Nintendo just fixed a major problem with its wildly popular Switch console: The battery now lasts much longer
- Nintendo's fixing a major issue with its wildly popular Switch console: The battery is getting a massive upgrade.
- The new model looks the same as the existing model, but it contains a more powerful battery cell.
- Better yet: The new Switch model costs the same $300 that the original model costs.
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Meet the new Nintendo Switch - same as the old Nintendo Switch, albeit with a much better battery.
The new Nintendo Switch, which Nintendo quietly announced this week, looks the same as the one that came out in 2017. It's got the same 6.2-inch touch screen, and the same adorably colorful Joy-Con gamepads attached to that screen. It runs the same games as before, from the excellent "Super Mario Odyssey" to the new-classic "Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild."
The big difference with the new model is its dramatically increased battery life.
Here's a comparison of the three models of Nintendo Switch, from the 2017 original to the recently announced Nintendo Switch Lite:
The original version of the Switch (model number HAC-001) only had a projected battery life of 2.5 to 6.5 hours, whereas the new model (HAC-001(-01)) is projected to last anywhere from 4.5 to 9 hours.
But let's be honest: The battery life matters most when you're deep in on a game.
To that end, Nintendo says that the new model will last "approximately 5.5 hours" when playing something particularly processor intensive like "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild."
According to IGN, the new version of the Switch will start arriving in mid-August - over a month before the portable-only Nintendo Switch Lite arrives on September 20 - and will be "easily identified by the new bright red packaging."