Nintendo Switch Model With Improved Battery Now Available to Buy

Nintendo’s hardware revision to its Nintendo Switch console by containing a longer-lasting battery is now available to purchase through select retailers.

Announced last month, this new Nintendo Switch appeared to have the same size, weight, and look to the original console. The only difference is the duration of the battery.

The new model boasts an average battery life of four and a half to nine hours, according to Nintendo, an increase from the original’s two and a half to six and a half hours. A more specific metric given was that playing The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild would now last five and a half hours compared to the original hardware’s three hours.

The new hardware can be found by the model number HAC-001(-01) and the product serial number beginning with “XKW,” rather than “XAW.”

First noticed by Wario64, the new console can be purchased from Amazon and Best Buy while GameStop is currently offering $225 for trading in a Nintendo Switch. The new model retains the same price as the original at $299.99.

Nintendo had also announced the Nintendo Switch Lite last month, a smaller, cheaper version of the console that can only be played in handheld mode. The Switch Lite offers a battery life of three to seven hours, and will be available on Sept. 20 at a price of $199.99.