which requires more frequent recharging than Nintendo DS," Iwata is quoted by Kotaku as having told the investors.
The shortened running time may compound the 3DS' issues. It has already been delayed to late February after the company had originally planned to ship it this year. A Japanese price equivalent to $300 has also had some concerned that it may compete too closely with the fourth generation iPod touch, which has the advantage of a faster processor, more storage and an ecosystem designed for cheaper and more readily available games online rather than retail stores.
