TGS: Vita's Battery Life isn't Great, Memory Cards are Pricey

With the PlayStation Vita's release date set as December 17 in Japan, Sony has issued a press release detailing many of the system's features, accessories, and other noteworthy tidbits. Battery life in particular has caused somewhat of an outcry, although the fairly low figures were to be expected.

The release estimates approximate gaming time on Vita to be between 3 and 5 hours; watching videos will get you about 5 hours; and listening to music in standby mode will go for about 9 hours. It's important to note these figures are based on the screen brightness being at the default setting with headphones plugged in and Bluetooth off. The game-playing figure is for when you're not playing online; 3G or Wi-Fi usage could drag any of these figures down even further.

Fortunately, it's estimated that it will only take 2 hours and 40 minutes to fully charge from an empty battery with an AC adapter. I say "fortunately" because that's almost an hour better than the 3DS, which takes about 3 hours and 30 minutes to fully charge. That system is often criticized for its battery; it, too, provides only about 3-5 hours of gameplay. There have been third-party solutions, but Nintendo attempted to mitigate the problem by including a charging cradle -- something you'll have to pay extra for with Vita.

Source: http://www.1up.com/news/vita-battery-life-not-great-memory-cards-pricey

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