Switch 2 has much worse battery life than Switch 1

https://www.eurogamer.net/nintendo-switch-2-battery-life-revealed

As shared on a separate spec sheet for Switch 2, Nintendo's next console will house a Lithium ion battery, with a battery capacity of 5220 mAh. Meanwhile, its battery life is "Approx. 2 - 6.5 hours". Nintendo notes this is just an "estimate" life span, and adds "the battery life will depend on the games you play and usage conditions".

While Nintendo itself doesn't go into specifics about which games it is referring to here, it is fair to assume that playing a smaller indie game on a pleasant spring afternoon with a mild breeze blowing will see the console lasting longer in its handheld mode than if you were having a full blown battle in Elden Ring during a 40°C heatwave.

Charging time for the console, meanwhile, is approximately three hours while in sleep mode.

To compare the upcoming Switch 2's battery life to other Switch devices, here's what Nintendo's support page states:

Once fully charged, the battery duration for the console varies depending on model and on the software application and functions being used.

• For Nintendo Switch - OLED Model with a serial number that starts with "XT", the battery life is approximately 4.5 to 9 hours.
• For Nintendo Switch consoles with a serial number that starts with "XK", the battery life is approximately 4.5 to 9 hours.
• For Nintendo Switch consoles with a serial number that starts with "XA", the battery life is approximately 2.5 to 6.5 hours.
• For Nintendo Switch Lite, the battery life is approximately 3 to 7 hours.

Feel like this news got buried by the other announcements. what do you think, SW? does the battery life matter to you? One of the benefits of a hybrids console is portability but if we’re getting 2 hours for AAA games, then it’s not that portable lol.

It's fine for me. I don't tend to play long gaming sessions on handhelds. I also tend to play lighter games in handheld mode. Bigger games like Xenoblade or 3D Zeldas or the new Bananza I will play mostly on the telly.

Like the Switch, I would imagine that it will be possible to charge the Switch 2 using any USB-PD compatible USB C charger. So charging it should be pretty convenient anyway. No more custom chargers!

I think that basically confirms a Samsung 8nm chip though. It's very similar to the Steam Decks battery life.

I like everyone else get excited for a breakthrough in portable gaming battery technology. Ten hour batteries would be a dream come true. Until then I'm gonna be thankful there are outlets literally everywhere, from cars, planes, trains, boats and everywhere in between. The battery issue is only a real problem if you're playing portable away from modern society.

So what? Have you guys ever heard of this invention called portable powerbank 🙂 Steamdeck doesn't last more than 2 hours either on demanding videogames.

I can pack a PS5 with cables and portable TV into a backpack, does that make it portable too 😎

Switch 2 is a portable, PS5 is not. You can jump through the cumbersome hoops to make it "portable", but that won't classify it as portable.

I rarely played the Switch portable without it connected to a charger, and I don't take shits longer than an hour, so I'm good.

Personally, I never had issues playing my original Switch on the go as I can just charge the damn thing anytime and anywhere when connected to Type C cables and I have one of those Portable Switch Docks Adapters that makes a huge difference. That said, the battery life was to be expected for a next-gen console. Seriously you guys, if you love playing portable like me, just buy yourself one of those Switch Docks Adapters and you'll be just fine. You can get them as low as $10. It'll work the same way for Switch 2.

It is weird that one of the key features of a portable system is being downplayed.😂

Kind of expected unfortunately. A more powerful system is going to be a bigger drain on the battery. Not really an issue for me though as I don't play it much in portable mode. When I do though I'm always close to an outlet.

Power or batter life. You cant have both.

At least, not until Elon invents those quantum battery cells

Apple has done both. So, there maybe some tech that should be adopted.

The battery life is expected looking at the power of the system.

Is this a real response?

Please do it and take pics so we can all see. 😂

True, but the Switch (and other handhelds) are pulling 35w or less on battery for CPU+GPU. Apple's M4 Max is pulling 125w total (75w GPU, 50w CPU) and can go to 165 at peak. Impressive for sure compared to what Intel and AMD are offering with a capable GPU, but it's not an apples to apples comparison.

