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3DS XL First Impressions/Previews
- Thread starter Truth101
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Baconsammy
Banned
People whose screens are too yellow are not ignorant. White is white. White isn't meant to be yellow. It is not color-correct to have white be yellow. It would be ignorant to say otherwise. And yes the 3D is actually harder for many people, myself included, to hit the sweet spot on. Telling people they're ignorant because they're having a different experience than you is quite literally the definition of ignorant. Nintendo doesn't need you to do damage control for them. Share your experience, by all means, but stop telling other people they're ignorant or wrong because theirs differs from yours.
Same amount of times I shut off my Vita. Never. I don't see a reason to.
They've never said it about the 3DS XL. They had to say it on their support page about the DSi XL because people were upset about it being too yellow. There were also many complaints with the DSi XL about the screens being completely different colors, which Nintendo also had to address on their support page. The assumption is that the larger they go, the warmer they set the temp.
The main point is the brain is very subjective when it comes to light.
Screens that are closer to white can be perceived as yellow because of the years of actually blue light people have been looking at. Not to mention, screens need to be calibrated under the ambient lighting temp because of your brains perception.
Proper calibration of monitors requires an ambient light sensor as well.
Not saying people aren't seeing yellow, but just sayin'.
My DSi had a slightly yellow screen, or at least it was different to the bottom screen, which is more annoying.
beyond_death
Member
Is it safe to remove/ insert a game while the system is still on (with the application closed of course)? It always feels weird to do it for any console that doesnt use cds.
Milkncooke
Member
Yep, it's perfectly safe to swap carts while the system is on. The SD card should only be taken out while the system is off though.
Platinumstorm
Member
After returning my original system because of a prominent cluster of dysfunctional pixels I picked up another one the same day. I didn't notice any issues, but today I found one small bright pixel. Fortunately, it's in a relatively unimportant location on the touch screen, and is pretty unapparent. I was told I could return it for any defects within seven days, however I don't think I'm going to bother.
This unit also has slightly different warmth levels on the top and bottom of the screen. It's only apparent on solid whites, so it's a non issue.
This unit also has slightly different warmth levels on the top and bottom of the screen. It's only apparent on solid whites, so it's a non issue.
Well yes. No need for it at all. But i now don't need to plug it in anymore. I just drop the XL in it's cradle and pull off my sunglasses.
Bidermaier
Member
i like the cradle but... £20 in the UK? c'mon nintendo
Just a warning to people buying expensive one-use screen protectors. Nintendo peels those fuckers off if you send your device in for any reason. They ship them back to you, but it doesn't matter because the adhesive is ruined.
Just a heads-up. I almost feel it'd be better to buy some of that foam Nintendo ships with the OG 3DS between the screens and cut it to the proper size for the XL. It's what I'm going to do instead of spending tons on screen protectors.
Just a heads-up. I almost feel it'd be better to buy some of that foam Nintendo ships with the OG 3DS between the screens and cut it to the proper size for the XL. It's what I'm going to do instead of spending tons on screen protectors.
Monado Blade
Member
Just received my Blue XL a few hours ago. This is my first 3DS and so far it's been an amazing experience, especially cos I'm coming from my trusty ol' DS lite.
I don't have any complaints about it (yet), but everything seems to be excellent. It's certainly better made than my colleague's OG 3DS which felt like a horrible mess all round.
The only niggle I might have is the warmer top screen but if it weren't for you guys, I probably wouldn't have even noticed.
Okay, I'm off to play some SM3DLand! Woohoo!!
I don't have any complaints about it (yet), but everything seems to be excellent. It's certainly better made than my colleague's OG 3DS which felt like a horrible mess all round.
The only niggle I might have is the warmer top screen but if it weren't for you guys, I probably wouldn't have even noticed.
Okay, I'm off to play some SM3DLand! Woohoo!!
Same for me. The effect is still pretty obvious but I'm really saddened I can't max it out. No matter how hard I try to adjust to it, my eyes end up hurting.
TheChewyWaffles
Member
I'm not seeing that at all. Many people in this thread think it's more forgiving than the original. I find myself moving around far less and drifting out of the sweet spot far less with the XL than I did with the first.
