Nintendo 3DS XL - review

[JSR]

People seem to be getting their 3DS's by now, even though it isn't out before saturday.

Whaddaya think about it? Comfortable? Does the games look better? Battery life decent? Too big for your pockets? Does it make your existing games more fun? Is the 3D better? And so on...

[ItsThere]

It certainly looks like a better screen in that shot!

[Daragon]

It's probably just the viewing angle. The only aspect to the screen that's really changed is its size.

[Jampony]

I'm getting mine tomorrow. Had a play on one in Game and impressed with the size of the thing (I imagine it will be more comfortable for long gaming sessions). Since I mostly use my 3DS at home, the portability (or lack thereof) isn't an issue for me, but it will be an issue for some.

The 3D itself seemed better, although the game wasn't quite as crisp looking as on the regular 3DS (I was playing Mario Kart 7).

Overall the pros outweigh the cons for me. My current 3DS is showing the early signs of the screen scratching issue, so I'll be glad to trade it in!

[Daragon]

Just got home with my new machine. So far I'm mostly impressed with it compared to the previous model.

However, if a game suffered from 3D ghosting previously, it'll be quite a bit more noticeable on the XL. Ocarina of Time being a perfect example. The Lost Woods tunnels show it particularly well, as well as in the Kokiri shop with the girl on the left of the screen.

[huxley]

I was against this redesign until I had a play with one. The screen does look a lot better to me. I love the rounded edge design, its much nicer to hold for extended periods of time. One of the other little features I like is the 3 click positions for the screen, the original 3DS screen was a bit loose. I'm glad to see all my miis and street pass quests made it through the system transfer as well. Pocket wise I never carried my original 3DS in a trouser pocket, always in my bag or jacket pocket, this unit fits just as well. Battery life I can't comment on until it's been charged a few times.

[BIG EDD]

Only had a quick go after the system transfer,damn you Olympic opening ceremony in 3D
Love the size and weight of the system.Original game boy titles look a lot better now on the big screen as does the 3ds eshop titles such as zen pinball and switch force.
Had a quick go on pilot wings but waiting to try Lego batman 2 which I got with a bundle from GAME.
overall from a quick play test really impressed with the system roll on super mario 2

[SUMIRE]

These are my "ongoing" opinions as I have not explored everything yet, ie battery life and how DS game look. This is mainly compared with the older one.

+ Hardware feels better to hold
+ Looks better than the old one in my humble opinion
+ Hinges are better
+ Start, Select and Home buttons are better
+ None glossy, so limits finger prints!
+ The bigger screen is the perfect size for the distance you usually hold it.
+ 3D looks better simply because the screen is bigger
+ The screen is big! ...did I mention that?

- It is bigger, so not as portable
- Screen quality is kind of old now compared with technology that is available, but the none glasses 3D is still pretty remarkable.
- Screen is scaled, so not as "sharp" as the old one, You will notice "jaggies" more because of this.
- Speakers are still ****e when turned up to max, which you need to do unless wearing headphones.
- Some new 3DS owners may have to buy a charger.
- A pain having to transfer ambassador stuff over, but that is more a Nintendo software thing really.

Over all, I think the "upgrade" for me was worth it. It definitely sweetened the deal by being able to trade my old one in at Game.

[teddymeow]

I like it a lot!

It's comfortable, the screen is aces and the battery seems to go on for ages.

Not sure about 3D looking any better. I definitely get more depth in MK7 but the viewing angle seems much narrower than the old console. Probably down to the size of the screen but holding it the same distance away as the old 3DS.

The case is lovely. The red finish is very vibrant. Glad I swapped my silver one!

[Dogg Thang]

It's frikkin giant! I realise that is obvious given the name but really, it's huge. Had no idea. But finally got to try one in the flesh and I was very impressed. It just feels much better and much more solid. I imagine I may find the size awkward and the upgrade is certainly not essential as this doesn't really add anything but after having a go I thought I'd upgrade as the trade-in deals are pretty good.

So currently transferring the data right now. Hope it doesn't take too long and doesn't lose anything. I'd be gutted if I lost my Ambassador games or Theatrhythm DLC. Nintendo really need to sort out an account system.

[Daragon]

The transfer took me close to 30 minutes I reckon, everything was transfered across, although it was touch and go at first when it told me that Zelda 4 Swords would be staying on the old memory card. Thankfully even though the game has been pulled from the shop, it's still flagged in my shop account so I could just download it again. My ambassador games all made it safely across, as did my Mii data. Just be sure your connection doesn't fail during the transfer and you'll be fine.

Do we think the actual console itself is larger than the DSI XL? I'm not sure on that one.

[teddymeow]

It's not larger than an XL. Just put them.side by side and it's actually a few mm shorter!

[Dogg Thang]

I seem to be unable to access my Theatrhythm DLC from any other SD card than the original, even though I copied everything on to the new one. My save is there but DLC Extra Data is not recognised on the 4GB card, but still is from the old 2GB one. It seems to be the only thing that hasn't worked. Any ideas?

[dazza_cole]

Is the data transfer required, or can I just swap SD cards?

[SUMIRE]

I just re-downloaded everything onto my XL. All I know when I left mine with Game to do the transfer, they transferred something, when I got home I had to redownload everything from the store, all the ambassador games, content etc