A couple of weekends ago, I purchased this:
It’s the new, much larger model of the 3DS, called the 3DSXL. Nintendo announced this several months back, and since I thought the old 3DS screens were too small and loved my DSXL, I knew I was going to buy one.
So what’s new? Well it’s physically quite a bit bigger, with much larger (90% actually) screens, which are also brighter and (in the case of the top, 3D screen) have a better viewing angle. Physical changes to the hardware are all for the better, such as replacing old membrane style buttons (start, select, home) with actual buttons. The d-pad and analogue stick feel better as well. The larger size also makes the system much more comfortable to hold for me. The speakers are less powerful, which I think is a good thing since the sound tended to distort at high volumes on the old model.
As far as software changes or added functionality – there’s nothing! It’s the same old 3DS software, love it or hate it.
And on that last point… I’m still a bit on the fence. I love Nintendo games, and am happy to pay a tax to play them (ie. buying Nintendo systems), but I truly think the writing is on the wall with respect to dedicated portable handhelds. The 3DS is a nice unit and has some good games on it so far, but I truly question it’s future in the age of iPads and smartphones.
But as long as I have the 3DS I’ll love it and keep playing it. There’s a lot of good games on the horizon, including a new Smash Brothers, a new Mario RPG, a sequel to Luigi’s Mansion (a very underrated Gamecube game) and – most of all – a new Animal Crossing. I’m looking forward to playing all of them in XL style 🙂
