How to Extend Handheld Battery Life During Loadshedding

Stage 4 loadshedding hits, the lights die, but you’re sorted. You grab your handheld, ready to dive into another world… until the dreaded low battery warning flashes. Eish. Don't let Eskom dictate your gaming sessions. Knowing how to extend handheld battery life is no longer just a convenience; it's a crucial survival skill for any South African gamer. With a few smart tweaks, you can squeeze out that extra hour of gameplay.

Razer Kishi V3 Pro XL iPad & Android Tablet Gaming Controller / Full-Sized Console-Style Controller / Fits Phones and Tablets up to 10” / Razer Sensa HD Immersive Haptics / RZ06-05470100-R3M1

R5199.00In Stock

Microsoft Xbox Wireless Controller - Carbon Black / Hybrid D-Pad / 3.5mm Stereo Headset Jack / Textured Triggers And Bumpers / Compatible for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Android And iOS / QAT-00009

R1599.00In Stock

Adata SC735 1TB High-Performance External SSD with USB-C / 1,050MB/s Read & 1,000MB/s Write Speeds / Cable-Free Mobile Phone Compatibility / Gaming Handheld Compatible / Supports Latest Game Consoles / Multi-OS Support / SC735-1000G-CCBK/GY

R2199.00In Stock

Lenovo Legion Go S 8ARP1 Handheld Touchscreen Gaming Console - Black / AMD Ryzen™ Z2 Go / 16GB LPDDR5X RAM / 512B NVMe SSD / 8.8" WUXGA (1920 x 1200), Touch Screen, 100% sRGB(Typical), 500nits(Typical), IPS-Level Display/ Integrated AMD Radeon™ Graphics / 2x USB Type-C support (DisplayPort™ 1.4 / Power Delivery 3.0) / 1 x Card Reader / 1 x Headphone and Microphone combo jack / AMD Wi-Fi® 6E RZ616 Wireless / Bluetooth 5.3 / SteamOS / 2 Stereo Speakers / 4-Cell, Li-ion, 55.5Whr Battery / 1 Year Warranty / 83L3004VSA

R13499.00In Stock

SteelSeries Stratus + Wireless Anroid Controller / Android & Chromebook Wireless Gaming Controller / Bluetooth LE + USB-C PC Support / Adjustable Slim Phone Mount Included / 90-Hour Battery Life with Fast Charge (15 min = 12 hrs) / ALPS Thumbsticks with L3/R3 / Hall Effect Magnetic Triggers for Lifetime Precision / 69076

R999.00In Stock

Razer Kishi V3 Pro Gaming Controller / Supports Android, iPhone & iPad Mini / Full-Sized Console-Style Controller / Fits Phones and Tablets up to 8” / Razer Sensa HD Immersive Haptics / RZ06-05460100-R3M1

R4199.00In Stock

Master Your Screen & Display Settings

The biggest power vampire on any handheld console is its beautiful, bright screen. It's the first place you should look to save battery during loadshedding.

Your screen's brightness level is directly linked to how fast your battery drains. While a vibrant display is great, you often don't need it at 100% when you're playing in a dark room. Dropping the brightness to 50-60% can have a massive impact and significantly extend your handheld's battery life. Also, consider lowering the refresh rate. Do you really need 120Hz for that indie puzzle game? Switching to 60Hz can almost double your playtime in some scenarios. These simple adjustments work on all the latest handheld gaming consoles and are your first line of defence.

Razer Kishi V3 Pro Gaming Controller / Supports Android, iPhone & iPad Mini / Full-Sized Console-Style Controller / Fits Phones and Tablets up to 8” / Razer Sensa HD Immersive Haptics / RZ06-05460100-R3M1

R4199.00In Stock

MSI Claw 8 AI+ A2VM Handheld Touchscreen Gaming Console / Intel Core Ultra 7 258V / 32GB LPDDR5X RAM / 1TB NVMe SSD / 8" FHD+ (1920 x 1200), 120 Hz, Touchscreen Display / Intel® Arc 140V Graphics / 2 x USB Type-C (Supports Thunderbolt 4 / DisplayPort / Power Delivery 3.0) / 1 x Micro SD Card Reader / 1 x Headphone and Microphone combo jack / 1x Fingerprint Reader / Intel® Killer Wi-Fi 7 BE1750 Wireless LAN / Bluetooth 5.4 / Windows 11 Home (64bit) / 2 × 2W Speakers, Hi-Res Audio ready / 6-Cell, 80Whr Battery / 1 Year Warranty / CLAW-8-AI-A2VM-067ZA

R18999.00In Stock

Logitech F710 Wireless Gaming Gamepad / 2.4GHz Wireless / Broad Game Support / Familiar Button Layout / 940-000142

R849.00In Stock

Lenovo Legion Go S 8APU1 Handheld Touchscreen Gaming Console - Black / AMD Ryzen™ Z1 Extreme / 16GB LPDDR5X RAM / 1TB NVMe SSD / 8.8" WUXGA (1920 x 1200), Touch Screen, 100% sRGB(Typical), 500nits(Typical), IPS-Level Display/ Integrated AMD Radeon™ Graphics / 2x USB Type-C support (DisplayPort™ 1.4 / Power Delivery 3.0) / 1 x Card Reader / 1 x Headphone and Microphone combo jack / AMD Wi-Fi® 6E RZ616 Wireless / Bluetooth 5.3 / SteamOS / 2 Stereo Speakers / 4-Cell, Li-ion, 55.5Whr Battery / 1 Year Warranty / 83N6002ESA

