Short story: During a scheduled appointment to get hands-on time with a 3DS game (I won't name which one) at a hotel room, I played the game for a minute… before the PR agent asked me to stop. Why? Because, he admits, the 3DS battery life is poor and there are other people scheduled to come in to see the game. Oh. But how am I supposed to preview this… okay, fine. Be that way.
According to a Nintendo rep, the upcoming Nintendo 3DS is supposed to have three to five hours of battery life. I'm actually dubious on that, and given that all batteries tend to lose their strength with continual use, you can imagine that, in a year of use, the battery for 3DS might last two to four hours.
However, Nyko, a third-party peripheral company, offers a solution:
The Nyko Power Pak+ for Nintendo 3DS is a high-capacity rechargeable battery pack that offers double the battery life of the original 3DS battery.
I will make no comment on the bulk, weight, and (*cough*) aesthetics of the attachment, but it apparently adds "debossed finger rests" that "improve comfort". The battery will release on March 27 for $19.99 with the dock coming a week later for $29.99, because the battery is, uh, big-boned.
[Source]