Uhh, are you not seeing pics of people showing their screens? Dismissing those actually is ignorant
I've said this before but you absolutely cannot judge screen colour temperatures from photos, as the photo's white balance can completely alter it.
Of course if there's a 3DS vs XL comparison photo then it's more compelling evidence. To me, yeah the screen is a bit warmer, but the whites are still white and it looks great.
Screens being warmer isn't even the issue here. It's that only the top screen is affected, so there is a distinct difference during play, menu browsing, web browsing etc. That it what makes it annoying. If both screens were warmer, I wouldn't even give a fuck. Who would notice that?
It's really a non-issue. I'm picky about it, I do photography quite a bit and I am used to playing with color temperature on Lightroom... I have absolutely no problem with the 3DS screens.
Loving my XL. From playing around with the device it seems kind of crazy that people are getting smudges/scratches because there is a noticable gap when I have it closed. I've been transporting it to work and back (bus) for two days now and no damage yet.
I'm enjoying NSMB 2 but the coin collecting isn't really doing it for me overall. It's a fun little distraction, but the levels aren't all that exciting. I do enjoy the 3D in it, though. You guys are right when you say 2D platformers is where the 3D works it's magic. In keeps, having the flames floating around the screen both in front of mario and behind is something to see.
My screens also do no differ at all in temperature or color. They're both very white. I turned on power saver mode and they became somewhat warmer, but without it they look great.
I'm enjoying NSMB 2 but the coin collecting isn't really doing it for me overall. It's a fun little distraction, but the levels aren't all that exciting. I do enjoy the 3D in it, though. You guys are right when you say 2D platformers is where the 3D works it's magic. In keeps, having the flames floating around the screen both in front of mario and behind is something to see.
My screens also do no differ at all in temperature or color. They're both very white. I turned on power saver mode and they became somewhat warmer, but without it they look great.
Well, maybe yours is one of the ones that doesn't have the problem. Mine doesn't, either, but I have seen someone else's that definitely has the issue.
Ken Masters
Banned
Very nice pics, hopefully play Asia delivers mine soon
Oh, really? Well that would be annoying. Both my screens match in temperature thankfully- both slightly warmer than the original model but you can hardly notice.
It's completely unnoticeable during play. The only time I can tell the top screen is warmer than the touch screen is during web browsing/OS stuffs.
GAF. Making mountains out of mole hills.
CrunchinJelly
formerly cjelly
Oh it's true. It's damn true.
Diddy Kong
Banned
All these pictures are making it damn hard to resist getting a blue XL. I'd like to hold out for white or a special edition. 
Extra Sauce
Member
Guys, thanks for all the feedback regarding the DSi XL. I picked one up yesterday (Midnight Blue) and DS games looks sooooo much better than on the 3DS XL. I feel like I am playing all my games again for the first time.
Some of the titles that blow my mind on the big screen:
Contra 4: Had not played that one in years, such a classic!
SMT: Strange Journey: Game is more immersive now, menus are a lot more pleasant and the demon sprites are gorgeous.
Chrono Trigger: Never really played this game more than a few hours, started again last night with the intent of seeing it through.
Basically I've played at least 10 games on my DSi XL so far and they all look better to me. Now I feel like I should have bought one years ago, but I intend to make up for lost time!
Some of the titles that blow my mind on the big screen:
Contra 4: Had not played that one in years, such a classic!
SMT: Strange Journey: Game is more immersive now, menus are a lot more pleasant and the demon sprites are gorgeous.
Chrono Trigger: Never really played this game more than a few hours, started again last night with the intent of seeing it through.
Basically I've played at least 10 games on my DSi XL so far and they all look better to me. Now I feel like I should have bought one years ago, but I intend to make up for lost time!
Baconsammy
Banned
It's very noticeable during play when both screens are supposed to be white. But go ahead and say something brilliant again about how anyone who doesn't agree with you is ignorant.
GAF isn't a person, btw.
VeryGooster
Banned
Oh man, yeah. Contra 4 looks great on the XL. I have two Pokémon games I need to get through. Can't wait.
Boards of Canada
Member
So I bought the 3DS XL, and this is the first time I've ever played a 3DS.
1. The screens appear too dim, even on full brightness. I'm used to the iPhone/iPad which are retina burning. Not happy about this.
