wraggster
February 15th, 2005, 16:55
Yeah, the PSP might have a big fancy screen, it might be able to play music and movies and it might look slicker than a polished dolphin, but what about the dodgy battery life, eh? Eh?[br]This is the curse of the PSP fan: To have the handheld's well-publicised short(er than DS's) battery life chucked in your face. Well, it seems those jibes may fizzle out just as quick as a current PSP power cell. [br][br]According to Japanese business news source Nihon Keizai Shimbun, Sony has revealed new technology that boosts the efficiency of lithium-ion batteries by up to 30%. Since the PSP uses a rechargeable battery of this type (as does the DS, and mobile phones and stuff) we could be looking at this technology being applied to an updated battery with a longer lifespan.[br][br]Given that current PSP batteries last (on average) around four-five hours on a full charge, Sony's new tech could mean we're looking at an extra 1.5 hours of playtime - and perhaps even more.[br]Sony has not explicitly linked the battery-boosting technology with the PSP yet, but we reckon it'd be a safe bet that it'll find its way into the handheld. [br][br]Indeed, Ken Kutaragi, the man behind the PlayStation and the PSP, said last year that more efficient batteries were being researched for all of Sony's portable electronic devices. "In the future," said Kutaragi-san, "we'd like for a single charge to last for a flight from Tokyo Narita to New York."[br][br]That particular jaunt is a DVT-inducing 14 hours, by the way, which still seems a good distance off in the future. Still, at least it seems Sony is addressing the problem.[br][br]More news on PSP battery life soon.