3DS sports 3- to 5-hour battery life for 3D games

During this weekend's 2011 Nintendo World Event in Japan, the house of Mario publicly displayed the company's new portable, the 3DS. In addition to showing off the 3DS, Nintendo specified the Japanese software launch lineup and announced final system specifications, including battery life.

The 3DS battery will last about as long as Gone With the Wind.

According to Nintendo's 3DS product listing, when the system is playing 3D titles, the battery will provide gamers three to five hours of play on every charge. The play clock is upped to a range of five to eight hours for standard DS and DSi titles. According to Nintendo, those times are all dependent on screen brightness levels. Further, the 3DS will take approximately three and a half hours to charge, according to Nintendo.

The 3DS will be released in Japan on February 26 for a yen equivalent of roughly $300. Nintendo is holding an event in New York City on January 19, where it has promised to unveil new details surrounding the 3DS, possibly including a North American release date.

Nintendo first debuted the 3DS during its 2010 Electronic Entertainment Expo press conference, laying out a sizable number of first-party titles, including Kid Icarus: Uprising, Star Fox 64 3D, Paper Mario, Animal Crossing, Mario Kart, and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

Later, the publisher also confirmed some third-party support for the 3DS, with titles like Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D - The Naked Sample, Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy, Pro Evolution Soccer, Dead or Alive 3D, Resident Evil Revelations, Ninja Gaiden, Pac-Man & Galaga, and Dragon Ball all getting the 3D treatment, as well as a spate of unnamed titles from such developers as Harmonix, Take-Two, Atlus, AQ Interactive, Disney Interactive Studios, Hudson Soft, Majesco, Marvelous Entertainment, and Sega. Electronic Arts' Madden NFL 11 will also debut on the portable around the time of its launch.