New 3 DS Both

Earlier this week our colleagues at Family Gamer TV put the New Nintendo 3DS battery to the test against some of its predecessors. It was a pretty handy indication of where it stands, but there's now an updated video that throws in the New XL and shakes up the settings to satisfy our curiosity.

In addition to including a New XL along with the New standard, 2DS and original + XL, the channel incorporates comments from the Nintendo Life readers by having 3D off, while brightness was high and wi-fi off. The numbers below show favourable results for the New hardware, with the smaller model measuring up well; it's suggested, with sound logic, that the CPU activity and face tracking on the New models for stable 3D is a notable factor - more-so than the conventional 3D of older models - in reducing battery life. The smaller model had two extra hours of life with 3D turned off, in comparison to the previous test.

  • New 3DS XL - 5:45
  • New 3DS - 5:23
  • 3DS XL - 5:01
  • 2DS - 4:36
  • 3DS - 4:05

The video also tests charging times, for those of you aiming for full juice from an empty battery.

  • 2DS - 2:55
  • New 3DS - 3:02
  • 3DS XL - 3:07
  • New 3DS XL - 3:14
  • 3DS - 3:16

We certainly recommend checking out the whole video, as it looks into more features, compares units and even demonstrates the auto-brightness feature of the New models.