Double A batteries for the 3DS, would it be a good idea?

Just in case your charge ran out, it would be a good idea to run the 3DS on batteries.

I remember Gameboy (Black and White was like that if I remember correctly.)

Thoughts and comments?

I would say AA batteries probably wouldnt be a great idea due to their environmental impact and nintendo isn't exactly on good terms with green peace as it is. A rechargeable battery pack could work but i think it may take up a bit too much space if it was along the lines of the gameboy but i reckon if it was a wrap around pack that plugged in to the charging port aka ipod back-up chargers it would bea good idea.

Nope

No it would have been a bad idea on all fronts

There are already 3rd party batteries out there. The 3DS' battery cover looks like it has standard Philips screws (the battery linked below even comes with a screwdriver). They should have just made the battery case a clip, but maybe they didn't due to the cover taking up the entire back of the 3DS.

http://www.miniinthebox.com/3-7v-1300mah-replacement-li-ion-battery-with-screwdriver-for-3ds_p169605.html

There are already 3rd party batteries out there. The 3DS' battery cover looks like it has standard Philips screws (the battery linked below even comes with a screwdriver). They should have just made the battery case a clip, but maybe they didn't due to the cover taking up the entire back of the 3DS.

http://www.miniinthebox.com/3-7v-1300mah-replacement-li-ion-battery-with-screwdriver-for-3ds_p169605.html

DustinTheWind

[QUOTE="DustinTheWind"]

There are already 3rd party batteries out there. The 3DS' battery cover looks like it has standard Philips screws (the battery linked below even comes with a screwdriver). They should have just made the battery case a clip, but maybe they didn't due to the cover taking up the entire back of the 3DS.

http://www.miniinthebox.com/3-7v-1300mah-replacement-li-ion-battery-with-screwdriver-for-3ds_p169605.html

F0urTwenty

If decent rechargable batteries for 3DS are that cheap ($6.49 for the one I linked) I agree, it's pretty much a non-issue.

AA batteries would run out of juice in no time flat in the 3DS. The included rechargeable battery is considerably more powerful.dzimm

Nope, that never happened

The battery that comes with the 3DS is only 1300 mAh which is ehhhh, less then spectacular and shows a clear sign that they're not done tinkering with the handheld's design. If they were we'd see a stronger battery in there to start.

For rechargeable batteries the mainstream is now in the 1800-2300 mAh range so would it be a good idea if we could use our own and get twice the life out of the device? Sure I guess but you'd have to use AAA's and that's harder to find mAh with good sizes.

Since most people aren't that educated when it comes to batteries they'd think that all the batteries are the same as long as you got the right size and you'd have usage limits all over the place. Some people who went on the cheap would get 2 hours of life and some people who spent some dough would get 10.

While it's a weaker solution as far as hardware it's a better situation when it comes to dealing with everyone who's going to use it.

[QUOTE="dzimm"]AA batteries would run out of juice in no time flat in the 3DS. The included rechargeable battery is considerably more powerful.Jaysonguy

Nope, that never happened

The battery that comes with the 3DS is only 1300 mAh which is ehhhh, less then spectacular and shows a clear sign that they're not done tinkering with the handheld's design. If they were we'd see a stronger battery in there to start.

For rechargeable batteries the mainstream is now in the 1800-2300 mAh range so would it be a good idea if we could use our own and get twice the life out of the device? Sure I guess but you'd have to use AAA's and that's harder to find mAh with good sizes.

Since most people aren't that educated when it comes to batteries they'd think that all the batteries are the same as long as you got the right size and you'd have usage limits all over the place. Some people who went on the cheap would get 2 hours of life and some people who spent some dough would get 10.

While it's a weaker solution as far as hardware it's a better situation when it comes to dealing with everyone who's going to use it.

I'm not claiming to know a damn thing about batteries here, but if Nintendo could add a better battery, why wouldn't they? I mean, the battery life will be a major reason some don't buy this system, and Nintendo has to know that. Why not put in a better battery if it's possible?

[QUOTE="Jaysonguy"]

[QUOTE="dzimm"]AA batteries would run out of juice in no time flat in the 3DS. The included rechargeable battery is considerably more powerful.DustinTheWind

Nope, that never happened

The battery that comes with the 3DS is only 1300 mAh which is ehhhh, less then spectacular and shows a clear sign that they're not done tinkering with the handheld's design. If they were we'd see a stronger battery in there to start.

