3DS battery life is 3-to-5 hours for 3DS games

[LordTheNightKnight]

thismeintiel said:

LordTheNightKnight said:

thismeintiel said:

Exactly.  While someone did clarify that "soft" actually meant software, the last two sentences of the translation also point to the 3-5 hrs not being the worst case scenario.

"The approximate battery life. May be less depending on operating conditions."

Now think about playing in 3-D mode.  Do you want it to be on the lowest brightness setting?  I know I wouldn't.  The 3-D wouldn't really look good.  It would have to be on a higher setting for it to really "pop."  Now, think about everyone who buys the 3DS for 3-D gaming.  I mean that's what its major appeal is.  Now, think how mad those people are going to be if they can only get 1-2 hrs out of the 3-D feature on a higher brightness setting.  Battery life is the same reason the Game Gear failed.  And I'm not going to claim the 3DS will fail, cause I don't think it will.  But, it will hurt sales.  Especially if Sony can release the PSP2 later this year superior graphics, and it can get 5-8 hrs of life with only a 1-2 hr charge.

Although with the rumored specs, that doesn't look that likely, as Sony is still on the "graphics is what sells" kick.

They just need a larger capacity battery.  Yes it would cost Sony a little more, but if they see low battery life is hurting sales of the 3DS, I doubt they will make the same mistake.  And there are always ways to cut battery use, just as the PS3 Slim pumps the same graphics as a fat PS3, but uses much less power.

That is the key. It's not that they can't do it, but too often won't.