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    Nintendo's Wii U GamePad battery lasts 3 to 5 hours, charging takes 2.5 hours

    Nintendo's Wii U GamePad battery lasts 3 to 5 hours, charging takes 2.5 hours

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    A spec sheet posted on Nintendo's Japanese site states that the battery on the Wii U's touchscreen GamePad controller lasts for three to five hours between charges, and needs to be charged for 2.5 hours to restore full power.

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    Wii U GamePad controller
    Wii U GamePad controller

    Nintendo's decision to put a 6.2-inch LCD touchscreen in its Wii U GamePad is one of the most creative gaming ideas we've seen since the original Wii Remote, but we’ve been wondering how often we’ll have to plug in the oversized controller to keep it charged. Well, according to a spec sheet on Nintendo’s Japanese site, the battery lasts three to five hours, depending on the screen’s brightness setting. That's a lot less time than the 20-plus hours we usually get from our PS3 controllers, but at least Nintendo isn't shipping a tablet controller with AA batteries. In order to restore the GamePad to full power you'll need to charge it for two and a half hours, which means you’ll have to stay tethered through those marathon Nintendo Land sessions.