3DS XL First Impressions/Previews

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I don't expect another revision until 2015, 2014 the earliest. I remember the DS lite came out in 2006 and DSi didn't come until 2009 (NA/EU/AUS) if I remember correctly.

I don't really see what they could truly revise aside from 3D tech, cameras, and a second nub

I think it's clear that Nintendo is(or will start) doing the Apple/Samsung super successful yearly revision with the 3DS now.

Just like the Galaxy revisions Nintendo can upgrade many stuff every year,the shape, the battery life,maybe better slidesticks,better screens..ect revisions are good for Customers,games and for Nintendo.
 
I wasn't suggesting adding anything, I was meaning as an excersize in cost saving. The original stopped manufacture around the time the lite came out, so maybe a slight reworking of a small version could happen.
Oh, alrighty then. :)

A revision of the small 3DS would be OK, if a little much. After all the improvements of the XL, reworking the original 3DS with those improvements would be a good idea. As long as it's a completely optional upgrade like the XL is, then I'd be ok with it.

I think it's clear that Nintendo is(or will start) doing the Apple/Samsung super successful yearly revision with the 3DS now.

Just like the Galaxy revisions Nintendo can upgrade many stuff every year,the shape, the battery life,maybe better slidesticks,better screens..ect revisions are good for Customers,games and for Nintendo.
I don't know, game systems aren't phones, they don't need to be upgraded every year like phones do. The revision of the small 3DS is something I can see happening, but after that, I think they would slow down on revisions and focus on the next handheld.

Constant revisions of handhelds is not something I want to see. Just leave it to one every ~2-3 years.
 
screen scratching is only an issue if you dont know how to handle your device, its your fault not theres.

Any portable can have its screen scratched, my original gameboy had its screen scratched, it happens

fyi, I am not officially 100 percent jealous
 
screen scratching is only an issue if you dont know how to handle your device, its your fault not theres.

Any portable can have its screen scratched, my original gameboy had its screen scratched, it happens

fyi, I am not officially 100 percent jealous

nah

of course there ARE cases where the user is at fault, but it's entirely possible they fucked it up again seeing as they DID with the original 3DS version
 
I don't know, game systems aren't phones, they don't need to be upgraded every year like phones do. The revision of the small 3DS is something I can see happening, but after that, I think they would slow down on revisions and focus on the next handheld.

Constant revisions of handhelds is not something I want to see. Just leave it to one every ~2 years

Their next handheld wont be here anytime soon (think 5 years from now),they'll need to keep the 3DS "fresh" for new buyers,again this is something electronic company learned from Apple and Samsung and it works very well.

and I believe that 3DS yearly revisions with better stuff and improvements wont hurt anyone here,it don't separate the userbase or anything.
 
Also people, if you had a dsi xl, and have screen protectors laying around for that, the bottom screen protector fits the bottom screen of the 3ds xl pretty much perfectly.
 
nah

of course there ARE cases where the user is at fault, but it's entirely possible they fucked it up again seeing as they DID with the original 3DS version

Ive had my 3ds since launch and its NEVER scratched and I know at least 20 people whose have never scratched either

its how you handle it
 
Also people, if you had a dsi xl, and have screen protectors laying around for that, the bottom screen protector fits the bottom screen of the 3ds xl pretty much perfectly.

who has those lying around though? If you bought em it's to put em ON that DSi XL right?

good to know though but i am waiting for the official ones i think!
 
Their next handheld wont be here anytime soon (think 5 years from now),they'll need to keep the 3DS "fresh" for new buyers,again this is something electronic company learned from Apple and Samsung and it works very well.

and I believe that 3DS yearly revisions with better stuff and improvements wont hurt anyone here,it don't separate the userbase or anything.
As long as the revisions just improve off the original and XL, then I'd be ok with that, I guess. I don't want to see a 3DSi type improvement next year though, and that's what I meant when I said I don't expect a revision until 2015

And new system bundles and colors could help keep the 3DS fresh still, I think. Bundles almost always sell around holidays
 
who has those lying around though? If you bought em it's to put em ON that DSi XL right?

good to know though but i am waiting for the official ones i think!
I know sometimes people order extra protectors in case they mess up the application or just want to have one ready for future replacing.
 
There's a decent video of the blue to compare to here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niQpOSt2YVs&feature=related

blue looks nice (compared to red)



I used to buy screen protectors on my handhelds, and I never should have wasted the money. I don't ever take my handhelds out of the house, unlike my ipad which I always carry around. If you do your gaming at home, like the vast majority of handheld gamers do and don't try to go out of your way to damage the screen, you don't need any protector.
 