Supposedly, AMD's Strix Point APUs are supposed to get closer to Apple, but I'd bet money they'll have to (again) sacrifice battery life. Apple, for sure, is doing some witchcraft over there.

I will add that the M4 chip excels at low power and stand by. Battery drain during gaming is on par on slightly better than what's on the market currently. I'd imagine Apple will pioneer some new battery tech in the future lol

Portable monitor + PS5 Slim, definitely doable!

@SolidGame_basic said:

@TheEroica said:

@SolidGame_basic said:

@TheEroica said:

I like everyone else get excited for a breakthrough in portable gaming battery technology. Ten hour batteries would be a dream come true. Until then I'm gonna be thankful there are outlets literally everywhere, from cars, planes, trains, boats and everywhere in between. The battery issue is only a real problem if you're playing portable away from modern society.

I can pack a PS5 with cables and portable TV into a backpack, does that make it portable too 😎

Is this a real response?

Please do it and take pics so we can all see. 😂

Portable monitor + PS5 Slim, definitely doable!

This is what has become of all those alleged happy PS Portal customers... Shame...

@TheEroica: what do you mean, there’s literally outlets everywhere…

Well, i kinda don't care since i used docked the switch like 99% of the time, and i'm gonna wait for the refresh of the system anyway.

As I said... Go for it. I'd love to see someone playing your set up in the wild. Would be highly entertaining. Why does it rek you so much that portable consoles are so accommodating in modern societies infrastructure?

Small, actually portable and quite capable... Who would've ever thought those features would draw haters?

Edit... I don't want to discount that you possibly have ps5 pro buyers remorse and are attempting to turn your pro into a portable console to feel as though it has more value. I don't want to rain on your parade but please definitely post pics of you on the plane playing it! We're all curious. 🤡

It's what I was expecting. In a few years, they'll probably release a new one with better battery life. Batteries can't seem to be able to keep up with the demand of these handheld consoles.

yeah, this is true. Lots of good options for power banks out there. I use one to extend my occulus quest 3 battery and it works great...goes from 2h to like 10h lol.

Lol Nintendo

2 hours is for a handheld is lame. Same as my current Switch for anything that isn't indie, and it sucks. Would I get a Switch 2, I'll probably ignore the handheld aspect of it like I did with Switch. Kinda sucks that I have to pay extra for a weaker system, just because it has to be a handheld, an aspect I don't need. Rather have a stronger console that isn't portable.

So, if you're playing something that's graphic intensive (for a Nintendo device) it will run out of juice in 2hrs and then take 3hrs to charge and Nintendo want $600 for this thing lol.

#ripoff

Seems like its a similar battery to the Switch 1, but the console is more powerhungry.

When I do buy the system, I solely play docked (don't game when on-the-go). Powerbank would be a must for most portable systems, and are thankfully fairly cheap.

The problem is that Nintendo can't go back now, its gimmicky and kinda Nintendo's thing now. Problem is when the Switch 2 doesn't sell like hotcakes like the OG did, what will Nintendo do then, that will be the real question because if people think the Switch 2 will sell the same or more than the OG are kidding themselves.

Same.

Project a number... Switch 1 has done what 150 million sales? What will switch 2 sell?

You want a number. If pressed, less than 100 million.

I'd guess about the same. I think Ninty would've done a great job if they sold more than 100m by the end of the Switch 2 lifecycle.

Playing intensive 3D games will cause battery drainage. However, playing 2D sprite indie games, battery should last longer

I'm getting serious Xbox One vibes here. Probably 50 to 60 million units, not a complete failure, but nowhere near the first console.

The Switch was new and gimmicky and it caught fire, the S2 is the exact same thing, only more powerful but with bad battery life, and it seems Nintendo is chasing third party support with it being more powerful, that will be its downfall as gamers saw the Switch as a device to accompany their Xbox/PS/PC, it's not going to replace those devices.

@AgentA-Mi6: I think around the 80 million mark, so half what the Switch sold. It's not that it's a bad device, it's just more of the same, so it's not very fresh/unique/gimmicky like the OG. That and the handheld market is getting flooded now because of the success of the Switch, that's another factor I think people will be overlooking.