For rechargeable batteries the mainstream is now in the 1800-2300 mAh range so would it be a good idea if we could use our own and get twice the life out of the device? Sure I guess but you'd have to use AAA's and that's harder to find mAh with good sizes.

Since most people aren't that educated when it comes to batteries they'd think that all the batteries are the same as long as you got the right size and you'd have usage limits all over the place. Some people who went on the cheap would get 2 hours of life and some people who spent some dough would get 10.

While it's a weaker solution as far as hardware it's a better situation when it comes to dealing with everyone who's going to use it.

I'm not claiming to know a damn thing about batteries here, but if Nintendo could add a better battery, why wouldn't they? I mean, the battery life will be a major reason some don't buy this system, and Nintendo has to know that. Why not put in a better battery if it's possible?

Mainly cost

Most companies do the either/or method when it comes to situations like this. They know their device isn't going to last that long so they also manufacture a battery that covers that up or they toss that money into R&D and develop hardware that's less taxing on the battery.

Almost no company pays money at both ends.

The fact that Nintendo launched with only 1300 gives a clear indication that they're more concerned with future iterations of the device rather then battery life for this one.

To even further cement that fact the DSi XL was a one time device and Nintendo put a larger battery in it, they paid into the battery rather then the R&D, the opposite is happening with the 3DS

[QUOTE="DustinTheWind"]

[QUOTE="Jaysonguy"]

Nope, that never happened

The battery that comes with the 3DS is only 1300 mAh which is ehhhh, less then spectacular and shows a clear sign that they're not done tinkering with the handheld's design. If they were we'd see a stronger battery in there to start.

For rechargeable batteries the mainstream is now in the 1800-2300 mAh range so would it be a good idea if we could use our own and get twice the life out of the device? Sure I guess but you'd have to use AAA's and that's harder to find mAh with good sizes.

Since most people aren't that educated when it comes to batteries they'd think that all the batteries are the same as long as you got the right size and you'd have usage limits all over the place. Some people who went on the cheap would get 2 hours of life and some people who spent some dough would get 10.

While it's a weaker solution as far as hardware it's a better situation when it comes to dealing with everyone who's going to use it.

Jaysonguy

I'm not claiming to know a damn thing about batteries here, but if Nintendo could add a better battery, why wouldn't they? I mean, the battery life will be a major reason some don't buy this system, and Nintendo has to know that. Why not put in a better battery if it's possible?

Mainly cost

Most companies do the either/or method when it comes to situations like this. They know their device isn't going to last that long so they also manufacture a battery that covers that up or they toss that money into R&D and develop hardware that's less taxing on the battery.

Almost no company pays money at both ends.

The fact that Nintendo launched with only 1300 gives a clear indication that they're more concerned with future iterations of the device rather then battery life for this one.

To even further cement that fact the DSi XL was a one time device and Nintendo put a larger battery in it, they paid into the battery rather then the R&D, the opposite is happening with the 3DS

Since you seem to know a thing or two about batteries, could a 3rd party make a battery with higher mAh for the 3DS? Or is the 3DS in its current form forever stuck with 1300?

3rd parties always make bigger batteries for handhelds, you wont see Energizer or Duracell make them for the 3DS most likely but you'll see them.

The DSLite had a bunch of them

HERE'S A GOOD EXAMPLE

AND ANOTHER

to heck with green peace they are just stupid any way, i dont see how any one puts up with their lies , -ohh its global warming bla bla bla bla

and no i wouldnt want to go through the trouble of buying batteries again!

Since you seem to know a thing or two about batteries, could a 3rd party make a battery with higher mAh for the 3DS? Or is the 3DS in its current form forever stuck with 1300?

DustinTheWind

Besides the green issue and the issue with the added size the device would have to be, I would also say it would be costly to keep buying batteries. I like just plugging it in to the wall and no worries until I have to charge it again. (Note* I know it adds to the electricity bill, but if you live with parents, should be alright :P)

3rd parties always make bigger batteries for handhelds, you wont see Energizer or Duracell make them for the 3DS most likely but you'll see them.

