The Nintendo 3DS changed the face of handhelds with glasses-free 3D, but that innovation came with a downside. The battery life of the Nintendo 3DS is pretty bad for a handheld gaming system, with everything enabled you’ll be lucky to get a little over three hours of play time and that’s just horrible honestly. Nyko is a company that makes excellent gaming accessories and they’ve decided to do something about the not-so-great battery life of the 3DS. Today for review I’ve got the Nyko Nintendo 3DS Battery and Charge Base Bundle that can possibly double the battery life of your 3DS. It works by replacing the battery in your existing 3DS and it’s very easy, just a couple screws and you’re all done. Read on to learn more…
The box for the Nyko Charge Base is actually a sleeve and a box. it has pictures and info on it as you might expect.
When you open the boxes you’ll find a plastic tray.
Opening everything up you’ll find the battery, charge base, small bag with screwdriver and screws along with documentation.
The screwdriver is of course used to open and install the new battery. The screws that come with it are just extra in case you happen to lose one.
The base and the battery function together.
The battery is actually part of the back cover and on the bottom you’ll see contacts that match with those on the charge base. The battery has a rubberized texture on it for grip and finger rests. The battery is a double capacity Lithium Ion Polymer one that is designed specifically for the 3DS of course.
The charge base itself is a glossy black and looks nice. The dock is custom just for use with the Nyko battery, so you’ll no longer need your 3DS base.
On the bottom you’ll find rubber slips to keep the charge base in place.
On the back you’ll see the power connection. The Nyko Charge Base doesn’t come with a power adapter, you just use the one that comes with your 3DS.
The Charge base does have a power button on it to start charging your 3DS.
Specifications:
Nyko Nintendo 3DS Battery and Charge Base Bundle
The Nyko Nintendo 3DS Battery and Charge Base Bundle is the ultimate solution to improving your 3DS battery life.
The Nyko Nintendo 3DS Battery and Charge Base Bundle is the ultimate solution to improving your 3DS battery life. You can keep your 3DS powered for up to twice as long with the Charge Base from Nyko. The Charge Base comes with the Nyko Power Pak+, a double capacity Lithium Ion Polymer battery, designed specifically for the 3DS and a custom charging dock that allows for easy charging and storage of the handheld. Once installed onto the back of the 3DS system, the Power Pak+ battery provides double the capacity of the stock battery while also giving the system a textured grip and de-bossed finger rests, perfect for extended game play sessions.
The included charging dock is powered by the stock AC Adaptor that comes with the 3DS and allows for convenient storage and charging of the system. No excess cords, plugs or adaptors, just drop and charge. Featuring LED lights to show when the console is charging and when it is ready to play at a glance, the charging dock is the ideal place to store your Nintendo 3DS console. Included in the pack is a mini screwdriver for easy installation of the Nintendo 3DS battery on to the console. The Charge Base is everything you need to store, charge and keep your system powered for twice as long.
Price: £29.95 / $48.03
The Nyko Kinect Zoom is also available on Gaming Zap
My Nintendo 3DS has a skin on it and it’s usually kept in a case as well. Here’s the bottom:
Just unscrew the four screws to reveal the the stock battery of the 3DS, very simple really.
Next you just set the Nyko battery and cover in place then secure the four screws to hold everything in. That’s it, you’re all done.
You’ll then need to charge the battery in the Charge Base. Your Nintendo 3DS then just sits in the base, you push the button and the base lights up red to indicate it’s charging. The LED will turn green when it’s complete. There’s an LED on the top and then there’s LEDs on the side as well.
Once you have the battery in place the first thing you’ll notice is that your Nintendo 3DS is now bigger, and it’s slightly heavier than before. I had a full body skin on my 3DS but of course now I don’t. I normally have my 3DS in a case as well, but it now no longer fits in that case. I guess it’s a trade off, more battery life for less protection of my 3DS.
Charging your new battery takes longer than it normally would, something I would expect.
To test it I played games on my 3DS, that was the fun part. I found battery life varied depending on what you did. Wi-Fi and 3D do cause the battery to drain faster of course, but you can expect to get 6 to 7 hours or use from the Nyko battery. This is quite a bit better than the normal 3-5 you’d get with the stock 3DS battery. It’s not amazingly excellent performance but it’s better than stock.
Conclusion:
If you’re not happy with the battery life of the 3DS and don’t mind your handheld being a bit bigger, then I can recommend you getting the Nyko Charge base as it will almost double the battery life of your gaming system. it’s simple to install and very easy to use, in a matter of minutes you’ll have a longer lasting handheld.
Personally I like it, but I also like having my 3DS in case, which I can’t do anymore with the Nyko battery in place. As I mentioned I also have a skin on my 3DS covering the whole thing, but now I don’t have it on the bottom. It’s aesthetic but it also acts to protect my 3DS. So it all depends on what’s more important to you I guess.
Pros:
+Very simple installation
+Can double 3DS battery life
Cons:
-Can’t use case with battery
-Makes 3DS bigger and slightly heavier
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