For example, before checking out the Power Pak+ and Charge Base myself, I had IGN editor Audrey Drake give it a whirl and give me her feedback, and she was not a fan. Though she found that the Power Pak+ delivered on its promise of providing additional battery life, she'd rather keep a charging cable close by at all times than deal with the added weight and size.
I, however, feel a little differently.
While I agree that the PowerPak is unnecessary for day-to-day use taking the train to work or otherwise killing time on the go there are certain scenarios where I'd like to have the PowerPak installed. Though my 3DS can easily survive my daily commute, it would have a harder time holding a charge during heavy use on a long cross-country or international flight, making the PowerPak+ a useful add-on to have.
But before I get too far ahead of myself, let's take a closer look at the product itself. As I previously mentioned, the Power Pak+ comes as in one of two ways: by itself or with a custom cradle, which Nyko calls the Charge Base.
Unlike other battery extending solutions, the Power Pak+ is actually a battery replacement, which requires you to unscrew the back panel of your 3DS and remove the original. The Power Pak+ fits inside the space designed for Nintendo's battery pack, but also adds additional battery cells across the width of the rear panel. Instead of reattaching the original cover, you simply screw in the Power Pak+, plug in your standard power cable, and you're good to go.
The Power Pak+ adds just under half-an-inch to the total thickness of the 3DS, though it has angled edges that help mask the added size. It has a textured black plastic finish, which fits well with the black 3DS but looks awkward on the blue version. Nyko has also built finger grips into the design, providing some ergonomic relief to those of us with massive monster hands. Depending on your preference, the rubberized finish might be a welcomed tactile improvement over the regular gloss plastic cover, or a dust-collecting, sweaty hand-inducing annoyance. Surprisingly, the added size doesn't translate to a significant weight increase, and when holding a regular 3DS alongside one using the Power Pak+, there isn't a sizable difference.
Since there is more battery to charge, it naturally takes longer to get a full charge. Whereas the standard battery pack takes roughly three hours to fully charge, the Power Pak+ takes about four hours to fully charge. Though by no means speedy, the added charge time is manageable so long as you remember to plug it in overnight or when not in use.
But the million dollar question is, of course, how much extra playtime does it provide?
Though it doesn't quite match Nyko's claims of doubling the 3DS' battery life, the Power Pak+ does manage to add anywhere between 70 and 90-percent to the total usage time. Whereas rigorous play sessions can limit battery life to just 2.5 hours, the Power Pak+ is capable of delivering 4 or 5 hours under the same conditions. With optimized settings 3D and Wi-Fi turned off, brightness reduced, etc. the Power Pak+ can provide round 6 or 7 hours of playtime.
Of course, using the Power Pak+ makes your 3DS incompatible with the standard cradle solution, and users may want to invest in the Charge Base bundle. The Power Pak+ has metal contacts built into the bottom panel that allows energy to pass through the Charge Base rather than having to plug into the 3DS directly.
The Charge Base is a fairly basic design, with a cradle tailored to the shape of a 3DS with the Power Pak+ installed and a port for connecting your existing 3DS charger on the back. What makes the Charge Base unique are the built in LED indicators, which cast a red glow around it to indicate that the 3DS is charging or a green glow to let users know it is fully charged.
For someone like me, who would only use the Power Pak+ sparingly, the Charge Base may not be worth the extra $10, but for those who would have it permanently attached, it might be a worthwhile investment.
Closing Comments
At the end of the day, the Nyko Power Pak+ and Charge Base for 3DS may not be for everyone, but for those in dire need of some extra juice, it is definitely an effective solution, and a cheap one at that.