The Switch 2's Battery Life Is Worse Than The Original - Kotaku

adamsapple

adamsapple

Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
kotaku.com

The Switch 2's Battery Life Is Worse Than The Original

Nintendo says the next-gen handheld can get as little as two hours per charge
kotaku.com kotaku.com

Battery life for gaming handhelds is always a challenge but the tradeoffs for the Switch 2 appear to be particularly brutal. Nintendo has confirmed that the next-gen device will run for anywhere from 2-6.5 hours on a single charge depending on what you're playing. It ain't great. In fact, it's somehow even worse than that of the original Switch.
Click to expand...

While not discussed during today's Nintendo Direct, a separate spec sheet for the Switch 2 shared on Nintendo's website confirmed that the gaming handheld hybrid console uses an internal lithium ion battery with a capacity of 5220 mAh. In theory, that nets out to a battery life estimate of "Approx. 2 - 6.5 hours," probably more if you're playing a smaller indie game and less if you're running something like The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom with its upgraded Switch 2 performance and higher framerate.

That's rough, especially when you compare it to existing Switch models which are over double the battery life of the Switch 2. As per Nintendo's support page:
Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Even the base Switch model, which early adopters will remember had pretty crummy battery life until a hardware revision later on improved things, had an alleged floor of 2.5 hours (some of those early Breath of The Wild sessions definitely felt like they went less than that). The Switch 2 battery life fares better in a matchup with Valve's Steam Deck, however. The LCD model only offers 2 - 8 hours, and the OLED model maxes out at 3-12 hours.
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
1080p screen 4 k outputs 60 fps you must pay to play with power

nes-nintendo.gif
 
If you read the article, it's basically the same as the old model of the OG Switch. Just a half hour difference on the low end (2 hours vs 2.5) and the same upper bound (7 hours).

I guess that's not great, but I'm still using the Switch that I bought in June 2017 and I can probably count on one hand the number of times I ran out of battery before I was ready to stop playing. So it's good enough for me, personally.
 
Last edited:
Kotaku is worse than every other gaming site.
 
I don't trust Kotaku but going back about battery why can't they have solar technology? Solar technology today is good, even the lights inside our homes are enough to charge it. Good thing about Sony they already patent a solar powered Dual sense controller.
 
Last edited:
I think the only place I've ever used the Switch in portable mode outside of my house is an airplane, which I could plug in for

even lots of busses here in the USA have charging spots, although I try to avoid public transportation because I'm not a peasant

where do you all use your handhelds? not just switch, but generally? are you guys walking around in public using them or something?
 
Let us not forget it was the OLED screen that really provided some OOMPH to the battery life. So, yes, a Switch 2 OLED is in my future, too.
 
If true, ugh. Wish battery life was more important to consumers/the company. Hate always feeling wired up when playing portable.
 
Ew, Kotaku. Best they can come up is comparing specs without testing. Anyways, yes, it was stupid to put a 1080 screen on a handheld device, let alone those 120fps. Worst figure probably was someone testing Metroid 4 at performance mode engaging VRR all the time.

I don't care, tho. I'll use it only on the TV.
 
Last edited:
I read the post on Twitter and was about to ask "Are you still mad they blacklisted you?", then I remember these are clickbait posts just to farm interactions and proceeded to silence their posts instead.

But now I'm left wondering if they're really mad at Nintendo for blacklisting them? Hmm...
 
I've only ever used my switch at home or at work in the on call room where I have access to power.

It would be nice to have longer lengths for those that need it
 
blacktout said:
If you read the article, it's basically the same as the old model of the OG Switch. Just a half hour difference on the low end (2 hours vs 2.5) and the same upper bound (7 hours).

I guess that's not great, but I'm still using the Switch that I bought in June if 2017 and I can probably count on one hand the number of times I ran out of battery before I was ready to stop playing. So it's good enough for me, personally.
Click to expand...
1/2 hr less battery for the increased performance and HDR is not bad at all.
 
Last edited:
Nintendo to Nvidia: can you please increase the efficiency of the next Switch?

Nvidia: who are you? And what is Switch? Take this Tegra automobile chip and fuck off
 
I really don't care where the news comes from. If this is true, it's pretty embarrassing performance. Optimizing portable play is a must for, y'know, a portable system.
 
This is what happens when u use an 8nm chip that's junk and eats the battery life like a hog. The battery life of the switch 2 is appalling.
 
It's gone from "2.5 to 6.5" at Switch launch to "2 to 6.5" at Switch 2 launch. Not really a big change.
 
Last edited:
Sharing a Kotaku article that you don't archive to strip them of ad-click revenue, we're better than that here.

Every little bit counts to finish off that useless blog faster.
 
I feel like I'm bending backwards to get a good handheld experience from Nintendo. I'm looking at cashing out for 3rd party grips/joycons for ergonomics and hall-effect sticks + getting a battery mod installed. Sigh, just hope the lcd screen is clear and bright. 🤞

If it weren't for Nintendo exclusives I'd much rather get an actual good handheld. 😐

And yeah, Kotaku can fuck right off.
 
yogaflame said:
I don't trust Kotaku but going back about battery why can't they have solar technology? Solar technology today is good, even the lights inside our homes are enough to charge it. Good thing about Sony they already patent a solar powered Dual sense controller.
Click to expand...
I think it is a really low quantity you get from the sun. TV controllers frequently use it but the usage is completely different.
 
1. It's basically the same as the original
2. The later models used a die shrunk version of Maxwell (22nm to 16nm) which require less power to run at the same clock speeds

So if at some random point suddenly the Switch 2 goes from Samsung 8nm to TSMC 7nm Ampere, we'll see those version also do 4 to 9 hours.
 
Hopefully it's a little better than we hope. That would suck major balls if I'm only getting 2 hours of mario kart :(
 
I'll wait for the revision either way so hopefully it'll be much more efficient. It would be cool if they made the OLED at half-time too.
 
GigaBowser said:
1080p screen 4 k outputs 60 fps you must pay to play with power

nes-nintendo.gif
Click to expand...
Aaron Greenturd? 4k native won't exist unless you are playing games like Witchbrook.

Now you are playing with another underpowered console that is going to primarily color within the 1080p lines.
 
I collect VHS tapes said:
I think the only place I've ever used the Switch in portable mode outside of my house is an airplane, which I could plug in for

even lots of busses here in the USA have charging spots, although I try to avoid public transportation because I'm not a peasant

where do you all use your handhelds? not just switch, but generally? are you guys walking around in public using them or something?
Click to expand...
Personally, airplanes, trains, hotel rooms, while waiting for kids sports to finish, and inside the house.

But having to constantly recharge is kind of annoying.
 
Last edited:
No, no remember, its ok to pay more, for worse..... inflation, solar winds etc

I'd like it if they had some sort of light mode that changed the settings of the games to use less battery life or something
 
uh, that's not worse than the original Switch. I got about 2h of battery when I played Breath of the Wild at launch.
 
Last edited:
Surprised this isn't get talked about more. 2 hours is pitiful, hopefully that's only for games targeting 120fps.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Zelda’s Nintendo Switch 2 ports finally let you repair equipment – via a mobile app bonus
2
69
2K
Griffon replied
The Last of Us Season 2 reviews are starting to come out
2 3
134
6K
simpatico replied
DualSense is the best controller of all time
2 3 4 5
228
4K
alabtrosMyster replied
  • Poll
Solid Snake or Big Boss. Who is the main character?
44
1K
Denton replied
DLSS 4.0 Super Resolution Stress Test: Does The Transformer Model Fix The Biggest Issues?
Analysis Hardware 
24
1K
BennyBlanco replied
Top Bottom