Nintendo Switch: New model announced with vastly improved battery life

Two versions can't be told apart from the outside

The new Nintendo Switch game console is displayed at a pop-up Nintendo venue in Madison Square Park, March 3, 2017 in New York City (Drew Angerer/Getty Images))

Nintendo has announced a new version of the Switch with vastly improved battery life.

The updated model lasts nearly twice as long before needing a charge, according to a change on Nintendo's website.

Other than the improved battery life – and the fresh components that presumably brought the change – the updated version of the Switch looks exactly like the old one and takes its place in the line-up.

It comes after Nintendo announced a new Switch Lite, which is cheaper and smaller than the larger model but comes without a number of key features.

According to a listing on Nintendo's website, the new model lasts roughly 4.5-9 hours, compared with approximately 2.5 to 6.5 hours on the old model. The old console will play The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild for around three hours compared with five-and-a-half on the new one.

Nintendo noted that the difference between the performance of the two will depend on what game is being played.

Since the two consoles look identical, they can only be told apart by their serial and model number. The old ones are called HAC-001 and the new ones have the model number HAC-001(-01); the old one's serial number begins XAW, compared with the new one's XKW.

Nintendo didn't reveal what had changed to give the vastly improved performance in the new console.

But the company recently filed new regulatory documents that said it would have different internal components. That improved processor is presumably more efficient and so can allow the console to last for longer.

Nintendo's website suggests there is no difference between the two models beyond the improved battery life.