So, after seeing those dots on both sides of the screen, I decided not to take risk anymore, and I made a little modification to my XL with those silicon things.

IMG_1310.jpg
It doesn't look so bad, does it?
 
Much better. Not only its quality is better, but it is also more comfrotable to reach.

Is it? So far several people have said it's still in a very uncomfortable position, would be interested to hear more.

I guess people should report their hand size along with their impressions haha.
 
Their next handheld wont be here anytime soon (think 5 years from now),they'll need to keep the 3DS "fresh" for new buyers,again this is something electronic company learned from Apple and Samsung and it works very well.

and I believe that 3DS yearly revisions with better stuff and improvements wont hurt anyone here,it don't separate the userbase or anything.

I could foresee Nintendo releasing incremental hardware upgrades in line with the AGS-101 model of the GBA SP. Stuff like a brighter backlight, better battery life, larger sweet spot, stronger hinge, etc. Nothing that would fracture the market or be different enough to incentivize an upgrade for all but the most hardcore. Better hardware in the same package.

Adding alternate SKUs on top of the current 3DS and XL would confuse the market. Nintendo had enough trouble killing the DS Lite to make room for the DSi.
 
Is it? So far several people have said it's still in a very uncomfortable position, would be interested to hear more.

I guess people should report their hand size along with their impressions haha.

About uncomfortable...

My son has some problems using the triggers (compared to the original 3ds ). He has troubles to reach them and I must admit, mk7 feels more comfortable to me on old 3ds too. I can imagine that this console is not suitable for kids
 
Just got my blue XL today, I'm doing the system transfer right now. Too cute with those pikmins moving stuff over! :)

First impression. That screen is huuuge! And the casing is super slick. Perfect tone of blue. Sexy! The buttons feel great too, I love the matte finish on everything. Feels nice. It all seems to be of very high quality from what I can see.

PPI is definitely low and pixels show quite clearly, but pixels can be lovely if you're into retro stuff, which I am, so it's all good for me. I'm playing through Castlevania Ecclesia and it will look heavenly on this unit! :)

No scratches from factory btw. The screens don't touch at all when the unit is closed. But maybe they can if you push the lid together really hard? Might be a problem if you plan to squeeze it down a pocket.
 
Okay again, a few more details for the dpad position beyond "yeah it's comfortable" would be nice. Here's an earlier impression from the thread.

Position is the same, so it will still give you cramp. (it always did for me) It's just that the pad has a better feeling and build quality. If you take a look at the picture, you can see that the Dpad position is a bit different, but the distance between the Dpad and Circle Pad stays the same.

Some people speculated that the extra room beneath the dpad might make things a little more comfortable, would be nice to hear from more people playing VC games and stuff right now whether you still get handaches or whatever. Also have no idea if people with bigger hands would feel more comfortable than those with smaller ones.
 
Ive had my 3ds since launch and its NEVER scratched and I know at least 20 people whose have never scratched either

its how you handle it

It's a fact that some (far from all) 3DS systems have too small rubber pads, which means that the bottom screen will touch the upper screen every time you close it. That's not the users fault.


Okay again, a few more details for the dpad position beyond "yeah it's comfortable" would be nice. Here's an earlier impression from the thread.

Some people speculated that the extra room beneath the dpad might make things a little more comfortable, would be nice to hear from more people playing VC games and stuff right now whether you still get handaches or whatever. Also have no idea if people with bigger hands would feel more comfortable than those with smaller ones.

It doesn't give me cramps at all. The dpad is so much more responsive and doesn't require any force like I felt that the original dpad did. Because of the rounded corners of the XL, you can hold it pretty much however you want to without anything cutting in to your hands or anything like that. The extra room below it definitely helps a lot.
 
Still going back and forth on this but apparantly the speakers are worse than the 3DS speakers? Dang it! I think this is the final nail in the coffin. The speakers on my 3DS are already too low most of the time, I don't want worse speakers :(

But those screens...man I just might take my chances. If I do there is a large possibility that I may not be able to get a Wii U at launch. But with its lack luster lineup and with me barely playing console games I am not sure that I want one at launch.

Also it really seems stupid To me to buy bigger screens when I could get a entirely new system with a Wii U and Vita instead. But I have played over 800 hours on my 3DS and having bigger screens will mean alot to me.

This is really one of my most diifficult decisions when it comes to buying stuff. Vita, Wii U, or a XL. I can get a Wii U in February so I may just wait.

I want those screens...even if we only got black. (I count all colors except white as black. Since they are on the inside.)

