Battery Life

[Yeargdribble]

With the 3DS and PSP2 on the horizon, I've noticed a lot of discussion about battery life. This is also something that I seem to see crop up in discussions of current gen portable hardware. What I'm curious about is.... why is it such a big deal?

The PSP seems to be trailing the pack at 4-6 hours. Where is this inadequate for the average user? Sure, the game reviewer people who are taking regular trans-continental flights might have an issue, but most of us are not in a situation where they will play 6 hours in a row without a chance to charge.

If I'm going somewhere for an extended period of time, I just bring my charger with me. This doesn't seem too tall an order. As for daily use, I have a makeshift charging station where I plug up my DSes, my phone, my MiFi and my PSP.

I suppose the nice thing about the ridiculous staying power of the DS is that I can be complacent and keep it in my night stand for longer periods of time without having to charge it, but the ability to dodge my sloth isn't a deal breaker for me. But too often I seem to see people say that it is for them. "5-hour battery life? You just lost a customer!" Seriously? What are you people doing with your handhelds?

[VeloZer0]

I don't even use my handhelds as portable systems, they could lose their batteries entirely and it would only be a marginal loss of functionality for me.

And to boot all the transcontinental flights I have been on have had power outlets in the seats to plug in to anyways.

[Vyk]

That's really only about the last thing I worry about when deciding on a portable game system. I lived in the original GB and GameGear days when 4 - 6 batteries would last you maybe 3 hours. Maybe. But my PSP lasts way longer than 5 hours. I think it averages 8 - 10 hours. Though its internal estimates sometimes get as optimistic as saying I could go for around 15 hours. But I only charge it every couple of weeks. I keep the brightness on its lowest setting. And rarely have the sound turned up past a couple of bars. Its usually muted, actually. So I'm probably getting pretty optimum efficiency out of its battery life

[Skyblade]

Battery life has its uses. Waiting 10 hours to get assigned to a juror pool in a room the size of a small stadium which has maybe one plug per 50 people...

Besides, the charger for the PSP annoys me. It doesn't have quite the length it needs after the brick, so I can't run it from the floor up over my bed, for example, and still use it. But if I bring the brick onto the bed, it has a tendency to slide down and fall off every so often.

I dislike being tied down, part of the joy of a handheld is that you don't have to stay in one spot. You can switch from a bed, to a chair, to upside down hanging from the ceiling...

[Wolf Kanno]

It's hardly a deal breaker but since I do tend to marathon through some titles on my days off, it can get dicey. For the PSP, the real killer is multiplayer. That drains the crap out of the thing which gets annoying when you're doing versus mode on Dissidia or multiplayer in the Arena in Birth by Sleep. My other issue with the battery on the PSP is that it seems to recharge more slowly than the DS, and I know more people where the PSP battery got old and won't recharge if you are still playing while plugged in. Despite the inconvenience, the PSP still always had the better sleep mode and is much kinder to you when the battery runs out. Unlike the DS where I had some races with the devil to get it back home to my charger before the battery dies and I lost my data.

Since I do tnd to "sit down and play" my handhelds as opposed to the typical 2minute micro gameplay that most people seem to use, battery life can be important to me but really, I remember the Game Gear and Gameboy (and even the Lynx if you can imagine that) so getting more than three hours of battery life is just awesome in my book.

[Skyblade]

Anyone else remember the Sega Nomad? So nice, a Genesis you could take anywhere. For an hour and a half, two if you were lucky.

[VeloZer0]

The PSP also has an extra brightness setting when plugged in. I often plug it in when playing for this very reason.


Despite the inconvenience, the PSP still always had the better sleep mode and is much kinder to you when the battery runs out.
I've lost a few DS saves just by playing it at home and not paying attention to the battery. In some ways longer battery life isn't a blessing.

[Loony BoB]

Wait. You lose all your DS saves if you let the battery die out? Really? I never knew about that. But then, I barely play on Danielle's DS.

I agree that the length of the PSP power cord is more of an inconvenience than the battery life. I've not had any issues with the latter.

[kotora]

You don't lose your savegames, you just lose your current game state.

