Nintendo Quietly Announces New Nintendo Switch With Improved Battery

Nintendo's first Super Bowl ad, featuring the Switch and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Following the news of the new Nintendo Switch Lite, Nintendo quietly released information about a new version of the Switch. Well, it’s actually the exact same as the normal Switch, except it has a stronger battery life.

This even newer Switch will have a different model number, indicating it’s a small upgrade. The battery life is set to range from 4.5-9 hours. The original Nintendo Switch has a battery life of 2.5-6.5 hours, and speaking as someone who owns one, the newer battery will be worth it. To make it even better, the cost will stay the same as well, meaning if you don’t have a Switch yet and are looking to buy one, you could buy the mobile only, smaller Nintendo Switch Lite. If you have a little more money to work with, you could buy the new upgraded battery life Nintendo Switch.

Let it be clear — this is not the new and anticipated Nintendo Switch 2/Nintendo Switch Pro. If it were, Nintendo’s announcement for it wouldn’t be as low-key, and the enhanced Switch would be more expensive than the original. This is just a slightly upgraded version of the original.

Nintendo has said that you should be able to play The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild for a maximum 5.5 hours, while you’d get only three hours of the original Switch model.

When the Switch Lite was announced, Nintendo president Doug Bowser said that “the two systems will complement each other and co-exist in the marketplace.” Bowser said that there was an open market for cheaper Switch’s, saying they “observed [Switch owners] playing.” Shigeru Miyamoto, game designer for Nintendo said, “our ultimate ambition is for a Nintendo Switch to be owned not just by every family, but by every single person.” He goes on saying, “the biggest attraction of Nintendo Switch is that the console can be carried around and used easily for competitive gameplay via local wireless connection,” according to The Verge.

It’s unknown whether or not Bowser and Miyamoto were talking about this new Switch with a longer battery would be the two new releases Nintendo would come out with. It’s unlikely, and we should see an announcement for a Switch Pro eventually.