/more pointless ranting/thoughtsif I don't get Wii U and get XL, then I can spend all of my money of 3DS games instead...hhhmmm...
 
Much better. Not only its quality is better, but it is also more comfrotable to reach.
dude!

you know how squeaky the OG d-pad was? Take away all the squeak and exchange it for some awesome clickyness.

it's a ton mile better.

Great! Thanks. Sounds like the DSi dpad.

New dpad + 1-1 DS resolution at a decent size mean I can get this to replace both the OG 3DS and the DSi.
 
Still going back and forth on this but apparantly the speakers are worse than the 3DS speakers? Dang it! I think this is the final nail in the coffin. The speakers on my 3DS are already too low most of the time, I don't want worse speakers :(

But those screens...man I just might take my chances. If I do there is a large possibility that I may not be able to get a Wii U at launch. But with its lack luster lineup and with me barely playing console games I am not sure that I want one at launch.

Also it really seems stupid To me to buy bigger screens when I could get a entirely new system with a Wii U and Vita instead. But I have played over 800 hours on my 3DS and having bigger screens will mean alot to me.

This is really one of my most diifficult decisions when it comes to buying stuff. Vita, Wii U, or a XL. I can get a Wii U in February so I may just wait.

I want those screens...even if we only got black. (I count all colors except white as black. Since they are on the inside.)

/more pointless ranting/thoughtsif I don't get Wii U and get XL, then I can spend all of my money of 3DS games instead...hhhmmm...

I would assume that we are getting fairly close to a price drop on the Vita (probably another 2 months at least though), so you might want to factor that in.

Perhaps you can check out the XL in a store somewhere?
 
I would assume that we are getting fairly close to a price drop on the Vita (probably another 2 months at least though), so you might want to factor that in.

Perhaps you can check out the XL in a store somewhere?

Isn't Sony still losing money? But they may aswell price drop it considering the various deals. That Vita+memory card+Gravity Rush at gamestop is a good deal but it ends in a couple days and I don't have the money for it XD

Either way, I will most likely wait and get Vita within the first half of next year and focus on 3DS XL and Wii U first.

Are there any demo units in NA yet? I really want to try it and NSMB2 out.
also this. I wanna see it in person.
 
A revision of the small 3DS would be OK, if a little much. After all the improvements of the XL, reworking the original 3DS with those improvements would be a good idea. As long as it's a completely optional upgrade like the XL is, then I'd be ok with it.

This is what I want, but I'm not counting on seeing it happen for at least a year. I want the new aesthetics and comfort, and hopefully slightly larger screens, without the drastic size/weight difference.
 
Still working through my library of 3DS games on the XL. Star Fox in particular really benefits from both the larger screens and more immersive 3D. Looks absolutely fantastic.
 
has anyone tried removing the SD card from your current 3ds, transferring the account without an sd card inserted, and then putting the sd card right into the new 3dsxl? maybe that would save time on a transfer (or maybe it would cause you to lose everything, I don't know)
 
It's a fact that some (far from all) 3DS systems have too small rubber pads, which means that the bottom screen will touch the upper screen every time you close it. That's not the users fault.




It doesn't give me cramps at all. The dpad is so much more responsive and doesn't require any force like I felt that the original dpad did. Because of the rounded corners of the XL, you can hold it pretty much however you want to without anything cutting in to your hands or anything like that. The extra room below it definitely helps a lot.

They dont scratch unless you press


Still going back and forth on this but apparantly the speakers are worse than the 3DS speakers? Dang it! I think this is the final nail in the coffin. The speakers on my 3DS are already too low most of the time, I don't want worse speakers :(

But those screens...man I just might take my chances. If I do there is a large possibility that I may not be able to get a Wii U at launch. But with its lack luster lineup and with me barely playing console games I am not sure that I want one at launch.

Also it really seems stupid To me to buy bigger screens when I could get a entirely new system with a Wii U and Vita instead. But I have played over 800 hours on my 3DS and having bigger screens will mean alot to me.

This is really one of my most diifficult decisions when it comes to buying stuff. Vita, Wii U, or a XL. I can get a Wii U in February so I may just wait.

I want those screens...even if we only got black. (I count all colors except white as black. Since they are on the inside.)

/more pointless ranting/thoughtsif I don't get Wii U and get XL, then I can spend all of my money of 3DS games instead...hhhmmm...

The sound is basically the same, Ive never heard any review about a con of sound

There are also more pros than the screen
 
They dont scratch unless you press

Perhaps, but it's still a design flaw. I doubt it requires more pressure than what you get from keeping it in your pocket. No other Nintendo handheld got scratched screens because of some pressure. It's 100% Nintendo's fault.

