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3DS XL First Impressions/Previews

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Has anyone tried the Mario & Luigi bowser's inside story Bowser battles with the 3DSXL? Does the microphone work better than the 3DS?

Heathbar said:
Originally I was unsure about the red or blue colour options but ended up getting the red and really like the colour. So far my only real gripe is the worsened speakers compared to the 3DS, but having a handheld that actually fits my hands (hopefully no more cramps) far outweighs that.
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Turn off surround sound, speakers will be louder but you'll miss out on certain games surround effects.
 
Oh, I forgot to tell you guys!! If you guys recall from yesterday, I was telling you that Game Stop didn't allow me to cancel my preorder for my 3DS XL because unfortunately the system is available, and according to their company policy, they cannot refund the money once the preordered item is made available. So I had to transfer the money to some other preorders.

I went back today and a different girl was there and I told her that I wanted my money back for my preorders and she told me "You just preordered this yesterday, how come you're canceling it?" Le me: "I just need my money back." And after her trying to decipher the receipt I basically gave her the entire backstory and she began to question what the other girl did and told me that I shouldn't have preordered it in the first place if I was going to do that, or that I should have just waited... -__-

I told her that that was none of her business, that I preordered just in case, and as a customer, I'm entitled to my money regardless, and that if the reason behind me not being able to get my money back was because the preordered item had already come out, then there is no reason to not get my money back from these new preorders... So she calls her manager over the phone and he's actually on his way to the store and gets there in two minutes. She explains to him what happened and he was like, "WTF was that girl thinking, give him the money. I apologize for the inconvenience". I that point, I kinda felt bad for him because his apology was sincere and he repeated his apology several times, so I told him that it was okay, but that' seriously the last time I give Game Stop any business.
 
I've pre-ordered plenty of things at EB/GS, and have gotten my money back even if they're out. Cancelled my 3DS pre-order like that, actually.
 
OctoWara289 said:
Oh, I forgot to tell you guys!! If you guys recall from yesterday, I was telling you that Game Stop didn't allow me to cancel my preorder for my 3DS XL because unfortunately the system is available, and according to their company policy, they cannot refund the money once the preordered item is made available. So I had to transfer the money to some other preorders.

I went back today and a different girl was there and I told her that I wanted my money back for my preorders and she told me "You just preordered this yesterday, how come you're canceling it?" Le me: "I just need my money back." And after her trying to decipher the receipt I basically gave her the entire backstory and she began to question what the other girl did and told me that I shouldn't have preordered it in the first place if I was going to do that, or that I should have just waited... -__-

I told her that that was none of her business, that I preordered just in case, and as a customer, I'm entitled to my money regardless, and that if the reason behind me not being able to get my money back was because the preordered item had already come out, then there is no reason to not get my money back from these new preorders... So she calls her manager over the phone and he's actually on his way to the store and gets there in two minutes. She explains to him what happened and he was like, "WTF was that girl thinking, give him the money. I apologize for the inconvenience". I that point, I kinda felt bad for him because his apology was sincere and he repeated his apology several times, so I told him that it was okay, but that' seriously the last time I give Game Stop any business.
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We did tell you that last night lol, I think they were just scared that they would get penalized hard or something. But yeah, its just -1 to their total count for the day. Not like you canceled 15 reserves at once. You'd be entitled to, but still.
 
Baconsammy said:
That's obviously your call to make. Just don't look for reasons to excuse the scratching. Putting it in a case that doesn't fit it properly shouldnt cause the bottom screen to scratch the top. If it does, it's a poor design. The clamshell design's main job is to prevent damage from being done to the screens. I personally hate screen protectors, but it sounds like you'd have better peace of mind with one.
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I definitely appreciate your concern and your looking out for me, but at this point I just don't want to deal with any people, calling any places, shipping, or any related drama. Like I said, the scratches are extremely minor, so I'm getting a screen protector and calling it a day. I do agree with you though, it shouldn't be doing that and it's reason enough to warrant a new one for many, but for me, I'm just gonna deal with it this way. As long as the screen protector isn't noticeable it's fine by me. I too hate how they look, especially those anti-glare ones, they look like ass when you have the 3D on.
 
OctoWara289 said:
Oh, I forgot to tell you guys!! If you guys recall from yesterday, I was telling you that Game Stop didn't allow me to cancel my preorder for my 3DS XL because unfortunately the system is available, and according to their company policy, they cannot refund the money once the preordered item is made available.
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They actually said that to you? If so that's completely bullshit.

I doubt that's a company policy, just someone not wanting to lose a preorder.
 
TheExodu5 said:
Yeah okay...I know I said I'm not much for using the 3D mode on the 3DS, but man, Mario Kart 7 looks stunning on this.
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You use 3D on MK7? Even on the OG 3DS, I found the game unplayable in 3D since I tend to move around a lot more when playing racers. I think the game looks great in 2D on the XL, though. In fact every Nintendo game I've played so far looks great on it. Marvel Pinball also looks great, and now I can sorta make out some of the writing on the tables.
 
