How Long Does the Nintendo 3DS XL Battery Last? GA S REGULAR Menu Lifewire Tech for Humans Newsletter! Search Close GO Gaming > Consoles & PCs 31 31 people found this article helpful

How Long Does the Nintendo 3DS XL Battery Last?

By Nadia Oxford Nadia Oxford Writer William Lyon Mackenzie Collegiate Institute Nadia Oxford is a former Lifewire writer with 10+ years' experience. Her articles have appeared in Pocket Games Magazine, Play Magazine, Game Pro, IGN and others. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on January 6, 2020 Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Consoles & PCs Xbox Buyer's Guide According to Nintendo, the battery for the Nintendo 3DS XL should last around 3.5 to 6.5 hours. This is an improvement over the Nintendo 3DS’s battery life of 3 to 5 hours. As is the case with most modern devices powered by a lithium-ion battery, you can’t really set a stopwatch to count down how much juice you have left in your Nintendo 3DS XL before your gadget blinks out. That said, the Nintendo 3DS XL is definitely engineered with a longer-lasting battery than its predecessor. Lifewire / Bailey Mariner

How to Make the 3DS XL Battery Last Longer

If you manage your energy carefully, you should be able to avoid ever seeing that dreaded red light when you’re miles from your charger. The simplest tip for any device to last longer is to disable features that use more system resources. The more resources used the more power that's required and consumed. There are several things you can do to stretch out your Nintendo 3DS XL’s battery life: Play without 3D enabled. Since the device has to build and display two distinct images at the same time, all the while using the camera to track your eyes, it's no wonder that disabling it saves on battery usage.
Adjust the screen brightness according to your environment. Lowering the brightness to a tolerable level, if you can manage, will have a drastic effect on the battery life.
You can even enable power-saving mode to automatically adjust brightness and color on the 3DS XL. Turn off Wi-Fi to stop the 3DS XL from reaching out to a wireless access point. Like most things, this uses more system resources, all of which require a battery to run. Wi-Fi is only necessary for doing things that need the internet, like downloading updates, playing multiple games, and using StreetPass.
Disabling Wi-Fi on your Nintendo 3DS XL can be done from the Settings. Toggle the Wireless Communication option to the off position.On that note, disable the sound on your Nintendo 3DS XL to prevent those components from overworking the battery. This might not have a huge effect on battery life but it's worth a shot. You can also play your Nintendo 3DS XL while it’s plugged into its AC adapter, though doing so lengthens the device’s charge time by quite a bit. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire Can I Play Nintendo 3DS Games on the Wii U? Can I Play Nintendo DS Games on the 3DS? How to Make Your Cellphone Battery Last Longer How Long Does an iPad Last? How to Transfer Data From a Nintendo 3DS SD Card How Long Does a Ring Battery Last? How to Get More StreetPasses on Your Nintendo 3DS How Much Does the Nintendo 3DS Cost? Are the Nintendo 3DS and 3DS XL Backward Compatible? How Long Does a Laptop Battery Last? Setting Up Nintendo 3DS Parental Controls How to Set up Wi-Fi on Your Nintendo 3DS XL How to Use iPhone Low Power Mode Nintendo 2DS FAQ - Everything You Need to Know Nintendo 3DS vs. 2DS How to Add a Friend Code on Your Nintendo 3DS Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies