Hardware and video game developer Nintendo has revealed that the Nintendo 3DS will have a battery life of 3.5 to 5 hours when gamers use the device to play three dimensionally enabled video games, with the length linked to the use of wireless features and to the brightness level of the screen, all of which draw more power from the battery.
The company has also said that when playing more traditional DS and DSi titles the new platform will have a battery life which runs from 5 to 8 hours, again depending on the use of other features on the device.
Nintendo says that gamers should be able to fully load the 3DS handheld in about three and a half hours.
The announcement has prompted a lot of possible customers to complain that the announced specs are too low for the new device, despite the fact that they are pretty much the same as those of the original Nintendo DS when it was first released.
In Japan the Nintendo 3DS is set to be launched on February 26, with the price set at 25,000 Yen, which is the equivalent of about 300 dollars, with launch versions including Cosmo Black and Aqua Blue.
Gamers who get the 3DS device will receive a package which includes a charging dock, an AC adapter, a stylus that can be extended, an SD memory card with 2 GB of space, cards for augmented reality games, instruction manuals and a package of pre-installed software.
The Nintendo 3DS is significant because it will allow gamers to play three dimensionally powered titles on the move without using any of the unwieldy glasses which are needed for the same experience on home consoles.
3D capable screens without glasses could also be sold to home based gamers before the end of 2011.
The 3DS will also arrive in Europe and North America before the end of March.
