Powerplus: Extra Battery Life for 3DS Review

On the report card of life, running out of battery power is a big minus.

That's why the battery life of the 3DS is on the shitlist of nearly every gamer out there. What happens when you're on a 15-hour flight to Japan and you run out of battery power 6 hours in?

That's how people wind up going insane, you know. Luckily, Hyperkin is here to double your 3D gaming time in one convenient, easy-to-use package! Do I sound too sales-pitchy? If I do, it's because I'm genuinely satisfied by this product. When first-party hardware manufacturers screw up in their development, third-party manufacturers spread the red-sea and lead us from the land of no more batteries.

The Hyperkin 3DS Battery Extender packs an additional average of 6 hours play-time to the current 3DS model and does it conveniently in a nice, fitted form factor. That average battery life extension does flinch in the face of full-blast 3D usage, but conservative, 2D-on-the-go gaming gets a very nice boost from Hyperkin's battery pack.

The pack itself is black and slides nearly onto the back of the 3DS. Some existing packs require you to unscrew the back of the 3DS and outright replace it, but Hyperkin's snaps on and snaps off in a cinch. The top-right corner of the pack makes contact with the typical charging points used by the 3DS dock.

While this makes it really easy to remove the pack for storage or for charging, it does allow for some movement in the middle of gameplay. That can be frustrating when you're inches from the finish line in Mario Kart 7 or a perfect finish in Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition.

Regardless, Hyperkin's battery pack provides a decent grip and an excellent battery life extension. If you've got big hands like me, you might even find the 3DS easier to handle when you've got the battery pack attached. The connection point sticks out like a sore thumb, but the Powerplus Battery pack functions like a charm and is more than worth the $20 asking price.