Not me. Battery life was a huge factor in ''every'' handheld they had.

I think some can't read at all.

That's not what it actually says, at least according to a google translation:

Nintendo 3DS approximately three hours to five hours if you play soft
Nintendo DS when you play our games for about 5 hours to 8 hours
The battery life varies depending on the brightness of the screen ※.
※ The approximate battery life. May be less depending on operating conditions.

In other words, this is not a "worst case" and could be lower depending on the conditions. And in fact on the DSi page they do not just list the worst case, they show a spectrum of cases. To me this sounds like battery life is going to be significantly worse than DSi.

wow and everybody whas critizizing about the psp battery life that whas about 6 to 7 hours whahhaha 3 to 5 is even worse!

This is epic fail. 3DS is going to go the way of the Sega Game Gear.  Great handheld but ruined by the fact it cannot truly be used as a device on the go.  If battery technology was not ready for 3d graphics then Nintendo should have come up with some other gaming innovation for the DS successor.  However, it is not just 3D that is the issue here.  Even DS games do not last as long as they do on the DSi.  Which in turn was worse than the DS Lite.  I think Nintendo has lost the plot and forgotten what was probably the biggest factor in fighting off all its older hand held challengers.

I think it actually depends on the use of the handheld and the games you play on it. I mostly use my handhelds in my house (preferrably WC) to play huge, epic JRPGs like Etrial Odyssey or SMT. Thus, battery life is not of huge concern.

If you're a person that uses your DS on the bus, playing small in small constant bursts, I can understand your concerns. So, what will you do? Wait for a 3DSLite?

I know I'll be importing a Japanese device as soon as possible though, especially now that I've signed up for Japanese lessons

Damn, that's not a lot. Now we just need to know how at what settings it's running at...

EDIT: By the way, can you play on it when it's charging? I mean, with the cradle it might not be all that fun.

Eh, I'd rather wait for a 3DS Lite. The first year or so will be supply constrained and probably >$300 due to scarcity anyways. 

If that's true that's disappointing. I'd expect 5-8 hours, really.

The PSP is my favorite system of all time. So do you think that battery life is an issue for me?

IMO with headphones plugged in, and good backlight, I will probably easily get out 5 hours gameplay time from the 3DS. Thats more then enough for me