R17499.00In Stock

Razer Kishi V3 Gaming Controller / Supports Android and iPhone / Full-Sized Console-Style Controller / Dual mouse-click back buttons / Razer Sensa HD Immersive Haptics / RZ06-03550100-R3M1

R2999.00In Stock

SteelSeries Stratus + Wireless Anroid Controller / Android & Chromebook Wireless Gaming Controller / Bluetooth LE + USB-C PC Support / Adjustable Slim Phone Mount Included / 90-Hour Battery Life with Fast Charge (15 min = 12 hrs) / ALPS Thumbsticks with L3/R3 / Hall Effect Magnetic Triggers for Lifetime Precision / 69076

R999.00In Stock

Tweak Your Power & Performance Profiles 🔧

Modern handheld PCs are powerful machines, but you don't always need all that power. Learning to manage your device's performance profile is key to making your handheld last longer.

Most devices come with pre-set power modes, often called "Quiet," "Balanced," and "Performance." For loadshedding, the "Quiet" or a custom low-TDP (Thermal Design Power) profile is your best friend. Lowering the TDP tells the processor to use less electricity, which generates less heat and, most importantly, saves a ton of battery. The Armoury Crate software on an ASUS ROG Ally, for instance, makes this incredibly easy to adjust on the fly. You might sacrifice a few frames, but you'll gain precious minutes… or even hours.

Cut The Connection & Go Offline

Every signal your device sends or receives uses power. Those little Wi-Fi and Bluetooth icons represent a slow, constant drain on your battery.

If you're playing an offline, single-player game, there's no reason to stay connected. Simply switch on Airplane Mode. This instantly disables Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, cutting off a surprising amount of background activity and helping to extend your handheld's battery life. It’s one of the simplest yet most effective tricks in the book. This is especially useful for powerful devices like the MSI Claw, ensuring all its power is focused purely on your game.

Logitech F710 Wireless Gaming Gamepad / 2.4GHz Wireless / Broad Game Support / Familiar Button Layout / 940-000142

R849.00In Stock

Razer Kishi V3 Pro XL iPad & Android Tablet Gaming Controller / Full-Sized Console-Style Controller / Fits Phones and Tablets up to 10” / Razer Sensa HD Immersive Haptics / RZ06-05470100-R3M1

R5199.00In Stock

Lenovo Legion Go S 8APU1 Handheld Touchscreen Gaming Console - Black / AMD Ryzen™ Z1 Extreme / 16GB LPDDR5X RAM / 1TB NVMe SSD / 8.8" WUXGA (1920 x 1200), Touch Screen, 100% sRGB(Typical), 500nits(Typical), IPS-Level Display/ Integrated AMD Radeon™ Graphics / 2x USB Type-C support (DisplayPort™ 1.4 / Power Delivery 3.0) / 1 x Card Reader / 1 x Headphone and Microphone combo jack / AMD Wi-Fi® 6E RZ616 Wireless / Bluetooth 5.3 / SteamOS / 2 Stereo Speakers / 4-Cell, Li-ion, 55.5Whr Battery / 1 Year Warranty / 83N6002ESA

R17499.00In Stock

SteelSeries Stratus + Wireless Anroid Controller / Android & Chromebook Wireless Gaming Controller / Bluetooth LE + USB-C PC Support / Adjustable Slim Phone Mount Included / 90-Hour Battery Life with Fast Charge (15 min = 12 hrs) / ALPS Thumbsticks with L3/R3 / Hall Effect Magnetic Triggers for Lifetime Precision / 69076

R999.00In Stock

Microsoft Xbox Wireless Controller - Carbon Black / Hybrid D-Pad / 3.5mm Stereo Headset Jack / Textured Triggers And Bumpers / Compatible for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Android And iOS / QAT-00009

R1599.00In Stock

Razer Kishi V3 Gaming Controller / Supports Android and iPhone / Full-Sized Console-Style Controller / Dual mouse-click back buttons / Razer Sensa HD Immersive Haptics / RZ06-03550100-R3M1

R2999.00In Stock

Optimise Your In-Game Settings ✨

Finally, don't forget the most direct way to control power consumption: the game's own graphics settings. Pushing pixels is hard work for your handheld's hardware.

Before you launch a new game, dive into its settings menu. Here are a few quick changes that deliver the best battery-saving results:

• Resolution: Drop it. On a compact screen, the visual difference between 1080p and 720p is minimal, but the performance and battery gain is huge.
• Shadows: Lowering shadow quality from "Ultra" to "Medium" is often barely noticeable during gameplay but eases the load on the GPU.
• Anti-Aliasing: This smooths out jagged edges but is very power-intensive. Turn it down or off.

Making these tweaks on a device with a gorgeous large screen, like the Lenovo Legion Go, allows you to find that perfect balance between visual quality and battery endurance.