Xbox is apparently going to release a handheld. I predict that it's going to have an absolutely shit battery life. Maybe 1-2 hours at most. Basically steam deck all over again. Huge hype for being able to play powerful games on the go, then dwindling hype as people realize they won't be able to realistically play them on the go and will instead constantly be stationed near an electrical outlet, charging while playing.
That IMO is the biggest problem with modern handhelds. Handhelds should've never became so focused on graphics and power. Realistically, this problem has always existed. Back in the 90s, Sega prioritized graphics with the game gear, which massive backfired because it had shit battery life. Meanwhile, the Gameboy could last hours and hours so naturally it was more appealing.
Nintendo intentionally and wisely made the DS weak because they wanted it to have a longer lasting battery. The DS was the last handheld that would ever have an impressive battery life.
You could play 9-16 hours on a DS lite without charging.
The PSP meanwhile, only lasted 4-6 which still wasn't bad.
The 3DS/vita was the begining of the end. The 3ds lasted around 4-6 hours. More comparable to the PSP. The Vita lasted 3-5 hours. It did get slightly better as the generation went on. Both the 3ds and Vita would get battery buffs with their later models. (Although with Vita it came at the cost of hardware quality) The 3ds would extend to 7-8 hours max with the New XL model, the PS Vita 2000 would extend to 6 hours.
Switch was basically the end of efficient handhelds. Nintendo for the longest time was always pushing back against focusing on power to extend battery life. The switch was the end of that. It was the first handheld to be console quality. And unfortunately, like the vita, it suffered for it. The switch battery originally maxxed out at 3-4 hours. Latter revisions would push it to 4 and a half hours. Finally, the oiled maxed it out at 5 with most games. Funny how the oiled is the handheld with the best battery life as of now and only lasts about as long as a ps vita.
This problem is ofc worse with portable PCs as previously mentioned. Portable PCs have to be one of the most retarded ideas imaginable. It simply isn't realistic for them to last long at all. A steam deck lasts 1-2 hours on a low demanding game like Monster Hunter Rise. The Rog Ally's new model is considered impressive for lasting two hours instead of one.
Unfortunately, we'll never return to handhelds that focused on prioritizing battery life. We've reached the point where handhelds are focusing on being as impressive as possible for an hour before running out of batteries. Again, a problem that was already acknowledged in the past but is now completely ignored because people are graphics fags.
And no, I don't think switch 2 will have a better battery life. I have no idea why people think that. Every Nintendo handheld has had a weaker battery life than its predecessor. That's just how it works. You can't boost your power without taking a toll on battery. The switch oiled/latter switch models had a better battery because Nintendo figured out how to make the consoles run more efficiently as time went on. The switch 2 will likely run around 4 hours if it's more powerful than the switch and that's being generous.
That IMO is the biggest problem with modern handhelds. Handhelds should've never became so focused on graphics and power. Realistically, this problem has always existed. Back in the 90s, Sega prioritized graphics with the game gear, which massive backfired because it had shit battery life. Meanwhile, the Gameboy could last hours and hours so naturally it was more appealing.
Nintendo intentionally and wisely made the DS weak because they wanted it to have a longer lasting battery. The DS was the last handheld that would ever have an impressive battery life.
You could play 9-16 hours on a DS lite without charging.
The PSP meanwhile, only lasted 4-6 which still wasn't bad.
The 3DS/vita was the begining of the end. The 3ds lasted around 4-6 hours. More comparable to the PSP. The Vita lasted 3-5 hours. It did get slightly better as the generation went on. Both the 3ds and Vita would get battery buffs with their later models. (Although with Vita it came at the cost of hardware quality) The 3ds would extend to 7-8 hours max with the New XL model, the PS Vita 2000 would extend to 6 hours.
Switch was basically the end of efficient handhelds. Nintendo for the longest time was always pushing back against focusing on power to extend battery life. The switch was the end of that. It was the first handheld to be console quality. And unfortunately, like the vita, it suffered for it. The switch battery originally maxxed out at 3-4 hours. Latter revisions would push it to 4 and a half hours. Finally, the oiled maxed it out at 5 with most games. Funny how the oiled is the handheld with the best battery life as of now and only lasts about as long as a ps vita.
This problem is ofc worse with portable PCs as previously mentioned. Portable PCs have to be one of the most retarded ideas imaginable. It simply isn't realistic for them to last long at all. A steam deck lasts 1-2 hours on a low demanding game like Monster Hunter Rise. The Rog Ally's new model is considered impressive for lasting two hours instead of one.
Unfortunately, we'll never return to handhelds that focused on prioritizing battery life. We've reached the point where handhelds are focusing on being as impressive as possible for an hour before running out of batteries. Again, a problem that was already acknowledged in the past but is now completely ignored because people are graphics fags.
And no, I don't think switch 2 will have a better battery life. I have no idea why people think that. Every Nintendo handheld has had a weaker battery life than its predecessor. That's just how it works. You can't boost your power without taking a toll on battery. The switch oiled/latter switch models had a better battery because Nintendo figured out how to make the consoles run more efficiently as time went on. The switch 2 will likely run around 4 hours if it's more powerful than the switch and that's being generous.
