Switch 2's Battery Reportedly Can't Last 2 Hours Playing Mario Kart

The battery drain is "alarming" even when the device is in Sleep Mode.

It looks like the price-related controversies of Mario Kart World and Welcome Tour aren't the only issues marring Nintendo Switch 2's launch, as multiple reports and countless online comments suggest the new handheld suffers from severe battery life problems, so much so that calling the console "portable" feels downright misleading.

One such report comes from Nintendo Life, whose experiments showed Switch 2 dropping from 100% charge to 0% in about two hours while running Mario Kart World, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, and Welcome Tour. Corroborating these findings are results from Nintendo Life's own poll, where 56% of respondents said their Switch 2 lasts two hours or even less when playing Mario Kart, along with numerous complaints on social media about the device's poor battery life.

Moreover, many users report that running games isn't the only thing draining the Nintendo Switch 2, with almost every other activity apparently consuming an unusually large amount of power as well. One Reddit user, for instance, noted their handheld dropped from 70% to 59% over 60-90 minutes without running any games, without an internet connection, and just sitting idle.

Another user said they left their console downloading in Sleep Mode overnight, only to find it had gone from 88% to 25%. Other complaints mention Switch 2 losing over 40% of its charge in 8 hours with no downloads, dropping 7% in just a few minutes when downloading Mario Kart and an update for The Legend of Zelda, draining 1% every couple of minutes while sitting in the main menu, and even somehow burning through 4% of its battery while completely powered off.

While many other Nintendo Switch 2 owners say they haven't encountered these problems and consider the battery life to be as expected, those affected describe the situation as "alarming" and are hoping the issue gets resolved in the near future.

And what about you – how has your experience with Switch 2 been so far? Have you run into any battery life issues? Share your thoughts in the comments!

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