Question to those of you still using your DS Phats

BTP

How's your battery life?

It's getting up to four years now since those things launched, and I'm sure by now we've hit the part mentioned in the system's manual about how after 500 charges the battery's life after a full charge should be around 75% of what it used to be. If you've exceeded that, then the battery life should be even lower.

So how is your battery life? Have you had to order a new battery by now? Or are you still on your original battery and it still lasts long enough for you? Or did you just go buy a DS Lite instead and forget the whole thing?

Beyond these questions, does anyone have any tips/tricks to get the most out of these batteries before they have to be replaced?

Trevor

I haven't ordered a new battery for mine, and I haven't noticed a real drop in battery time. I use it at work occasionally, and I can still go a three or four days without needing to charge it. I actually have never heard of anyone needing or wanting to replace their battery.

Ohtsam

My battery life has shortened somewhat only lasting about 6 or 7 hours as opposed to the 10 to 12 I got when I recieved it but I rarely run into it

Djiem

I think mine doesn't last exactly as long as it used to, but it's still close to it and I've played the hell out of my DS since launch. Still on my first battery too.

Vyolynce

I haven't noticed any problems, although I think it's sort of dependent on what gems you're running. Lately I've just been rocking Pokemon Diamond and CrossworDS, which aren't exactly exerting high demand on the system.

RockinX

I've had mine for two years and I think that it doesn't last as long as it should but I haven't meassued the time it lasts.

Mostly after playing Pokémon Diamond training Pokés. Buit also playing GBA games.

UncleSporky

Same situation as everyone else. Will get a Lite eventually but will never pitch or sell this old boy, especially since I have him homebrew modded.

omega71

I still have mine from launch day, and my battery is still kicking out 10 or so hours of life.

I will eventually get a Lite, but I love my phatty still.

Luq

6 hours here, and I don't plan on getting a Lite unless the battery just plain fails. I only play mien around the house. I'll wait till whatever comes after the Lite.

Khavall

DSs use Li-ion batteries, no? From what I understand, they tend not to actually be dying from recharge cycles as much as from time degradation, which is why advice like "Deep Cycle your laptop/DS/PSP often" or "Don't keep them plugged in" or any other Ni-cad holdover advice is dumb. Four years though is still impressive. Go Ninty.

slash000

These are Li-ion batteries, yes.

I sold off my Phat for a Lite, but I still have my GBA, which still has a very significant battery life. I want to say that I still get at least 6 hours out of it, easily (I have a few 4-ish hour games that I can play all the way through without having to charge, and then still not have to charge at least halfway through the next game or two if not more).


Just.. keep the batteries out of extreme heat conditions is the best advice I can think of.

mntorankusu

My DS Lite battery is actually starting to go. I only get 3-4 hours out of it (on full brightness), at best. Less for wi-fi and homebrew junk. Especially wi-fi homebrew junk.

Scrumtrulescent

My launch phat is still running strong. Battery life is long enough for me.

slash000

mntorankusu wrote: »

My DS Lite battery is actually starting to go. I only get 3-4 hours out of it (on full brightness), at best. Less for wi-fi and homebrew junk. Especially wi-fi homebrew junk.

Hm.. I know that the battery life goes pretty quickly when running on the brightest setting.

Personally, I think that the tradeoff in battery life versus the benefits of the brightness on its highest level isn't as good of a ratio as the brightness / battery life ratio of the one notch down from max. brightness.


But wifi, like all portable electronics, really cuts into battery life; that's to be expected.

mntorankusu

slash000 wrote: »

mntorankusu wrote: »

My DS Lite battery is actually starting to go. I only get 3-4 hours out of it (on full brightness), at best. Less for wi-fi and homebrew junk. Especially wi-fi homebrew junk.

Hm.. I know that the battery life goes pretty quickly when running on the brightest setting.

Personally, I think that the tradeoff in battery life versus the benefits of the brightness on its highest level isn't as good of a ratio as the brightness / battery life ratio of the one notch down from max. brightness.


But wifi, like all portable electronics, really cuts into battery life; that's to be expected.