Cows want to pipe down about battery life what with the playstations controller being the brunt of many a joke 🤣

Good thing it will never leave the dock, just like my Switch 1!

Sounds about right to me. Factor in the bad pricing as well.

Oh, you want a Switch 2? That'll be 500 bucks.
Oh, you want to play online? Pay more.
Oh, you want to play your Switch 1 games on it and get better graphics? Pay more.
Oh, you want to try that tech demo? Pay more.

It's pretty fucking dumb. At this point you can build a PC that can play Switch 2 games for less.

The price I don't see as a big of a deal for Nintendo fans and people in general, would I pay $699 for it here in Australia, hell no, but i'm not Nintendo target audience. Sure, It will put some people off, but I don't think it will put millions upon millions off.

Not sure what you're talking about on your third point about playing Switch 1 games on Switch 2, is it not BC?

Not sure about the tech demo either, you'll have to explain that one further.

I say that because i'm not following the Switch 2 news closely because i'm not buying one.

I think trying to make it powerful enough for third party games is a big mistake because people never bought the Switch for its third-party games, and by making it more powerful they've tanked battery life, and people bought the Switch to accompany their Xbox, PS, PC not to replace them.

Then why bother making a hybrid lol

Yeah. I was thinking of the SteamDeck as well. I'm lucky if I get 3hrs of Elden Ring on it, but then again, the Deck can run pretty amazing games. Is the Switch 2 powerful enough to compare it to the SteamDeck in regards to battery life? I'm by no means a spec guy, so I'm genuinely curious.

So your guess is somewhere between 0 and 100 million consoles sold? Talk about hedging your bet!

Yes, but they are calling Switch 1 games upgraded as "enhanced edition" and puts a paywall on it. So to play Switch 1 games enhanced, you need to pay if you want them enhanced, even though you have the original game.

They made a little tech demo thing with minigames showing off what the console can do. That kind of stuff is usually free, but now you gotta pay. Would've been a neat little thing for people who haven't got any games yet. Now a lot of people just wont try it, since who the hell pays for tech demos?

Not shocked, the launch models of Switch had a pathetic battery that was addressed roughly a year later with newer models.

I think my launch Switch had roughly an hour of battery life with Super Mario Odyssey. Anyone who claimed 3-5 hours are flat-out liars. I'm expecting the same for Donkey Kong, hour at most. Not happy about it but very much enjoy my handheld gaming when traveling to & back from work.

For Switch Backward Compatibility it seems like they are still testing which 3rd party games are incompatible, apparently Doom Eternal, Dead By Daylight, and Fortnite doesn't run on the Switch 2, and some have in-game issues like Alan Wake, Fall Guys, and Street Fighter 30th Anniversary

As you can see here they tested that most 3rd party games "can be started, further tests in progress", so 100% compatibility is not guaranteed.

@RSM-HQ: Mine lasted more than an hour, but yeah 3-5 was a stretch.

@TheEroica: If you had read some of the other comments in here I further elaborated and said it will sell half as much as the og Switch, does that work better for you?

And since we're talking, how many units do you think it will sell?

@Litchie: OK, so does that mean there's no BC without paying, or can you still play them without the upgrades free of charge?

As for the demo thing, so they're copying Sony to an extant that demo's are hidden behind a pay wall, interesting...well not really, just scummy.

@RSM-HQ: So what you're saying is that you're going to let Nintendo fool you twice.

If the battery powers gonna suck wouldn't you wait for the revised model then?

If that's the way you want to look at it.

My take away is I want to play a new Donkey Kong. Plus Kart is a blast with friends, my group has longed to get a new one considering we've been playing 8 for two generations.

So as noted with the past two conversations with you, it really isn't that deep.

I play video games I want to play.

Shocking I'm paying to play new video games that will be very enjoyable for me.

You can wait yourself, that is your right as a customer. However, don't think for a second that I feel the need to do the same. It's called choice. & I'm choosing to invest & play these video games.

Can always trade in for the new model when it drops.

I'm not interested in glorified ports or the subscription to use a 'C' button bootleg Discord. I'm against those. But Donkey Kong & Kart? absolutely I'm playing them the second they drop.