Nintendo Switch battery life: 2.5 hours to 6 hours

You Switch may not last longer than a viewing of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.

Nintendo revealed during its streamed event today that its new system will only have 2.5 to 6 hours of battery life when separated from its TV and charging dock. Nintendo noted that the battery life will change depending on what game you’re playing.

Battery life was always a concern for the system. While being able to play console games on-the-go is cool, it’ll be taxing for a portable device to play a modern game without chugging energy. Six hours doesn’t sound awful, but 2.5 hours is a bit short. However, you can still play the system while it’s charging, so you can always keep it going with an external battery.

This is also not that much shorter than the battery life of the New Nintendo 3DS XL portable, which lasts from 3.5 to 7 hours.

Mike Minotti

Mike Minotti has been with GamesBeat since 2012, starting as an intern. Based near Youngstown, Ohio, he now manages GamesBeat's editorial team. He's also a prolific podcaster, appearing on multiple shows covering the gaming industry.