Iwata Talks About 3DS Battery and Online

There has been much speculation of the battery capacity that is powering the 3DS due to the fact of the handhelds overall power. With the singular battery having to power both the new graphics processor and the fully fledged 3D effect at once, it is fairly obvious that the power cells will be drained faster.

Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has already admitted that the 3DS will need recharging more frequently than the current iterations of DS'. To combat this the 3DS will come bundled with a charging cradle which will allow easier access to charging after the device has been out and about for the day.

"It is inevitable that Nintendo 3DS will be a device which requires more frequent recharging than Nintendo DS. This is why we are going to include the cradle, which is a dedicated battery charger."

He added: "Perhaps we may need to dispatch to our consumers a message, something like, 'Please place your Nintendo 3DS on the cradle as soon as you return home with it'."

Nintendo has yet to confirm exactly how long the battery life will last yet, but with the current DS line boasting a greater battery life than its competitors, its not going to be short lived that's for sure.

The 3DS is also focusing more on its online ability in the form of its 'SpotPass' system where the device will get updates for games and firmware via passers by with the device. Nintendo also want the 3DS to passively download 3D content from the Japanese television broadcasters Nippon and Fuji Television, for free. Satoru Iwata wants players to experience 'Something New Every Day' and he feels that it is important for people to take the 3DS systems wherever they go which will allow SpotPass to make a bigger contribution to the 3DS's online capability.

To facilitate this, Nintendo have teamed up with many internet providers, retailers and fast-food joints to create wireless hotspots for the 3DS with over 2000 of these planned to be active by the 3DS launch in February in Japan. They also plan to do the same for the U.S and Europe.

“We must be able to offer clear-cut reasons for the overseas users to be willing to carry around Nintendo 3DS when they go out. Although we have not come to a conclusion on whether we should explore the possibility of the likes of Nintendo Zone or, like our collaborations with NTT East and NTT West, should deal with the entities which are offering free Wi-Fi access points, we are eager to proactively expand the access points so that an increasing number of people in the U.S. and Europe too can feel that it is fun to carry around a portable gaming device wherever they go out.”

What are your views on the 3DS's online and battery capabilities? What would you like to see for the system?