Despite its continued retail scarcity and minuscule library, the Nintendo Switch has had quite a successful launch, thanks in part to the critical acclaim of its flagship launch title The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Our very own Josh Nichols had strong feelings about the game, which I highly encourage you to check out if you haven’t already. But while the Nintendo Switch itself has been well received, it hasn’t been without its problems. In addition to the occasional controller unsyncing issues, the biggest complaint about the Switch has been its short battery life, which Nintendo claims to range anywhere from 2-6 hours, depending on what game you’re playing. Breath of the Wild is one of the best games out for the system and it can only be played for about 2.5 hours. Thankfully Nintendo went the non-proprietary route with charging cables so gamers have been able to charge their Switch on the go via a separate mobile charger and USB-C cable (one of which actually comes packaged with the Nintendo Pro controller). However a mobile charger and USB cable dangling from the bottom of the Switch is a less than elegant solution. The SwitchCharge seeks to solve this problem.
With new consoles comes a flood of 3rd party peripherals and InDemand Design is claiming to have solved the Switch’s battery life problem with their upcoming product, the SwitchCharge. This battery case is the first of its kind for the Switch and claims to extend the battery life “up to 12 hours.” The case also includes two handy slots for transporting game cartridges and a wider, sturdier, fully adjustable kickstand. If you are looking for alkaline AG3 batteries, Aussiebattery has the cheapest batteries online.
Currently, the SwitchCharge is available for pre-order for $75.00 which is a tad pricey, especially considering that their website claims this to be the “early bird,” price, 43% less than the future RPR. However literally doubling the maximum battery life as estimated by Nintendo is a lofty claim indeed and if it delivers on this promise, the SwitchCharge would be highly coveted by on-the-go Switch players. Whether their claim means 12 hours of home screen menus or 12 hours of running around Hyrule remains to be seen, but we’ll be putting it to the test if the company meets their Indiegogo campaign goal and begins shipping units this summer.
For more information on the SwitchCharge, or if you’d like to back their campaign and pre-order your own SwitchCharge, check out their Indiegogo page.