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New Nintendo 2DS XL - Hardware Review Thread

The DS series just never sat well with me. Two screens, one fuzzier than the other, both janky to some extent, the touch element requiring a chintzy stylus instead of the iPhone screen style which has been around for a very very long time now.. the poorly implemented 3d which would later just vanish.. So many iterations on the same console and while new 3ds is close, and none of them feel as solid and satisfying to me as a gameboy advance sp.

It could be said that I prefer simpler and focused hardware.

switch.gif
 
Being forced to play 3DS games in 2D is a nightmare; you lose so much visual information.

Why can't Nintendo just release the regular N3DS in the US?

3D is the nightmare.

Also, Nintendo has released two skus of the regular n3DS in the US. One came out with Happy Home Designer and the other one came out with Pokémon on the VC. Did you not know that? You've had access to the regular n3DS for almost two years.
 
So is the US only getting the turquoise model for now? Why in the world would you not release the white/orange model here as well?

I may pick one up, but not until there is another color option available.
 

AdanVC

Member
Can't believe Nintendo keeps pushing a 240p handheld in 2017... Only Nintendo can get away with something like that. But hey, at least the industrial design of this thing looks nice!
 

nubbe

Member
Can anyone ELI5 why Nintendo doesn't consider Switch a 3DS/2DS replacement?

2DS is still good enough for kids ans cheaper for parents
But I think it is a problem the N2DS didn't hit the €100 range

2DS was like €100 cheaper than 3DS, while N2DS is only ~€50 cheaper than N3DS.
 

Ridley327

Member
I am getting one of these to play through Xenoblade Chronicles, having never owned one of the New 3DS systems. My preorder at Best Buy is in place. Now to wait.

I love the look of this thing.

That game will be just fine on n2DS, since the 3D effect in that game is one of the worst on the system. I'm sure Monster Games was preoccupied with getting the game to run at all on the hardware, but it feels like a last minute inclusion compared to everything else.
 

Adam Prime

hates soccer, is Mexican
Can't believe Nintendo keeps pushing a 240p handheld in 2017... Only Nintendo can get away with something like that. But hey, at least the industrial design of this thing looks nice!

TN panel, wow. Hard pass.

Lol it was already talked about in this thread. The core market for 2DS/3DS does not care about 240p and TN panels. That's the 10% or less of people who mainly post on NeoGAF. It makes no sense for Nintendo cater to those people when the main people buying 2DS/3DS are just looking for an outlet to play Mario Kart, Pokémon, or Animal Crossing. Cheapest possible handheld for Nintendo to construct is the best choice when their market doesn't care about screen resolution or panel type.

Makes complete sense.
 

DPB

Member
That game will be just fine on n2DS, since the 3D effect in that game is one of the worst on the system. I'm sure Monster Games was preoccupied with getting the game to run at all on the hardware, but it feels like a last minute inclusion compared to everything else.

I agree, the 3D is none too impressive in Xenoblade. I don't like how it moves the UI to the foreground, it feels very intrusive.
 

Arcia

Banned
So according to the DF review, the speakers are now at the bottom and at times sound can be muffled due to the interference from your own palms? That's not great :(

I was worried about this, sad to hear that the speaker placement is as bad as I thought it would be when I first saw them. Thats a deal breaker for me unfortunately. I need good sound for my games, and I don't want to have to awkwardly hold the 2DS and get hand cramps. Horrible design decision!
 

Adam Prime

hates soccer, is Mexican
I agree, the 3D is none too impressive in Xenoblade. I don't like how it moves the UI to the foreground, it feels very intrusive.

I agree it's not impressive, but without the 3D on, even in its lowest setting, the overall graphics look smeared. It's tough because they downscaling a 480p game down to 240p and it looks like it. The screen resolution is too small and its tough to cram everything they need to. That said, it's amazing they got this game running on a 3DS because its one of the best looking and performing Wii games, period.

I LOVE XBC and I think it's a great 3DS game, but if visuals are super important to you - the game is cheaper to play off the WiiU GamePad from the eShop. It's only $20 there if you already own a WiiU. But I think having it portable, bad visuals and all, is worth the price of the 3DS version. Anyway you can play XBC, you can't lose. My favorite JRPG of al time.
 

