Hardware Do you think Nintendo will ever release a better battery?

[hendrix5757]

Nintendo definitely knows the limitations to their own hardware, and I'm sure they caught some heat for the lackluster battery. All they have to do is make a larger battery, right? I just hope they don't make us wait for the inevitable "3ds Light" to make necessary improvements.

 

[Deleted User]

I seriously doubt that they'll release a better battery for the 3DS. If there is a future revision of the hardware it'll incorporate it, but not the original model. That's just my two cents.

 

[ferret7463]

As time goes on, the tech will get smaller and will require less power to run. This will allow Nintendo to build a board that will last longer on the same type of battery and if they are smart, the extra "space would also allow for a larger battery for an even better performance. They had better come up with something to out shine the Vita.

 

[awssk8er]

I'm pretty sure the way batteries work is that there is no way to make it stronger without making it larger. Not sure if that is entirely true. I dont see why people are complaining. I use mine everyday many times throughout the day, and it has never gotten to red battery. Just drop it on the dock when you're not using it.

 

[hendrix5757]

I understand that's why they made the charging dock, but I like to completely drain the battery before I charge it. It's good for the longevity of the battery. Like most lithium batteries, I hear that it has 500 charges before it takes a dive in performance.

 

[gumbyx84]

I thought it didn't matter how you charged a lithium batteries (full, 50%, or empty).

On-Topic: It would be nice if they did, and quite possible as the battery is user-replaceable, I doubt it will happen. I just can't see Nintendo doing it. If they do do it, I would suspect they do something similar to Nyko did with the Battery Pak +. It would probably come out around the time the next revision of the 3DS comes out as a way to keep first adapters happy.

 

[machomuu]

I suspect that it will be in the next revision, which is actually needed. I would very much like it if the 3DS were bigger, had a better battery, and made the DS games look better. And supported Flash.

But I dream.

 

[Walrus-Chan]

I'd settle for a better battery. I'd be really nice especially since I think it was iwata who went on about how portables should have at least 10 hours of life per charge for the battery :/

 

[doyama]

There are no 'better' batteries for consumer electronics. Current chemistry allows us to balance the following factors

1) Energy density - how much energy is contained per volume
2) Charge time - how long you want to wait for the battery to charge
3) Discharge capacity - how fast you can discharge the energy
4) Number of charges
5) Charge loss over time
6) Cost
7) weight

You need to balance ALL of these to make a consumer level product. It does no good if your battery last 25 days but weighs 10 lbs. Or is very small and light but costs $500 because it's made of silver. There is a fundamental limitation as to what consumer products can do all at once and Lithium Ion currently provides the best balance of all these. The only way to make things 'better' is to decrease the draw on the battery by the electronics themselves.

Thus the only thing Nintendo can do is to hope and make specific components draw less power and thus make the existing battery last longer. Other than that you will not see any specific gains because of the battery itself.

 

[M[u]ddy]

I understand that's why they made the charging dock, but I like to completely drain the battery before I charge it. It's good for the longevity of the battery. Like most lithium batteries, I hear that it has 500 charges before it takes a dive in performance.

That's only true for normal batteries.
Lithium batteries last longer if you keep them around 75% charged.
Avoid draining them below 50%!

 

[geenlung]

ddy]

I understand that's why they made the charging dock, but I like to completely drain the battery before I charge it. It's good for the longevity of the battery. Like most lithium batteries, I hear that it has 500 charges before it takes a dive in performance.

That's only true for normal batteries.
Lithium batteries last longer if you keep them around 75% charged.
Avoid draining them below 50%!

What's the rationale behind 75% charged?

 

[pistone]

i dont see nintendo releasing a better battery ,but nintendo releasing a better console (3ds lite) that uses the battery in a more efficient way

 

[Guild McCommunist]

If they released a battery extension for the current 3DS then they'd just be roasted for basically making an inferior product and releasing "improvements" for it so you can pay more.

They'll need a complete revision of the console if you want a better battery, or stick to third party extenders.

I really don't see anything terribly wrong with the battery life. I've had to live with a shitty PSP battery that'd die within half an hour of Soul Caliber. 3-5 hours should be enough for day-to-day stuff, and odds are you'll turn the 3D off when you're on-the-go and it's a wise idea to keep brightness to a minimum. When you're at home, just keep it on a charger and charge it every day. I go through a nightly ritual of hooking all my electronics (phone, iPod, PSP) to chargers before I sleep.

If the competition (PS Vita) were to release a better battery then I may give them some heat but currently the Vita has been pegged at around the same lifespan (although that information was pre-E3 2011, so it may be better or worse now, probably worse or the same though).