Yeah, it does get a lot more life with the brightness down, I just don't know how much. But, I remember when I first got it, I tested it with the brightness all the way up and got somewhere between 8 and 10 hours.

slash000

mntorankusu wrote: »

slash000 wrote: »

mntorankusu wrote: »

My DS Lite battery is actually starting to go. I only get 3-4 hours out of it (on full brightness), at best. Less for wi-fi and homebrew junk. Especially wi-fi homebrew junk.

Hm.. I know that the battery life goes pretty quickly when running on the brightest setting.

Personally, I think that the tradeoff in battery life versus the benefits of the brightness on its highest level isn't as good of a ratio as the brightness / battery life ratio of the one notch down from max. brightness.


But wifi, like all portable electronics, really cuts into battery life; that's to be expected.

Yeah, it does get a lot more life with the brightness down, I just don't know how much. But, I remember when I first got it, I tested it with the brightness all the way up and got somewhere between 8 and 10 hours.

From Nintendo.com:

How long does the rechargeable battery last before it needs to be charged again?

The Nintendo DS Lite has four levels of brightness. The battery will last 15-19 hours on the lowest settings, and 5-8 hours on the brightest.This can also vary depending on the type of game activity.

So unless you're constantly playing 4 player Metroid Prime Hunters online with full screen brightness and volume set to max, I would think you should be getting at least 5 hours of battery life :P

I set mine on second-to-brightest, and while I can't tell ya exactly how much life I get on it, I'm pretty sure it's somewhere in the 'teens.

nyarla

My DS phat (bought on launch day) battery seems to last slightly less longer than it used to, but that doesn't really bother me. Sadly the touchscreen has faded.. green seems to be affected more than other colours. Green looks almost black, red looks pale orange, purple looks pale grey, etc.

My gf (who had no interest in the DS at first) just bought a DS lite though (muahaha). The screens are great. It's like playing all my games for the first time again. A massive world of difference. The sound sounds a lot better on headphones too. Definitely getting one.

DarkPrimus

It seems like Space Invaders Extreme really likes sucking battery life out of my DSL.

Kane Red Robe

I would say the battery life is less than it was at launch, but it was patently absurd at launch, so it's really not a huge issue.

Mugenmidget

I think mine might be dying a bit but I can't be 100% for sure and I can't help but feel that most of it is paranoia instead of a measurable difference. Nothing that would compel me to rush out for a replacement, at least.

That said, I just looked at the official Nintendo store price, and it's $15 + $5 shipping for DS Phat or DS Lite batteries. Considering the screwdriver to open these things costs only $0.96 total, I'd say that's an AWESOME deal for anyone who thinks they're suffering significant battery loss.

TyrantCow

mntorankusu wrote: »

My DS Lite battery is actually starting to go. I only get 3-4 hours out of it (on full brightness), at best. Less for wi-fi and homebrew junk. Especially wi-fi homebrew junk.

My Lite also has a considerably shortened battery life, now.

I don't know if I should just buy another or try to replace the battery... I've never taken the cover off to see if it would be difficult. It's an import, too... I don't know if that would affect anything.

Bedlam

I mostly play at home indoors anyway so its easy enough to plug it in and play while it charges.

I guess theres a dropoff maybe. I dont play it enough to tell I guess.

Delzhand

Still getting 8 or so hours from a 2 hour charge. I consider that a good deal.

mntorankusu

Mugenmidget wrote: »

That said, I just looked at the official Nintendo store price, and it's $15 + $5 shipping for DS Phat or DS Lite batteries. Considering the screwdriver to open these things costs only $0.96 total, I'd say that's an AWESOME deal for anyone who thinks they're suffering significant battery loss.

You don't need the tri-wing screwdriver to open the battery compartment. It's supposed to be user-replaceable, so it has a standard phillips screw.

Helloween

Mine is still going strong, the charge seems almost the same as when I got it at launch.

Pureauthor

If it ever starts to go, I can always purchase a new standalone battery.

Jesuits

Just to throw in my experiences - I play the hell out of my fat DS. It can go from... 3-4 hours before the light turns red, which is more than enough for me, since plugging it in and playing is no problem.

ASimPerson

Anyone know what the going rate on the Phat is these days? I'd like to sell it and get a Lite - every time I see that screen I get jealous that I don't have it because it's just so much better.

Tamin

I mostly use mine to listen to music, and the last time I charged it and let it run, it lasted at least 8 hours.

ASimPerson: just about zilch, if you're talking about ebstop - I think it was $10 when I last checked on it.

