Before the Nintendo Switch launched, many fans were worried about the console’s battery life. Some Japanese gamers are now reporting that their console’s battery life is quickly depleting. In a handful of videos posted on Twitter, the Switch’s battery percentage can be seen decreasing at a ridiculous speed. It’s common for batteries to weaken as they become older, but this seems very early. Have you been having any issues? Tell us below.
任天堂switchを1ヶ月間放置した結果
充電消費が異常な速度に…
マジでふざけんな pic.twitter.com/hAIHa5iHtG— すてらいろ (@suterairo) July 8, 2017
I wonder if these are newer unit or if they had them for awhile. It almost makes me want to hold off on getting one. I planned on trying to snag one around the release of Splatoon 2 but I don’t know if that’s a good idea.
There’s always going to be videos like these about something going wrong with the Switch. Just like there was for every other console ever made. If your waiting to buy a Switch only when there are no more negative videos you’ll never buy a Switch.
Or anything ever made.
That’s a good point. Usually I’m cursed with getting malfunctioning hardware and being stuck with it so I’m trying to be extra careful this time.
Well, if it’s a factory default, you can always send it back to Nintendo and they’ll repair it for free.
By waiting this long, you dodged the joycon disconnect issue. So that’s a positive. As Deep South said, there is always a chance you’ll get something defective, however with brand new hardware, I think the odds are higher.
The longer you wait, the better the library of games, the more glitches get fixed, and eventually retailers will offer bundles and sales. Just gotta decide when it’s worth it to you to jump in.
It’s common knowledge that I’m waiting for Metroid Prime 4. But then I’m not into Splatoon, I have other gaming options, and am perfectly happy waiting on Mario.
Got Splatoon 2 for my son – he loves it, so does his dad!
I’m glad I Bought a switch battery plus. Hopefully it helps. I wouldn’t know how my battery is, I usually use it in the dock mostly.
Weird if it is localized in Japan… I’d almost think a hardware defect would be universal. But a software defect could be localized…
Remember the dock issue. It was only one factory, so it didn’t affect everyone. Lots of moving parts in retail logistics. That’s why brand new tech, version 1.0 generally launches with bugs. Not even Ninte do hardware is immune to this.
wow… thats really strange. hasn’t happened to me, hopefully it was only a few defects and the unlucky few get a free battery replacement… that really sucks.
I’ve been having an issue with my switch where the battery is seemingly runs down quickly but then it goes on 1% and it can last for 2 hours. So at least for me it’s more that the battery indicator indicator on the switch is broken and giving incorrect readout but the battery power is still there. I’ve read around a lot of people have the same issue, but maybe this is something different entirely.
Yeah mine was like that too but it went back to normal over time
Still worries me. I’m holding off.
Sounds like the battery wasnt calibrated properly before assembly.
Wth lol doesn’t look like a battery problem tho. Looks like something wrong with the battery indicator. I wanted to see if it shows the console actually turn off as that would mean it’s the battery really losing power that quickly but it doesn’t
||My batteries last about 1-2 hours longer than intended, High Command rewarded me with extra power…||
So… one billion three hundred thousand years three days and two hours? 😝
Luckily mine would never leave the dock.
Hm. Hopefully this is just a software issue that can be fixed with a simple patch. Or Nintendo will do like with the sync issue & just do some bullshit physical fix & force everyone to send their Switch back in for said physical update. If they go with a physical fix again & this is all to avoid decreasing the already low data storage, well they shouldn’t have gone with 32gb for the second home console gen in a row to begin with. ……stubborn dumbasses……
You’re special… I mean like really. NAND memory isnt cheap and in NO WAY are you fitting a typical hard drive on this type of device. 32gb is pretty cost effective, especially when SD cards are cheaper than the NAND memory there.
External hard drives are cheaper than Micro SD Cards if I want great speed & plenty of data storage. If there is gonna be no external HDD support then my Switch won’t be seeing many purchases. They already on a slippery slope with their stupid online stuff tied to a smartphone in an attempt to be different just for the sake of being different as it is.
If the Switch had a USB 3.0 and the ability to supply power to an external hard drive from the dock, it’s totally doable.
If not, nintendo has no right calling the Switch a home console first. The dock should allow a 3.0 external drive to be attached.
You guys really have problems…
Just buy your bigger games physically and you don’t need additional storage add all.
Certain other consoles force you to buy another HDD at a point, if you don’t want to deinstall/install.
Also, the more costs for storage relativate themselfs if you notice that you need far less if it in any case.
HDDs are not needed and do not fit into the Switchs concept at all. Especially in the beginning it would create bad marketing as well.
“OMG, you can buy a HDD but only play what is stored on it when docked? How stupid.”
