Nintendo 3DS Battery Only Good For 3-5hrs Of 3DS Titles

Nintendo has released battery estimates for the upcoming Nintendo 3DS, and it seems the impact the 3D system and higher-spec internals will have on runtime is more serious than we'd expected. According to the company's own figures, the 3DS could last for as little as three hours when playing 3DS-specific titles.

At most, Nintendo says to expect five hours of 3DS-title gameplay. Loading up older DS games is a little more forgiving, with Nintendo suggesting gamers will see between 5 and 8 hours runtime in that situation, brightness depending. A full recharge, meanwhile, takes 3.5hrs.

The news makes the 3DS the shortest-running of Nintendo's recent portables, potential lasting just a third of the time of the DSi. The Nintendo 3DS is expected to go on sale in Japan on February 26; recent rumors have suggested a UK launch at the start of March 2011.

[Thanks Dennis!]