[Jessweeee♪]

I used to go on car rides between South Texas and Illinois quite frequently. Whatever I brought along for entertainment typically died before I even made it out of the state. Chargers that worked with the car were typically not an option because my parents didn't approve of my hobby. I would always default to sleeping. I hate sleeping in cars.

[Skyblade]

Wait. You lose all your DS saves if you let the battery die out? Really? I never knew about that. But then, I barely play on Danielle's DS.

I agree that the length of the PSP power cord is more of an inconvenience than the battery life. I've not had any issues with the latter.

No, you just lose your current progress. While the PSP takes the more forgiving route of stopping playability at an earlier point, and using the leftover battery power to keep your current game progress intact, something it can do for a surprisingly long time with the final fragments of battery power before it is drained completely and you lose everything since your last save.

[Yeargdribble]

I must be unfamiliar with this short cord issue. I have a 3000 and the cord is quite long. It's at least as long as my DS cord, though it does come in parts like a laptop cord.

I also am a huge fan of the PSP's saving. I can literally switch it off instantly at any time without fear of losing anything. I could then toss it on a shelf for a week and forget about it and when I turn it back on, my game just picks up. Sure, I can close the DS, but I have a very limited time before needing to plug it up and I need to actually save for real.

[Loony BoB]

My cord is more akin to a mobile phone charger than a laptop two-cable power supply. It's probably about two feet long.

[Rase]

I just tend to play in places, out or at home, where having it plugged in is an annoyance. Sure I can play sitting in the chair next to the wall, but I want to be sprawled in the middle of the floor on my back.

[Vyk]

My PSP was given to me without a cord so I bought one online. And it had a converter box in the middle. Which fried on the second use. Then I found a do-it-yourself hack online for splicing the PSP power cord with a USB cord to create a USB charger. Takes a lot longer to charge. But now I have massive length. So its not an issue with me. But it could have been

[Yeargdribble]

I just tend to play in places, out or at home, where having it plugged in is an annoyance. Sure I can play sitting in the chair next to the wall, but I want to be sprawled in the middle of the floor on my back.

What I don't understand about this is why you don't charge while not playing it... then play it while it's charged. If this is not satisfactory there are two options.

#1 You're too lazy/forgetful to charge it after playing it (like when you get home).

#2 You are regularly playing it for 6+ hours without access to an outlet.

Sprawl on the floor all you want... and when you're done playing, plug it up. Then you'll have all sorts of freedom the next time you want to play it.



Takes a lot longer to charge. But now I have massive length.

I see... And what have the ladies to say about that?

[Rase]

#1 You're too lazy/forgetful to charge it after playing it (like when you get home).
Yeah, it's this. Mostly the forgetful part. I also use all the outlets as is and don't feel like getting a splitter or strip for one thing, but that means I have to unplug something when I need to charge it, which I just never think to do. Caught me.

[Hollycat]

i just plug my psp into my laptop, I got a split charger that isnt just the annoying little usb port for $3 on ebay

[Yeargdribble]

#1 You're too lazy/forgetful to charge it after playing it (like when you get home).
Yeah, it's this. Mostly the forgetful part. I also use all the outlets as is and don't feel like getting a splitter or strip for one thing, but that means I have to unplug something when I need to charge it, which I just never think to do. Caught me.

That makes sense. My outlets also tend to be at a premium. I've made a point of setting up a power strip behind a dress in my office and have converted the top of it into a makeshift charging station so that I can basically always keep stuff charged. I like putting things away and to keep neat, everything has a home. So when putting stuff like my DS/PSP/Phone/Mifi etc. away, that home is on its charging station. This leads to practically infinite juice unless I just get really effin' crazy.

I've actually nearly killed the battery on my XL recently with marathon sessions of Last Window and now Etrian Odyssey while I've been sick. Luckily the the DS charges like lightning. Seriously... I can go from red light -> 15 minutes charging -> 4 more hours gaming without red light. That is so ace.

[nirojan]

I havnt had any problems with the PSP and DS's battery life. I always hear people complaining about how the PSP dies out in a few hours, but I usually play for about a couple levels in whatever game and I'm usually still good on charge level. Once on a trip to NYC, i took my PSP and played for almost 8 hours (albeit it wasn't 8 hours straight), but it lasted the trip :p!