I don’t give a rat’s ass if someone using it for portable gaming thinks an external HDD for dock mode only is stupid. Some of us don’t care about the portable mode and use it strictly for home console gaming, so we’d like an external HDD for cheaper, but still great, storage even if it is dock mode only. It’s called giving your consumer options. As for the “just get bigger games physically,” you are forgetting one other important problem: patches & DLC are still gonna be digital. So yes. They ARE still needed for those of us that want those over the far more expensive Micro SD Cards. It’s time Nintendo wakes up & realize this is the digital age. 32gb. Is. Very. Stupid. If portable mode was gonna be such an issue, they shouldn’t have bothered with the snazzy new gimmick and just made a new dedicated home console instead.
Thats basically what im doing @kirgon, just buying physical games. If I ever need more storage, I can swap out my 256gb sd card in my phone for a 64gb one and put it in my switch xD. 64gb cards are like 22-25$
Then they could have included a 32-64 gig micro SD card. They included an SD card for all their other hand helds. 32gigs internal is rediculously low for a home console.
Sadly, they would have gone cheap & would have given us a Micro SD Card with like 4-8 gigabytes of data. After all, if they think 32gb is good for a home console, they’d probably think 8gbs or less is good enough, too. :/
The N3DS came with 4. So they probably would have included an 8gig x.x
Ok, are you guys even thinking about this?
Especially Ridley: Do you seriously think you need a big HDD just for patches and DLC? Even if you manage to fill the 32gb of internal storage completely with just that, then a cheap and small additional SD card would be enough. This is, in the end, in no way more expensive then the HDD but installations aproach of the other consoles where you actually need the storage of an big HDD.
And lol to the idea of including an sd card with the Switch. You should know how business works, this would have made the console more expensive. You wouldn’t pay much less for the console than you are now for the console + SD card, some customers like me on the other hand who probably don’t need the extra storage would be at an disadvantage…
I have quite a lot of games for my Wii U with patches, some dlc and all, yet the 32gb storage have never gotten full. Strange, isn’t it? And I even have the optional Xenoblade X downloads stored in it…
Again: If you buy games physically, then you will have no reason to buy a big HDD. You can’t get that many patches and dlc for an HDD to be necessary in any way. On PS4 and Xbox One you actually do need that much space.
When the time comes that you need to buy a 60$ – 70$ SD card (nothign bigger) you would instead buy an 60$ – 70$ HDD for the PS/Xbox. There is barely a difference in the end.
And about the options argument: HDD support might still be patched in but for the start this would have made people angry (with nonsensial arguments) just like you are angry now about not having an option that you barely have an actual use for…
As it is now, it’s a problem for download games only, from that perspective it is a clear disadvantage of the Switch, yes.
It’s called releasing two separate Switch consoles: one with nothing extra & one with a nice Micro SD Card with plenty of data storage just like how they released an 8gb Wii U (idiots) and a 32gb Wii U (still idiots) for those that don’t mind paying extra for actual GOOD data storage. Everyone wins. Instead, NintenD’OH! *facepalm* only did the basic Switch & shunned the ones that want better data storage. Being as I’m more of a digital gamer these days, I need more data storage & these expensive Micro SD Cards aren’t gonna cut it as it just makes the Switch even more expensive than it should be when there are external HDDs that are cheaper with more data storage for less. So Ninty needs to get a move on & try harder to give us external HDD support. If they can’t, well they shouldn’t have bothered with this portable gimmick til it was cheaper to pull off with great data storage.
Sounds more like a manufacturing issue if it’s only in Japan.
Most battery problems like this are an issue with accurately reporting the battery level, not the actual battery. First step should be to drain the battery fully and then charge fully.
This is unsettling, I recently bought a power bank to help give me multiple charges but if the Switch drains too quickly then my recent purchase was pointless…
I hope this is a rare occurrence and I’m lucky enough to avoid it either that or have the issue surface before a year’s time so I can claim my replacement from Gamestop.
I get like 2-3 hours playtime outa mine in portable mode, but 90% of the time its in the dock lol
I had the same issue, it was solved with a reset.
Maybe this affects me as well?
During the first week I had my Switch, I could play Zelda at mid brightness and it would last for 2 hours. Now, months later, I’m lu
FUCKING SMARTPHONE NOT BEING SMART.
*I’m lucky if it lasts an hour playing Mario Kart 8 or ARMS offline, at the same settings. Something’s not right.
that sucks man. you should call Nintendo while you are in warranty… SERIOUSLY.