Baconsammy said:
You use 3D on MK7? Even on the OG 3DS, I found the game unplayable in 3D since I tend to move around a lot more when playing racers. I think the game looks great in 2D on the XL, though. In fact every Nintendo game I've played so far looks great on it. Marvel Pinball also looks great, and now I can sorta make out some of the writing on the tables.
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Surprisingly, I don't move at all with MK7. Solid as a rock.
 
That's interesting as over in the Vita thread I frequently see people complain about its headphone jack placement (which is the same as on OG 3DS).

I don't think I really care, to be honest. I'm just glad it's not on top, that always pisses me off.
 
I wish they would place the headphone jack on the side. When I play my DS in bed I rest it against my chest...having headphones plugged in there sucks.
 
Zeer0id said:
That's interesting as over in the Vita thread I frequently see people complain about its headphone jack placement (which is the same as on OG 3DS).

I don't think I really care, to be honest. I'm just glad it's not on top, that always pisses me off.
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The bottom pisses me off more since I rest my handhelds on a pillow on my chest when I play. Side would probably work best for me.
 
TheExodu5 said:
Surprisingly, I don't move at all with MK7. Solid as a rock.
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Same here. Usually too focused on whats ahead to move...maybe leaning closer to the screen, but thats about it. Now Star Fox? I've moved involuntarily a few times. N64 mode is much more intense at times than I remember.
 
You know, it's funny how I went from being totally against this a few days ago to now loving the hell out of this device. So glad I read some of the impressions and bought this because it really is making some games much more enjoyable.
 
hmmm i expected the 3d to be awful, but it seems fine for me. Not sure if dead zone is better or not cuz im used to having 3d on to the max on my 3ds.

KI still hurts my wrist by the end of a level though. Sigh.
 
Sweet spot for 3DSXL:

I find a strong/nice sweet spot if I hold the system lower chest level vs. near face level.

With the old 3DS, I'd hold the 3DS closer to head on and more vertical, while sitting. With the XL, I couldn't find a good sweet spot, until I held it at lower chest/lap level, more horizontal. For this sweet spot to be as good as OG 3DS, it's gotta be in the second lock/snap position.

If you'd like it closer to your head/face level, the best sweet spot is found in the third or first lock positions.

Non scientific, but I made a point to discover a good sweet spot if it killed me ^_^
 
I'm honestly getting snuck into this 3DS XL thing guys. I haven't bought a Nintendo game (that wasn't Pokemon) since Brawl for the Wii. I have totally given up on the wii and it's a dust collector and I HIGHLY DOUBT I will get the Wii U. Doesn't appeal to me, but for some reason, this does. I have no idea why. I know nothing at all about the 3DS, so I have a couple of questions guys.

1) Are there any differences besides the size between the 3DS AND 3DS XL?
2)What does the 3DS and XL offer? Like what is it?
3)Are there any good deals at any store like free games along with buying it? Or should I wait for a deal of some sort?
4)What good games are out for it? The games I'm looking at currently are the two mario games and mario kart.

Thanks in advance for any answers guys.
 
MBison said:
Anyone else's sound just feel ridiculously low?
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The max volume is pretty low, both in surround and stereo mode. Tried the system out with a portable speaker, (the one I use at the beach with my iPhone) and it was awesome. The internal speakers are probably the worst thing about the new XL.
 
Does the 3ds / xl read 32gb sdsh cards? Thinking about buying one in case I want to stick to digital games instead of retail. Nintendo said that all future games would be available digitally, right? I honestly haven't read much about this device, sorry for the silly questions.
 
I had a regular 3DS before, but never could get comfortable holding it in my hands. The pointed edges on the corners really hurt my hands during extended play. While I've always appreciated the titles available, and the visuals of the 3DS; there has been more than one occasion where I've said to myself "I like this system, but the screen is too damn small" Especially after having previously owned a DSi XL, going back to a screen that was as small as the DS Lite was difficult for me. Especially if you try playing regular DS games on the 3DS where the screen is even smaller.

Another minor gripe of mine about the original 3DS was the stupid placement of the stylus. While many games for the 3DS specifically don't use the stylus as prominently as the regular DS did, there are still many instances where you would want to use it. The placement of the stylus on the regular 3DS was in the same spot that it was on the original DS which was even fixed with the DS Lite. How could they go back to such a stupid mistake that was fixed so long ago?