Kalkino

I think mine lasts 6-8 hours, although that is a rough guess, as I've never timed it

slash000

ASimPerson wrote: »

Anyone know what the going rate on the Phat is these days? I'd like to sell it and get a Lite - every time I see that screen I get jealous that I don't have it because it's just so much better.

On Ebay, I'm seeing DS Phat go for between $75 and $95, depending on whether you put "Rare!" in the title of the auction.

Pretty good I'd say. I sold my Phat the day the Lite was released on Craig's List for $100. But that's mostly because I wanted to get rid of it immediately, and figured the second hand price of the Phats would drop like a rock once the Lite became available.

Trevor

I hate to hijack this thread for my own filthy purposes, but as long as we have so many people with the old DSes gathered together I was wondering if anyone else has had any problems with dust under the top screen? It's hardly an emergency, but I've been debating recently whether it would be smart or stupid to pry the cover off the top screen and clean that shit out or in my caveman level of technology I'm forgetting something and will cause the whole unit to explode. Any experiences about dust-busting with a fatty?

ZackSchilling

Trevor wrote: »

I hate to hijack this thread for my own filthy purposes, but as long as we have so many people with the old DSes gathered together I was wondering if anyone else has had any problems with dust under the top screen? It's hardly an emergency, but I've been debating recently whether it would be smart or stupid to pry the cover off the top screen and clean that shit out or in my caveman level of technology I'm forgetting something and will cause the whole unit to explode. Any experiences about dust-busting with a fatty?

Buy a replacement top screen cover from Nintendo. It even comes with a special sticky hook thing to get the old one off.

But to answer your question: no, the unit will not explode. You can simply pry the cover off, clean and replace it. Use a can of air in a relatively dust-free place.

jothki

I've noticed that my battery life seems to have significantly shortened as well. I haven't bothered to actually measure it, though.

Mugenmidget

mntorankusu wrote: »

Mugenmidget wrote: »

That said, I just looked at the official Nintendo store price, and it's $15 + $5 shipping for DS Phat or DS Lite batteries. Considering the screwdriver to open these things costs only $0.96 total, I'd say that's an AWESOME deal for anyone who thinks they're suffering significant battery loss.

You don't need the tri-wing screwdriver to open the battery compartment. It's supposed to be user-replaceable, so it has a standard phillips screw.

Even better! I thought replacing the battery would be way more expensive, it's cool to know that this option is available.

Lindsay Lohan

DarkPrimus wrote: »

It seems like Space Invaders Extreme really likes sucking battery life out of my DSL.

That's because there's an extra level of awesomeness in Space Invaders Extreme that requires extra battery life.

Seriously, the game is so fucking amazing.

I get about 8 hours of battery I'd guess, but it depends if I'm using my R4 too - it seems to be a bit of a battery hog. I keep mine on the 3rd highest brightness I believe. The wife's Phat still gets pretty much the same life as it did when we first bought it.

Jam Warrior

Had to replace my Phat battery recently as the playtime between charges was definately dropping. Almost dissapointed it was so quick, easy and cheap. No using that to justify me swapping up for a lite!

TheSonicRetard

I've barely played my DS since I won it from etoychest. It still charges like new.

My PSP also holds a charge very well, although I use it just about every day.

Hedgethorn

BTP wrote: »

How's your battery life?

It's getting up to four years now since those things launched, and I'm sure by now we've hit the part mentioned in the system's manual about how after 500 charges the battery's life after a full charge should be around 75% of what it used to be. If you've exceeded that, then the battery life should be even lower.

So how is your battery life? Have you had to order a new battery by now? Or are you still on your original battery and it still lasts long enough for you? Or did you just go buy a DS Lite instead and forget the whole thing?

Beyond these questions, does anyone have any tips/tricks to get the most out of these batteries before they have to be replaced?

I've had a Fat for probably three years now. I don't play it much anymore; it sits on my bedside table and I'll play Picross or something for 10-15 minutes before bed. With that limited use, though, I still only have to charge it every 3 or 4 weeks. So I think the battery is still doing well. When I took it with me on a trip a few months back, it lasted through seven hours of travel, and I don't think I had it fully charged beforehand.

Dis

I got my FAT at launch, the battery still seems to be working well...
I usually charge it when i am sleeping...