Arguably when talking about the PSP, the most glaring flaw is its weak battery life, which can drop below two hours
when playing certain power-intensive games. It's also been the one flaw most often ridiculed by Nintendo, whose DS unit
boasts an average 10 hours of battery life, while the Big N's other native handheld, the GBA, often tops out at around
20 hours. In the past months, many have speculated that the PSP will receive a battery upgrade before its North
American and European releases to address these concerns. Well, PSP hopefuls need speculate no longer. Sony has made a
Japanese announcement indicating that the PSP will receive an improved lithium ion battery within the next year,
boasting a 30% increase in battery life.
"So?" say the casual gamers, who will pick up a PSP once it undergoes a price drop. "Now everybody wins." Sure,
everybody. Well, except for the early adopters, that is, who will be forced to buy the new battery separately. So here
are my questions: does this news make you want to wait until later in the year to pick up a PSP? How much more do you
suspect the new battery will cost, and how will it affect the
PSP's price? Will the two differing batteries be offered
separately like memory cards? And if you're fine with the length of the PSP's battery life now, do you think a new
battery is even necessary?
UPDATE: As Liam has pointed out, Sony hasn't actually technically explicitly 100% stated that they will
feature their new "Nexelion" batteries in the PSP, but everyone loves a little rumor and hearsay. Besides, would Sony
be stupid not to incorporate this new technology? Or would it only serve to alienate their existing
fanbase?
THE NEXELION HYBRID LITHIUM ION BATTERY