I would, but my usage is like 98% docked, 2% handheld. To me, Switch is a console first, handheld second, and even when I do go handheld, there’s always a charge cable nearby (either my own or a friend’s). It’s not a massive bother unlike my New 3DS XL that had a faulty sound system making everything past a certain volume sound tinny (Tephra Cave in Xenoblade 3D was a nightmare with a problem like that because of its music).
IDK… I would get it looked at while it’s in warranty. It will suck to be without for two weeks, but Nintendo does a stellar job at repairs. That’s just me. Plus, it will bolster their knowledge of the issue, helping ensure reduced issues in future units.
You’re choice of course! :D
Mine did the same a month ago. It’s back to normal now.
Is this battery draining issue a one in a million case like the warping issue? Because if it is, then no need to spread around false doom news once again.
except several people IN THIS POST say they have issues. best not speak for everyone while trying to damage control.
Except several of those people IN THIS POST say that it is only a problem with the battery indicator… Which is then most likely solved by resetting the console or draining the battery empty once.
“Most likely fixed” I’m just saying, don’t take the warranty for granted. If you have tried the good-old “Did you try turning it off and on” trick (power cycle) And you have a consistent issue, get it fixed while Nintendo is paying the bill. It’s not as crazy of a concept as it sounds.
If someone doesn’t want to deal with the inconvenience, or if they don’t feel like it’s an issue for them… no one is holding a gun to their head, I’m just talking from experience.
What I am trying to say is just, that if it is really just a problem with the battery indicator, then there is no reason to send the console in. You can either fix it yourself or wait for an software update. If you simply try it out and it appears to be an actual hardware issue, then it makes sense to send it in.
Seems unlikely to me though because what kind of hardware problem appears suddenly for many people and causes the battery to drain THIS fast? + all the cases where we already know that it was just the indictaor…
(The “most likely” came from the fact that I don’t have this problem, so I can’t try it out)
Actually, yes I do.
I’ve not had a problem with my Switch’s battery, just the left Joy-Con (first the connection issue, and most recently the ZL button/trigger got loose), but those issues have been fixed. I was actually surprised how long the Switch lasted while playing Zelda on the go, between 3-5 hours (it helps if you turn down the brightness).
Mine works just fine, but all electronics have bad versions. Actually had to install my own operation system on a work phone. Think the Switch works just fine for 99.9999% of all users.
This is a battery Indicator issue. Battery power is still there – just the % is showing wrong.
This issue also seems to be badly reported in order to get clicks
I’m sure a patch will be issued by Nintendo fixing this.
Thanks
i didn’t have this problem but i hope this problem is fixable!
I just want to take a moment to thank all of you early adopters. I have been an early adopter for Nintendo for… over 20, 25 years?, and I took a much needed break this gen.
I didn’t expect half as many of you to test the switch, but seeing as you did, it provided a much larger sample size to help identify and work the bugs out.
When I am playing the switch a year or two from now, I will remember all the blood, sweat and tears suffered to ensure I’m playing on the best possible build.
Good day. :D
Because of the Switch’s shitty library of games that interest me, I actually wish I had told my inner Zelda fan to go fuck itself & just waited til there were 7 games on it that I want before buying it. As it stands, I only have Zelda right now with only Mario, Xenoblade, Fire Emblem Warriors (maybe,) & Metroid Prime 4 to look forward to later. That’s only 5 games.
My condolences. Zelda is an epic game, IDK if you could have played it on WiiU.
Since you’re already in, Xenoblade X2 should be fun, and should give you as much play time as Zelda did. so that will be fun. Fire Emblem Warriors could end up being fun.
I was caught up.in the hype myself. especially after the amazing commercial they made, pure marketing magic. And there were one or two other times I almost caved.
Honestly, if they hadn’t fucked Zelda over so bad on the WiiU, I probably would have been sucked in with the hype at launch, but my Jaded-ness over what happened to the WiiU Zelda game was sufficient to keep me anchored.
Well sticking to Wii U was a no-go for me. I was sick of the damn machine & I wanted to move away from it. But sadly, I simply moved to a console with nearly the same exact issues as the Wii U: no cloud storage, my digital purchases still seem to be locked to the damn system instead of the Nintendo Account which should be a universal account but is just an over-glorified version of NNID right now it would seem, online still sucks in some areas, & very little games to interest me which includes Nintendo 1st party games, 2nd party games, & 3rd party exclusives. Yeah. I should have continued my vacation away from Nintendo’s home consoles for another year or 2 and continued to focus all of my attention on my PS4 & n3DS.
Oh yeah. I totally forgot about the shitty Virtual Console support & apparently no deals on Wii U ports on Switch if you owned the game digitally on Wii U.
Both of them fixed after putting them on charge for a while. Probably just a software bug.
I just had a conversation today about how it only last about 3 to 4 hours off the charger when you’re paying games.