2. The resolution is jarring at times. Again, coming from Apple's retina products, anything else will look bad.
3. The 3D sweet spot is too hard to maintain. If I shift the unit just a little bit, the 3D effect stops working or the screen does a weird shifting effect.
4. Not sure why, but the best 3D so far seems to be Nintendogs + Cats. I can't explain why, but when I look at the top screen, my eyes are most comfortable in this game and the 3D effect is most effective. Resident Evil is a close second. Even the OS 3D effects don't work that well.
I'm already keeping the 3D slider down to off. Otherwise, the games are great, the OS is great, the size is perfect, the graphics are pretty good. The unit it self feels cheap, but it's only $200, so you can't expect much.
1. The screens appear too dim, even on full brightness. I'm used to the iPhone/iPad which are retina burning. Not happy about this.
2. The resolution is jarring at times. Again, coming from Apple's retina products, anything else will look bad.
3. The 3D sweet spot is too hard to maintain. If I shift the unit just a little bit, the 3D effect stops working or the screen does a weird shifting effect.
4. Not sure why, but the best 3D so far seems to be Nintendogs + Cats. I can't explain why, but when I look at the top screen, my eyes are most comfortable in this game and the 3D effect is most effective. Resident Evil is a close second. Even the OS 3D effects don't work that well.
I'm already keeping the 3D slider down to off. Otherwise, the games are great, the OS is great, the size is perfect, the graphics are pretty good. The unit it self feels cheap, but it's only $200, so you can't expect much.
GitarooMan
Member
This is funny to me because I keep the brightness on 2 and think about turning it to 1, 5 is like torch mode. And I use a retina iPad every day.
CrunchinJelly
formerly cjelly
If you bought a Ford would you compare it to an Aston Martin?
Boards of Canada
Member
Really? On 5, it's the same brightness as my iPhone set on half brightness.
Boards of Canada
Member
That's why I said it was only $200, so I'm okay with some flaws.
Baconsammy
Banned
1 - On my old 3DS brightness 5 burned my eyes. On the XL 5 is pretty comfortable. The XL is definitely not a very bright device even at max.
2 - As a retina iPhone/iPad user, you just need to tell yourself that not everything is created equally.
3 - It's definitely harder to maintain for me on the XL than on the OG. Fortunately I find the 3D gimmick to be quite useless in most games anyway, especially now on the larger XL screens.
As for not expecting much for 200, I can't agree. I expect better quality assurance than I've seen so far. Fortunately I ended up getting a good XL after a few attempts, but I wasn't happy with the headaches getting to that point.
kurrptsenate
Banned
Why are you arguing about someone's "impression" of the system? I thought that was the point of this thread.
Baconsammy
Banned
5 on the XL is about mid-brightness on my iPad Retina. I think it has a lot to do with the yellower/warmer screens and the fact that making the screen bigger without increasing resolution caused a lot more black (in between pixels) to be displayed, making for a darker image.
I don't get the volume complaints. If I have the volume on at all, I don't turn it up more than 1/3rd-1/2 the slider scale.
On both the original 3DS and the XL, full volume seems really, really loud, but I keep hearing complaints that it's too low. Really? My hearing isn't even that amazing.
Love the XL so far. Much, much better than the original 3DS. Feels good in my hands, I love those huge screens.
On both the original 3DS and the XL, full volume seems really, really loud, but I keep hearing complaints that it's too low. Really? My hearing isn't even that amazing.
Love the XL so far. Much, much better than the original 3DS. Feels good in my hands, I love those huge screens.
Extra Sauce
Member
If my air conditioning is on, I literally cannot hear my 3DS XL even at max volume.
It's definitely lower than the DSi XL, which I've been playing since yesterday. Pretty sure it's lower than the 3DS as well. Headphones makes this mostly a non-issue though. I just wish the headphones jack was on the side so I could lay the console on my stomach when playing in bed.
Boards of Canada
Member
Don't get me wrong, I'm not bashing the device. Nintendo's the only one on the market with a 3D screen and of course nothing's going to be perfect the first time around.