I don't have any scratches on my 3DS, but the lower screen will leave marks on the top screen as soon as I close the lid.
 
OK, so just been playing on my 3DS XL. Infact, my last post on this forum above was posted from my 3DS 40 minutes ago. Just started playing Metal Gear Solid 3D, put the system down to go and grab a drink, come back to the console and this has happened.


Looks like an entire fucking line of dead pixels from the top of the screen to the bottom. Literally just appeared in the time it took me to put down my 3DS, grab a drink and come back to it.

Infuriating. This bastard is going back to the store on Monday.

Quick question though, what are people doing with their system transfer data if they return faulty units? I still own my original 3DS so was going to transfer my stuff back from the XL to the OG system, and then back again once I get my replacement XL. Don't really want to nuke 2 of my 4 remaining system transfers doing that but not sure what choice I have. Infact just thinking about it, I can only do that again in a weeks time anyway can't I due to the stupid transfer limits..?
 
They dont scratch unless you press




The sound is basically the same, Ive never heard any review about a con of sound

There are also more pros than the screen

Played on my 3DS XL for a good 15 hours now.


The speakers are shit. A REAL downgrade. Everything else is better than the original, but the new rectangular speaker tech is poor as hell.

I don't care what reviews you've read that might not mention it - I own the sodding thing. Unlike myself, you don't own a 3DS XL. The sound is bad.


End of.
 
OK, so just been playing on my 3DS XL. Infact, my last post on this forum above was posted from my 3DS 40 minutes ago. Just started playing Metal Gear Solid 3D, put the system down to go and grab a drink, come back to the console and this has happened.



Looks like an entire fucking line of dead pixels from the top of the screen to the bottom. Literally just appeared in the time it took me to put down my 3DS, grab a drink and come back to it.

Infuriating. This bastard is going back to the store on Monday.

Quick question though, what are people doing with their system transfer data if they return faulty units? I still own my original 3DS so was going to transfer my stuff back from the XL to the OG system, and then back again once I get my replacement XL. Don't really want to nuke 2 of my 4 remaining system transfers doing that but not sure what choice I have. Infact just thinking about it, I can only do that again in a weeks time anyway can't I due to the stupid transfer limits..?

Pic of your xl (top screen) with MGS3d running if you wouldn't mind, after you are done venting of course, I would be peeved as well. Kind of weird it would crap out after such a short time of running. I think you are right about the transfer limit as well within a week's time, what is your store's return policy?
 
Still working through my library of 3DS games on the XL. Star Fox in particular really benefits from both the larger screens and more immersive 3D. Looks absolutely fantastic.

I thought that game would benefit from the bigger screens, I found it to have the most immersive 3D of the games I played.
 
Played on my 3DS XL for a good 15 hours now.


The speakers are shit. A REAL downgrade. Everything else is better than the original, but the new rectangular speaker tech is poor as hell.

I don't care what reviews you've read that might not mention it - I own the sodding thing. The sound is bad.
What if you use headphones? Or is it just the speakers?
 
Ugh... so many negative impressions :/

They better get their shit together by the time white comes over to NA

Also, about the sound, is it still the same volume with headphones, and it's just external sound that's lower? If it's lower with headphones too, could someone point me in the direction of good sound enhancing headphones?
 
What if you use headphones? Or is it just the speakers?

AUX output is superb. Crystal clear on my earphones and amp, with excellent sheilding unlike previous Nintendo handhelds. Volume is loud through aux too.

The speakers are the issue. The low end is pumped up enough that the unit vibrates at times (most evident on Mario Kart), yet the mid range is absolutely shot. Horrible high end too, and to top it all off, its quieter than the original 3ds on full volume.


Anyway as a positive, I took my XL to the park today. Works much better in sunlight than the original.
 
Another nice thing I just discovered while playing in bed: the buttons don't make half as much noise as on the 3DS. L&R are almost silent now :)
 
Played on my 3DS XL for a good 15 hours now.


The speakers are shit. A REAL downgrade. Everything else is better than the original, but the new rectangular speaker tech is poor as hell.

I don't care what reviews you've read that might not mention it - I own the sodding thing. Unlike myself, you don't own a 3DS XL. The sound is bad.


End of.

But Nintendo said the speakers are exactly the same, only the shape of the speaker holes have changed.

Edit: Glad to hear that headphones sound nice though! Can't remember that being the case for the DSphat/Lite.
 
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