I also hated that they went with the glossy finish on the system. Nintendo of all companies should know that a glossy finish makes a handheld look like a piece of junk after extended use (mine especially since I have such oily skin)

So after much debate over which color, I got my 3DS XL tonight. My first impression of it so far is this: it's exactly what I wanted it to be. It fixes every problem I had with the regular 3DS, and is what the original 3DS should have been. The edges where your palms rest are now curved, and smooth. The system has a shiny fancy look to it, but is not glossy at all. The stylus is right where it belongs, along the right side of the system where my right hand can reach it easily (left handed people might have an issue with the side, but im not one of them) Then of course we have the screen. While still not as fancy as the OLED screen on my PSVita, the large size makes it much more enjoyable to play games on.

They even improved some more things, by adding that extra hinge where you can prop the screen in a position that makes it more convenient to look at while places on a desk.

So far I'm loving it...I just need to get some 3DS games for it now >_< Im on a real tight budget, so I couldn't afford any games, but I still have some of my DS games I can play. I can't wait to see Resident Evil Revelations, Kingdom Hearts 3D and Mario Kart 7 on this bad boy though.

IMAG0241-1.jpg

This has probably been noticed already, but wow. The 3DS screen is easily the same size as the Vita screen, which I have always praised for it's perfect size for a handheld. I still love my Vita, but this system will definitely be competing for my time now with the Vita easily.
 
Yuripaw said:
The 3DS screen is easily the same size as the Vita screen, which I have always praised for it's perfect size for a handheld. I still love my Vita, but this system will definitely be competing for my time now with the Vita easily.
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I wouldn't say "easily" since it's actually smaller. Vita is 5 inches, 3DS XL is 4.8. It's obviously very close. Combined with the 2nd screen, it gives the real estate advantage in a big way to the XL. One of the biggest advantages of the bigger bottom screen is now I find myself not really needing the stylus. My finger nail does the trick, pretty accurately. 3DS games dont use the bottom screen as well as DS games do (for obvious reasons), but that bigger bottom screen has been huge for me with my DS puzzle games.
 
Baconsammy said:
I wouldn't say "easily" since it's actually smaller. Vita is 5 inches, 3DS XL is 4.8. It's obviously very close. Combined with the 2nd screen, it gives the real estate advantage in a big way to the XL.
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Well whatever...I was just going by my eyesight. I placed the Vita over the 3DSXL a few times, and I almost thought a few times that the 3DSXL might have been bigger. Guess I'm very good at that stuff.
 
Many have already talked about games that look great on the XL but one that I haven't seen mentioned yet is Dead or Alive Dimensions. Wow.
 
eighty(one) said:
Is your d-pad wiggly/jiggles? Mine does on my Blue XL...

Whereas my purple 3DS has a snug/tight DPad that feels better constructed.

I'm wondering if I should retail exchange next week:

My hinge and DPad don't seem as tight as I'd like them to be :/
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The d-pad not being as snug in the casing happens on both the XL's we have here so it's normal. I did notice the same when comparing to my normal 3DS.
 
My buddy bought one, and it's really nice. The blue isn't the shade I expected, and I don't like it as much as I thought I would. And the face buttons feel oddly small. Everything else is great, though.
 
burgerdog said:
Does the 3ds / xl read 32gb sdsh cards? Thinking about buying one in case I want to stick to digital games instead of retail. Nintendo said that all future games would be available digitally, right? I honestly haven't read much about this device, sorry for the silly questions.
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Yeah, 3DS can use up to 32 GB memory cards.
 
So this is strange: my transfer went smoothly, as I said earlier, and now I just copied my data from my original 3DS' 2GB SD card to the XL's 4GB SD using my PC, and I had no problems. Just copied, swapped, and I was good to go. Makes me wonder why so many people have had horror stories with the transferring and SD card-swapping process. I guess I just got lucky?

Well, I won't look a gift horse in the mouth. :P My heart goes out to all of you who've had a bad transferring process, though.
 
My local Fry's is sold out of the 3ds xl. I wonder how many they stocked? I'm glad I got mine right when they opened on Sunday. Any other anecdotal retail musings on how the xl is doing?
 
Iceblade said:
So is there a unanimous agreement on the yellow tint issue yet? Does it happen to all units? Does it really go away with time?
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I don't think there's a unanimous agreement yet. For my part, my screens are not yellow-tinted in the slightest. So either I got lucky (probably) or people are looking too hard for something that isn't there (doubtful; the photos posted in the earlier thread are pretty compelling evidence).

So I guess it's just a unit-by-unit thing.
 
MaverickHunterAsh said:
I don't think there's a unanimous agreement yet. For my part, my screens are not yellow-tinted in the slightest. So either I got lucky (probably) or people are looking too hard for something that isn't there (doubtful; the photos posted in the earlier thread are pretty compelling evidence).
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Always the possibility that it's something that shows more in photos than in person. I definitely notice it, but it's subtle with 3D on, and not even that bad with 3D off. That's mainly only a problem when the two screens are supposed to match.
 
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