Nintendo 3DS

[Blue Blood]

I'm not as annoyed as I thought I might be. This thing looks really ugly, and it's a straight up, no frills larger 3DS? Big meh.

EDIT: Oh lol. I just realised- As this doesn't have second circle pad, Nintendo will have to produce an XL Circle Pad Pro for this. I'm not even vaguely interested until there's a decent new model.

Edited June 22, 2012 by Blue Blood

[Dobkeratops]

Yeah, people shouldn't be angry nor should they be surprised. Fucking over early adopters is a long time Nintendo tradition which started really early this portable generation with the insane pricedrop.

Fortunately in this case the new model is worse in a few areas. Example: the screen has been made bigger but it keeps the same low resolution, so pixel density will drop down and produce worse images. Or the baffling total lack of a second pseudoanalog, I guess they're saving that for next year's revision, haha. Oh, did you get a frankenstick? SIKE. It won't fit! Please look forward to the Circle Pad Pro XL.

As far as Nintendo revisions go, this one's fairly inoffensive. Unlike the GBA's that rendered the original obsolete as fuck.

Edited June 22, 2012 by Dobkeratops

[SuperClassic]

EDIT: Actually for those who missed out on the Japanese Nintendo Direct like me, here's some footage of Animal Crossing:

Edited June 22, 2012 by Protagoras

[Barry the Nomad]

Interesting...

I was actually planning on getting a 3DS next month, and then this was announced. Despite being new and bigger, why am I so underwhelmed?

3DS owners help me out, is it really worth getting? Battery life bumped up 30 minutes is pitiful, almost not a selling point. No real changes, outside the larger screen. But then again, I like PORTABLE systems. I'm more comfortable with an iPhone than an iPad.

Only $30 more... but the standard 3DS usually comes with a free game/battery (Gamestop) or a $20 gift card.

Is this worth it?

[Tails spin]

Interesting...

I was actually planning on getting a 3DS next month, and then this was announced. Despite being new and bigger, why am I so underwhelmed?

3DS owners help me out, is it really worth getting? Battery life bumped up 30 minutes is pitiful, almost not a selling point. No real changes, outside the larger screen. But then again, I like PORTABLE systems. I'm more comfortable with an iPhone than an iPad.

Only $30 more... but the standard 3DS usually comes with a free game/battery (Gamestop) or a $20 gift card.

Is this worth it?

Barry I am with you on this one, I too was planning to purchase a 3DS for my birthday in July, but I'm on the fence if I should wait. I mean your right, I don't know if it is truly worth spending an extra $30 buck for a bigger screen and 30 minutes of extra battery.

[Barry the Nomad]

Yeah, while I do like large screens, weren't the games made with the original 3DS in mind? Does that mean that the XL will make them look upscaled and a little blurry or jaggy or something?

Also, I don't want to look like I'm playing a mini-laptop when I'm out and about. I want a discreet handheld.

Decisions decisions.

---

Here's an article comparing them: http://www.slashgear.com/slashgear-101-nintendo-3ds-xl-vs-nintendo-3ds-22235274/

Also, I was a nerd and made photoshop docs sized to the 3DS and 3DS XL sizes and printed them out. Gotta say, the XL is a little big for my tastes. Might as well take a photo of my nerdy endeavor:

Edited June 22, 2012 by Barry the Nomad

[Marcello]

Interesting...

I was actually planning on getting a 3DS next month, and then this was announced. Despite being new and bigger, why am I so underwhelmed?

3DS owners help me out, is it really worth getting? Battery life bumped up 30 minutes is pitiful, almost not a selling point. No real changes, outside the larger screen. But then again, I like PORTABLE systems. I'm more comfortable with an iPhone than an iPad.

Only $30 more... but the standard 3DS usually comes with a free game/battery (Gamestop) or a $20 gift card.

Is this worth it?

Barry I am with you on this one, I too was planning to purchase a 3DS for my birthday in July, but I'm on the fence if I should wait. I mean your right, I don't know if it is truly worth spending an extra $30 buck for a bigger screen and 30 minutes of extra battery.

Battery life is 30 minutes - 1,5 hours longer. It also has better Start, Home and Select buttons.

[Barry the Nomad]

What makes the buttons better? I see they're separate pieces, but did the original buttons not function or something? If you can press them, and they work, I can't see how they can be improved. Seems they lost the glossy look too (from the buttons, around the thumbstick, the cover, etc).

Wonder where that additional hour of battery life comes from for the 3DS games. Is that if you turn brightness/volume down and turn off 3D? Because in that case, I'd say more battery life makes sense, but you're also taking away brightness and a major feature of the device.

