The 3DS is a slick and worthy successor to the DS, but I can’t faithfully recommend it right now on account of its weak HP HSTNN-IB72 Battery life, poor selection of launch games, and hefty $250 price tag. Launching without a Super Mario game was a mistake (my eyes turn to the GameCube). As it stands, the 3DS is a good peek at the future, but it’s missing all the goods (at least until a firmware update comes): web browser, eShop, Game Boy Virtual Console games, 3D movies and trailers, etc.

Bloggers suspected that the 3DS was rushed out the door in order to meet quarterly quotas and stave off competition from Apple’s iOS devices and Sony’s upcoming NGP and I have to agree – it feels like it. The 3DS might very well end up being the must-have gadget of the year by the time the holidays roll around, but it’s not something you need to buy right now. Once Nintendo addresses the HP HSTNN-IB73 Battery issues (hopefully sooner rather than later) and lowers the price, everything will be kosher. Until then, your DS will probably still do the trick.


Nintendo rates the official HP HSTNN-IB79 Battery life at 3-5 hours. In my rigorous tests, I managed to squeeze about 2:42 minutes out of one charge, while playing Ridge Racer 3D with the 3D on full-blast, Streetpass on in the background and the brightness at its highest setting. Comparing the 3DS to its predecessors, the DS falls completely short. Where the DS/DSi and DSI XL were able to get an average of about 8-10 hours of gameplay (my own personal tests), the 3DS can’t last more than a few hours – a huge drop off for a Nintendo handheld.

Of course, these are my figures. Your actual HP HSTNN-LB72 Battery life configs, including but not limited to lowering brightness settings, turning the 3D off, limiting StreetPass, etc.

might yield the five-hour HP HSTNN-LB73 Battery claim. Charged to the max, I was only able to wiggle by a two and a half hour commute to and from the city before rushing home to pop the 3DS on its docking cradle. But that’s just how I use the 3DS (usually playing it on the Subway), but for folk who plan to game on the 3DS during a long road trip or any intercontinental flight, you’re out of luck, unless you have access to a spare battery pack or an outlet.

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