The Nintendo Switch 2 has landed and… well, I’m already addicted. Seriously, Knockout mode in Mario Kart World has me hooked – pipping my rivals to that final spot is the dopamine boost of dreams; you’ve gotta try it.
But unfortunately, a lot of players are finding that their races are getting cut short. Not by Koopa Troopa overtaking at the last minute – but by the Nintendo Switch 2’s battery depleting more quickly than we'd hope.
Nintendo claims that its flashy new console is capable of plating up between two and 6.5 hours of playtime from a full charge – in handheld mode, that is. And a lot of players are finding that certain titles, including Mario Kart, are pushing the Switch 2 to its absolute limits in terms of playtime. Of course, two hours is pretty disappointing, even when considering that the Nintendo Switch 2 has a much mightier processor than its predecessor.
But Nintendo fans, I bear great news. I’ve found a way to unlock so much more battery life from my Nintendo Switch 2. Specifically, I was able to quadruple – yes, quadruple – my playtime, with a little help from an affordable Anker battery pack with enough power output to keep the Switch 2 running even while playing.
Four times the charm
In order to give my Nintendo Switch 2 a much needed battery upgrade, I enlisted the help of a power bank that we’ve reviewed and rated highly. I went for the Anker 20,000mAh 87W Power Bank – simply because it’s got plenty of power, while still coming at a cost that’s easy to swallow.
It has an official price of $69.99 / £49.99 / AU$119.99, which is already great value. But at the time of writing, you can get it for just over $50 / £35. That’s a small price to pay for four times the Switch 2 fun!
To find out just how much additional playtime I could get, I plugged the power bank into my Nintendo Switch 2 and timed just how long it could last. For reference, I had the Switch 2 on at all times during my test, brightness set to default, media volume at 50% and Mario Kart World open – with a racer left stationary in Free Roam mode, because that was the best way to maintain consistency in the results (and also because I couldn't keep playing for 12 hours, I need to work and sleep).
And the results really blew me away.
With the power bank, my Nintendo Switch 2 got an additional eight hours and 48 minutes of battery life, on top of the three hours I measured with no power bank in play (using the same test conditions, of course).
Yep, that’s almost 12 hours of playtime total, using the Anker 20,000mAh 87W Power Bank. That’s enough for basically any train journey, flight, or sofa play session you’ll ever have.
And to be clear, I wasn't playing until it ran out, then charging from the power bank – I was playing and pulling power from the battery the whole time, so it was uninterrupted. It went so much longer than I expected – it just kept going even when it said it was on 1%…
And something I absolutely loved about this model from Anker is its use of a retractable cable. That means you don’t have to purchase an external USB-C to USB-C cable to charge your Nintendo Switch 2, or the power bank itself. There’s an additional USB-C and USB-A slot too, in case you want to charge one of the best phones, or a pair of the best headphones, say, for on-the-go gaming sessions.
This power bank also has a display, so you can track its remaining battery life (in my case, that meant watching that last 1% last forever). On top of that, this model is really well-built, so you won’t have to worry about damaging it on long haul journeys.
Ultimately, it’s a fantastic charging companion for the Nintendo Switch 2 and a pleasingly affordable option too. So, will you be getting a power bank for your Switch 2 adventures? Let me know in the comments!
You might also like
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.