 

[Snailface]

Nintendo may not have to make a better battery or more efficient motherboard.

http://blog.broadcastengineering.com/3-D/2...asses-free-3-d/

 

[FAST6191]

ddy]

I understand that's why they made the charging dock, but I like to completely drain the battery before I charge it. It's good for the longevity of the battery. Like most lithium batteries, I hear that it has 500 charges before it takes a dive in performance.

That's only true for normal batteries.
Lithium batteries last longer if you keep them around 75% charged.
Avoid draining them below 50%!

What's the rationale behind 75% charged?

Similar rationale to not waiting for every single kernel of popcorn to burst when 95% of them are done or if you fancy a bit more chemistry most chargeable batteries are a bit removed from the classic "battery chemistry" in that they use half finished (but reversible) reactions (as opposed to two half cells with known voltages at a given conc, temperature and pressure that simply react) and overcooking it tends to complete the reaction at the cost of material (thus charge capacity).

Anyhow I will echo the battery tech, especially rechargeable tech, is a complex game however where others look to nyko I might look the Chinese for it although similar logic must be applied as those who purchase third party print cartridges (do not buy the cheapest thing you find on your chosen online tat merchant).

Others if you fancy a crash course then http://www.eevblog.com/2011/06/09/eevblog-...rging-tutorial/ and http://www.eevblog.com/2009/10/03/eevblog-...rging-tutorial/ are a good place to start and if that is a bit strong then http://www.eevblog.com/2011/01/23/eevblog-...acity-tutorial/ .

 

[Discover]

Datel may release some sort of extra long life battery.

 

[Marlonguppy]

Battery?
Yes and no.
Maybe some unofficial companies, but for Nintendo it is too expensive.

 

[doyama]

Nintendo may not have to make a better battery or more efficient motherboard.

http://blog.broadcastengineering.com/3-D/2...asses-free-3-d/

While interesting you probably should read a little bit more past the fold.

QUOTEDodgson points out, however, that HR3D requires a lot of computing power. “If you’re saving battery power because you’ve got this extra brightness, but you’re actually using all that battery power to do the computation, then you’re not saving anything,” he noted.

From a portable perspective it's probably a wash in terms of battery life. There is the possibility of reducing cost since you don't need to render 2x the pixels so your pixel screen size is smaller and thus costs less. This is also still in the development stage. We won't see any practical applications for a few years if that.

 

[hendrix5757]

There are no 'better' batteries for consumer electronics. Current chemistry allows us to balance the following factors

1) Energy density - how much energy is contained per volume
2) Charge time - how long you want to wait for the battery to charge
3) Discharge capacity - how fast you can discharge the energy
4) Number of charges
5) Charge loss over time
6) Cost
7) weight

You need to balance ALL of these to make a consumer level product. It does no good if your battery last 25 days but weighs 10 lbs. Or is very small and light but costs $500 because it's made of silver. There is a fundamental limitation as to what consumer products can do all at once and Lithium Ion currently provides the best balance of all these. The only way to make things 'better' is to decrease the draw on the battery by the electronics themselves.

Thus the only thing Nintendo can do is to hope and make specific components draw less power and thus make the existing battery last longer. Other than that you will not see any specific gains because of the battery itself.

A lot of great points!

 

[hendrix5757]

ddy]

I understand that's why they made the charging dock, but I like to completely drain the battery before I charge it. It's good for the longevity of the battery. Like most lithium batteries, I hear that it has 500 charges before it takes a dive in performance.

That's only true for normal batteries.
Lithium batteries last longer if you keep them around 75% charged.
Avoid draining them below 50%!

What's the rationale behind 75% charged?

Similar rationale to not waiting for every single kernel of popcorn to burst when 95% of them are done or if you fancy a bit more chemistry most chargeable batteries are a bit removed from the classic "battery chemistry" in that they use half finished (but reversible) reactions (as opposed to two half cells with known voltages at a given conc, temperature and pressure that simply react) and overcooking it tends to complete the reaction at the cost of material (thus charge capacity).

Anyhow I will echo the battery tech, especially rechargeable tech, is a complex game however where others look to nyko I might look the Chinese for it although similar logic must be applied as those who purchase third party print cartridges (do not buy the cheapest thing you find on your chosen online tat merchant).

Others if you fancy a crash course then http://www.eevblog.com/2011/06/09/eevblog-...rging-tutorial/ and http://www.eevblog.com/2009/10/03/eevblog-...rging-tutorial/ are a good place to start and if that is a bit strong then http://www.eevblog.com/2011/01/23/eevblog-...acity-tutorial/ .

Great material to know. I had no clue. So I guess that means I should stop using all of the battery before I recharge it.