The DSLite had a bunch of them

HERE'S A GOOD EXAMPLE

AND ANOTHER

Jaysonguy

Interesting, thanks for the info

[QUOTE="dzimm"]AA batteries would run out of juice in no time flat in the 3DS. The included rechargeable battery is considerably more powerful.Jaysonguy

Nope, that never happened

The battery that comes with the 3DS is only 1300 mAh which is ehhhh, less then spectacular and shows a clear sign that they're not done tinkering with the handheld's design. If they were we'd see a stronger battery in there to start.

You know, you would save yourself a lot of time if you just wrote, "I don't know what I'm talking about," and left it at that. The included battery pumps out 3.7V while AA batteries are only 1.5V and are simply not designed for high power applications. As a result, they tend to discharge very quickly unless you stack a bunch of them together, and even then you won't get great run time compared to a typical lithium ion recharagable cell. Plus there's the question of convenience. Would you really want to see the 3DS designed to accomodate 4 to 8 user replacable AA batteries that had to be changed every two-hours? Yeah, neither would I.

As for the mAh rating, 1300 is typical for a cell of that size, and it's higher capacity than what was in the DS Lite and DSi (it's also what you find in most cell phones). You could get slightly higher capacity using lithium polymer, but that's considerably more expensive (about twice the cost) which would mean a $300+ 3DS instead of $250. The only way Nintendo could increase the capacity would be to significantly alter the internal configuration of the 3DS to allow for a larger size and thus higher capacity cell, and frankly, that's not going to happen for 2- to 3-years, and if/when it does, they're certainly not going to sell it for less than the current 3DS (remember, the DSi and DSi XL both sold for more than the DS Lite).

The included battery pumps out 3.7V while AA batteries are only 1.5V and are simply not designed for high power applications. As a result, they tend to discharge very quickly unless you stack a bunch of them together, and even then you won't get great run time compared to a typical lithium ion recharagable cell. Plus there's the question of convenience. Would you really want to see the 3DS designed to accomodate 4 to 8 user replacable AA batteries that had to be changed every two-hours? Yeah, neither would I.

dzimm

Again, that never happened

I'm not sure how you think that one battery (AA or AAA) would ever be used since they're usually used in pairs where all of a sudden they become 2.8-3.2

I don't know how you even started on 4 and 8 for the batteries since then we'd be talking numbers of 5.6-11.2, way over what's needed

Two batteries would work just fine and like I said before a higher mAh could be used

I don't know what I'm talking about.Jaysonguy

That's better. :D

Trust me, 2 AA batteries would not be sufficient to power the 3DS unless you want runtime measured in minutes instead of hours. AA batteries are simply not well suited for high power applications. That's why they're hardly used any more. Even high-end flashlight manufacturers have abandoned AA in favor of CR123 lithium cells.

Case in point: take two identical flashlights, one powered by 2 AA batteries and one powered by a single CR123 cell. The latter will run an average of 25% longer despite having a lower mAh rating.

[QUOTE="Jaysonguy"]I don't know what I'm talking about.dzimm

That's better. :D

Trust me, 2 AA batteries would not be sufficient to power the 3DS unless you want runtime measured in minutes instead of hours. AA batteries are simply not well suited for high power applications. That's why they're hardly used any more. Even high-end flashlight manufacturers have abandoned AA in favor of CR123 lithium cells.

Case in point: take two identical flashlights, one powered by 2 AA batteries and one powered by a single CR123 cell. The latter will run an average of 25% longer despite having a lower mAh rating.

I'd have to side with dzimm here (keeping in mind I still make no claims of actual facts). My Xbox 360 controller's rechargable batteries can go dead in a matter of a couple days, and controllers take up much (much much) less power than the 3DS. My digital camera wouldn't even last 3 hours of constantly being on, and it takes less power than the 3DS. I just don't see how two double A's could possibly power 3 screens, at least 3 screen lights, all of the other indicator lights, speakers, and wifi (plus the curcuit board and whatever else I'm missing), for more than a few minutes. Certainly not over an hour.

I do NOT miss batteries and I thoroughly appreciate the fact that they made the new consoles with a built-in lithium battery.

I had a Gameboy brick, Gameboy color, and an original GBA and all I can say is the I absolutely do not miss batteries in the slightest. It's a bummer to run out of charge, but a simple recharging unit makes batteries and their ilk obsolete. Good riddance.

Cool i hadn't given this much thought and maybe we will see a 3rd party battery solution for the 3DS that does a better job at keeping it running. That would be brilliant!