Cwarrior

Member
I never understood the complaint of the 3D is not as if someone is forceing you to play in 3D mode just turn the damn slider mode if you want to play in 2D.

The option is there for people that like 3D and those that don't.

New 3ds is still the best option, this a more cheaper to produce model like micro gba.
 

Haint

Member
New 3DS XL is 2 and a 1/2 years old and has retailed for $199 ($175 on sales) that whole span. $149 should by all accounts be a permanent price drop on the N3DS XL by now. The sheer stupidity in these reviews astounds, applauding a whopping $25 - $50 savings for a downgraded product 2.5 years late, with the same same dog shit displays that are bettered by $20 Chinese tablets.
 

Hatty

Member
N3DS XL is $160 on the official Nintendo refurb store if anyone wants to spend an extra ten bucks for 3D.
 

The Boat

Member
My quick review: nothing mindblowing but very light and more comfortable to hold because there's more space to put your fingers on the shoulders since the hinges are now on the outside.

The stylus is short, but the buttons and finishing touches feel pretty good. Personally, I wouldn't give up the 3D, but this is a nice budget alternative.
 
They did. It might not be in stock anymore but u can still get it second hand or refurbished easily.

I'm hoping they do a final 3ds revision, as I love the 3D effect. Sucks cuz I like the look of the 2ds but without that feature I won't pick one up.

Wow, are they really that hard to find? I sort of wanted to pick up a mint one before the system is dead since it's my favorite handheld. *sigh* ~NOA~
 

dickroach

Member
Wow, are they really that hard to find? I sort of wanted to pick up a mint one before the system is dead since it's my favorite handheld. *sigh* ~NOA~

I still see the n3DSXL in Best Buys and Targets. real limited quantity, but still.
I haven't seen the regular n3DSs in like a year.
 

AEREC

Member
Will probably get one of these for my kid eventually but I really enjoy the 3D effect in games, especially 2D platformers. Im hoping there's another N3DS XL revision soon.
 
Wait... Did Nintendo just all the sudden get good at designing hardware? From the Wii era to present I've found their designs fairly lackluster, while the Switch and this 2DXL look much more refined than what I am used to seeing from them.
 
Quite tempted to get one.

Have a decent amount of 3DS titles I'd still like to play and the Metroid Game, maybe Ultra Sun/Moon and the Radiant Historia "remake"/Strange Journey "remake" would be really fun.
 

Mr-Joker

Banned

He uses Toad in Mario Kart...I don't know I how I feel about this.

Can anyone ELI5 why Nintendo doesn't consider Switch a 3DS/2DS replacement?

Because;

-The 3DS has a bigger install base than the Switch,
-The 3DS is cheaper than the Switch thus easier to push parents to buy them,
-The 3DS has 8 main series Pokémon games plus 5 on the virtual console, the Switch however doesn't have one yet.
-Despite the Switch able to be used as a handheld, it's much easier to throw the 3DS in the bag than the Switch.
 
I really dispise people shitting all over the 3D at every opportunity. It's a great feature on the N3DS and I'm going to miss it going forward. Go buy a Switch and stfu.
 
I really dispise people shitting all over the 3D at every opportunity. It's a great feature on the N3DS and I'm going to miss it going forward. Go buy a Switch and stfu.

I've bought every 3DS model. On each of them, including the "new" series, I experienced 3D crosstalk ("ghosting") that distracted me from the actual look & gameplay of what I was playing. I've adored the (3)DS library and that new 2D XL one will be the one I'll keep. Technology just wasn't there for flawless glasses-free 3D (at that price anyway).
 

Creamium

shut uuuuuuuuuuuuuuup
Looks like this is a good option for people who are late to the 3DS party and want to jump in at the lowest price. I'll stick with my N3DS though.

lol I found the N3DSXL to be uncomfortable too, the N3DS was better. Especially with a grip, it's AWESOME.

I would recommend a grip to anyone with a 3DS. It's a game changer.

I ditched the XL because I got unbearable hand craps playing platformers or anything action-heavy. N3DS is better for this but still not perfect. I started looking into grips for my regular N3DS and weirdly enough the best looking one (Cyber) isn't available anywhere for cheap.
This one looks a bit crappy/cheap but gets some good reviews.
 