Here's a pretty accurate representation of what I'm seeing:
The reason why I bought the 3DS XL is that, even though the iPhone has a nice app store and a shit load of games, they're all too simple for me. I hate on screen controls. I need buttons. And I need long lasting games that you can tell have huge development teams behind them. I'd rather pay $39.99 for an experience than 99¢ for a quick-fix.
Here's a pretty accurate representation of what I'm seeing:
The reason why I bought the 3DS XL is that, even though the iPhone has a nice app store and a shit load of games, they're all too simple for me. I hate on screen controls. I need buttons. And I need long lasting games that you can tell have huge development teams behind them. I'd rather pay $39.99 for an experience than 99¢ for a quick-fix.
Baconsammy
Banned
Really? I tried it with headphones last night and on full volume I was expecting LOUD. All I got was what would be considered medium on any other device I own. I toggled through all the audio settings, and it was pretty much the same regardless. It's just not a very loud device, which is possibly Nintendo's way of preventing hearing loss in children. I will say I'm less concerned about my child using it with headphones on. It's definitely lower in volume than the DSi and OG 3DS.
grimshawish
Banned
Your brightness isn't on full there man, also is the 3D on? Kind of hard to compare when we can't see that.
But yeah, mind is not like that. It looks brighter to whats around it than yours atm and its a bright day.
Theres no feeling of light coming from your system. Take a similar picture with a game running, brightness on full (is power saving off) and 3D off. Just for comparison.
Something looks wrong.
If your PAL, EU has regulations that came in in recent years - this means the headphone output is limited. I can understand the XL not having better sound, but not enough attention was paid to the sound and its just a bit less 'clear'.
But yeah, mind is not like that. It looks brighter to whats around it than yours atm and its a bright day.
Theres no feeling of light coming from your system. Take a similar picture with a game running, brightness on full (is power saving off) and 3D off. Just for comparison.
Something looks wrong.
If your PAL, EU has regulations that came in in recent years - this means the headphone output is limited. I can understand the XL not having better sound, but not enough attention was paid to the sound and its just a bit less 'clear'.
Boards of Canada
Member
Agreed, volume is too low through headphones. You almost need an amplifier.
Boards of Canada
Member
Brightness is at 5, 3D off or on looks the same. Hard to explain, but compared to all my other devices, the 3DS XL screens are the dimmest of the bunch.
lunchtoast
Member
This is my first 3DS, and here's a couple games I played.
Super Mario Land-Beat it yesterday, great levels and all.
. Highly recommended over NSMB2 is you want more of a Mario 64 style gameplay. It would be great if they brought the multiple quest styles onto the handheld. Currently playing Bowser's Inside Story. It's fantastic like all the other ones, don't know why I never bought it when I had a DS.
Played a little of Kingdom Hearts, and didn't care for the controls. I think it'll just take awhile to get used to. It's my first handheld KH since Chained Memories.
Demos
Played MGS3. Couldn't even see straight with the 3D on, I guess it's all the greenery or something. I have it on PS2 but I couldn't get into it. Seems like a good port though.
Heroes of Ruin, played the Gunslinger, probably try the other guy later today. I've always enjoyed all the Hack n' Slash games on PSP so I'll probably pick this up once the price goes down.
Was disappointed in the Nintendo Video app. I was looking forward to watching 3D trailers, but found out it's just "Watch these 4 random videos and then they'll be replaced with 4 other random videos." Crap.
Wished there was a Theatrhythm demo for NA. Will pick it up someday once the prices go down to normal.
Super Mario Land-Beat it yesterday, great levels and all.
Started the secret levels and got Luigi
Played a little of Kingdom Hearts, and didn't care for the controls. I think it'll just take awhile to get used to. It's my first handheld KH since Chained Memories.
Demos
Played MGS3. Couldn't even see straight with the 3D on, I guess it's all the greenery or something. I have it on PS2 but I couldn't get into it. Seems like a good port though.
Heroes of Ruin, played the Gunslinger, probably try the other guy later today. I've always enjoyed all the Hack n' Slash games on PSP so I'll probably pick this up once the price goes down.
Was disappointed in the Nintendo Video app. I was looking forward to watching 3D trailers, but found out it's just "Watch these 4 random videos and then they'll be replaced with 4 other random videos." Crap.
Wished there was a Theatrhythm demo for NA. Will pick it up someday once the prices go down to normal.
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