Hope more specifics come in.

Edited June 22, 2012 by Barry the Nomad

[Tails spin]

What makes the buttons better? I see they're separate pieces, but did the original buttons not function or something? If you can press them, and they work, I can't see how they can be improved. Seems they lost the glossy look too (from the buttons, around the thumbstick, the cover, etc).

Wonder where that additional hour of battery life comes from for the 3DS games. Is that if you turn brightness/volume down and turn off 3D? Because in that case, I'd say more battery life makes sense, but you're also taking away brightness and a major feature of the device.

Hope more specifics come in.

I've seen store 3DS's with the home button damaged to the point it doesn't work. Then again I can imagen 7 yr olds bashing the buttons will trying it out.

[Marcello]

The fact that those buttons were under one plastic piece made them really awkward to press.

[Barry the Nomad]

The fact that those buttons were under one plastic piece made them really awkward to press.

Oh, okay. Well this weekend at Target I'll press the buttons to see how they feel. I'll look like a creep, but I gotta know.

[Pixel Brain]

So, other than the redesign, what else was touched upon at the conference?

[Cola]

The fact that those buttons were under one plastic piece made them really awkward to press.

I got used to it pretty fast, so it was never a problem to me.

[Thrippa]

Well, I know one person who's been refusing to get a 3DS because the screens were too small. What I wonder about it how the DS games will look, since they're already vaguely blurry on the 3DS screen due to the resolution difference. (Not enough to bother me, but it's there if you look for it.) I like the general look of the normal one a lot better though. And I'm not sure what's wrong with the under-screen buttons either - yes, they may be damaged in retail situations, but I haven't heard of anyone's personal system breaking that way. I've never had any difficulty pushing the right button on my unit; you can feel where the actual buttons are under the plastic.

To each hir own, though. I'll probably get my mom a big one for her birthday in November, to go with the new Professor Layton game.

[Debug Ring]

Contemplating getting a XL. I have the normal size. It looks cool, hoped for the second circle pad to be built in but still, I may get one.

[PaddyFancy]

The XL is now available to pre-order on Amazon UK, but I'm not terribly impressed with the price. £179.99. That's more expensive than the US and Japanese models.

Its worth pointing out now that the old 3DS on Amazon has its price reduced by a fiver.

Edited June 22, 2012 by Major Ziggy

[Katzii]

I can still get behind that price, on the proviso that I can sell enough to recoup the price (including my 3DS once I transfer everything).

I will really miss the colour of my Aqua Blue 3DS, but THOSE SCREENS.

[Sean]

That's ugly as sin. I'd still rather get the original one.

[Barry the Nomad]

Hold on, are red and blue the only colors available at launch in the US?

http://www.gamestop.com/browse/consoles?nav=16k-nintendo+3ds+xl,13ffff2412

Better have black. Though I'm still undecided, leaning towards the standard size.

[Conando]

By the look of the system, I've decided to dub it Babby's First 3DS.

[null]

I rather like the design. Gives off sort of a late-90's iMac vibe to me. Y'know, back when Apple wasn't a cancer.

As someone else pointed out, I'm also concerned how regular DS games will look on it. You barely notice the jaggies on a normal 3DS about five minutes into playing, but I can't imagine that would be the case for a much larger screen.

[Scar]

Honestly, I seriously cannot see a reason for the omission of a second circle-pad. Its not like its going to be affected by size, seeing as the thing is extra-large and thus has the real-estate necessary to facilitate a second circle-pad.

Either Nintendo are ignorant and/or fucking stupid, or unwilling to admit that they made a mistake when it came to designing the product.

I would rather have a secondary circle-pad than the completely pointless 3D gimmick (which I see most people switching off to conserve battery life or preventing nausea) they added.

[Conando]

Only babbies play with the 3D off. But, whatever. The second analog stick omission is stupid but, I honestly have only played one game that actually needed a second circle pad.

[Scar]

Only babbies play with the 3D off. But, whatever. The second analog stick omission is stupid but, I honestly have only played one game that actually needed a second circle pad.

That may be true, but then the games on the system are designed with the fact there is only one circle-pad in mind.

Simple fact is, its an oversight. Having a second analogue stick would a) punch Sony and its Vita in the gut, hard, and b ) increase the range of games the system can play.

Edited June 22, 2012 by Scar

[Blue Blood]

Only babbies play with the 3D off. But, whatever. The second analog stick omission is stupid but, I honestly have only played one game that actually needed a second circle pad.

Because with the CPP being unpopular and not actually part of the system, developers would rather design games without it in mind.