I'll probably get this as a supplementary piece because I really love the design, but as long as 3D is enabled in any game, I'll stick to my 3DS XL.
 
New 3DS XL is 2 and a 1/2 years old and has retailed for $199 ($175 on sales) that whole span. $149 should by all accounts be a permanent price drop on the N3DS XL by now. The sheer stupidity in these reviews astounds, applauding a whopping $25 - $50 savings for a downgraded product 2.5 years late, with the same same dog shit displays that are bettered by $20 Chinese tablets.

Absolutely this. Everybody is calling this N2DSXL cheap but in my mind it should replace the $99 2DS at that price while the N3DSXL is dropped to $150 to end the 3DS lifespan. We're at that point where even the Wii and just about every other hardware was $99 at this point. I don't think it's too much to ask for the 3DS to be at $150, with a feature stripped budgeted model to be at the end of life hardware price of $99. Hell even that would be a price hike for end of life N3DSXL, but pretty understandable considering inflation.

My honest first thought when they said $150 is damn that's kinda high. Not really what you want in the budget line. I was shocked when people started to say that was cheap.
 

topplehat

Member
Man I'm really torn on this. I currently own a n3DS XL, but really like the aesthetic of this new 2DS XL. I like that it weighs less, never cared much for 3D, and don't use system speakers so some of these negatives don't apply to me...

Anyone "upgrading" from a n3DS XL to this?
 

Eusis

Member
I mainly wanted to see if they bumped the screen quality to be the same as the Switch's, which didn't happen and doesn't surprise me. But I wouldn't have gotten it right away regardless, though I'm definitely keeping it in mind for suggestions or whatever in the future.
 

Rizzi

Member
I've had one for about a week. It's fine. The white and orange is pretty nice and I don't need to pull it apart to put an SD card in it.
 

WolfStark

Member
It's always weird reading these reviews since the original 3DS. The hardware is crap, even with the little adjustments it is stays bad but nevertheless the reviews are giving the 3DS line a thumb up. It's nice to have this flip now for the cartridge but the TN/IPS lottery is a neck breaker.

And the price is ridiculous. Sorry but the cheapest smartphone is better then the 2DS and not just recently but for quiet some time now, this should be 75 Dollar, 99 Dollar at most. It's clear as day Nintendo wants to have the N3DS price still at nearly 200 bucks. I was lucky to get an N3DS XL in some special sale with an IPS panel on top, so I can sell now my old 3DS XL but this handheld line on the regular market is a rip off.

The reviews should be a lot harsher, from the beginning.

@Mr-Joker
The arguments are pretty awful. Every generation has an end and the 3DS is at it's end as is visible in the sales, that are a lot worse then they were with the NDS back then. Nintendos reasons are mostly emotional, not rational. Japanese companies shun the competition of the global market and it's rules, they produce a hybrid but since the Wii U flopped they don't know if they can truly focus on one platform only, so they stick to the 3DS and since the sales are declining, they produce another iteration to boost sales and to hold the old price, so the profit margin stays as big as possible or is increasing. Also Nintendo is feeling safe at the moment, because there is no real competition even though there is the Vita but everything is settled and Sony doesn't make any move, so no problem there.

The install base sounds good but as said above, every old hardware has a (way) higher install base, so that's usual. The price is an argument but it has nothing to do with parents but people in general. The idea that Handhelds would be mainly for children is rather strange. As if 60-70 million handheld owners with dozens of games each would be children. Pokèmon as a brand is a good argument but not old games. They are already released, it's not like you need to hold a platform alive for games you already released and sold. And regarding the mobility: Let's be honest, we are living in a time of netbooks and tablets. And people don't have an issue throwing them in their bags.
 

Plum

Member
I'm really tempted to get this to replace my N3DS as I really do prefer the larger screen, but the N3DSXL is still cheap here in UK (about £110 used) so I'm not sure. It'll mainly be for playing through Xenoblade before 2 comes out, though.

Does look damn good, my favorite 3DS design for sure.
 

jts

...hate me...
Then we would have had an even better iteration now.
Then that one should have been released in 2011, smartass. Nice try.

Sorry Toni, I also never liked those "what we got now, we should've gotten years ago". It's not how it works, most of the time.
 
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