New Model Nintendo Switch Getting Battery Upgrade Mid-August
Presumably thanks to a more efficient chipset, the standard Nintendo Switch console is getting a slight refresh to allow for significantly longer handheld play. The current model that’s on store shelves lasts between 2.5 to 6.5 hours, whereas the new model (designated with a new model number of HAC-001(-01) and with a serial number that starts with XKW instead of XAW) will last 4.5 – 9 hours. According to Nintendo, that boosts The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild from 3 hours of play to 5.5 hours of play!
This hardware refresh is internal only and the Switch will continue to look exactly the same. The cost of the system also stays at $299.99. The systems will begin showing up in stores around mid-August (next month). Let’s hope we don’t have out of stock situations while the changeover occurs!
We still don’t have any word of the rumored Switch Pro that has been tossed around for the past year or so. The Switch Lite, Nintendo’s portable-only solution is coming out on September 20, 2019 for $199.99 with a smaller form factor. Its battery life is between 3 – 7 hours, with Zelda: Breath of the Wild lasting about 4 hours.
[Source: Nintendo]
Craig has been covering the video game industry since 1995. His work has been published across a wide spectrum of media sites. He’s currently the Editor-In-Chief of Nintendo Times and contributes to Gaming Age.
