Group Review: So how about the Nintendo 3DS XL?

I’ve not spent IMMENSE amounts of time with my 3DS XL just yet though I had the more nightmarish of experiences with the transfer procedure for some reason.

I was pleased and surprised to find that the increased screen size (but not resolution) did not affect the graphics – they still looked as crisp and as sharp as ever. This was my biggest fear and it was great to see that fear QUASHED.

My biggest annoyance is probably the fact that it’s a little bit awkward to reach every button (particularly the Home buttons and such) without having to adjust my grip on the console itself.

Overall a much better, well build improvement. It just feels so much more valuable than the 3DS which felt relatively cheap by comparison.

Loving it! I second everything above. Transfer was easy enough – felt like there were too many steps (but I was trying to rush it through before I started work) – and took roughly 20-30 mins to complete. Pretty good for a couple of Pikmin!

My favourite thing about it so far is the Virtual Console games (especially GBA ambassador games) that look absolutely stunning on the new display. I’ve been playing the shit out of WarioWare Inc. since I got it yesterday.

Still haven’t tried any DS games – will probably give that a go tonight.

All in all – I regret nothing and if you are even remotely considering getting one – do iiiiiit!

I like mine but I have some minor complaints, too.

First, the things I like. The 3D seems more immersive with the bigger screen. It makes me wish I had had this when I was playing through Mario Kart 7. I like being able to stretch my fingers out more. I love the matte finish (I got red) and the hinges feel sturdier too. And VC games look much better on the bigger screen, especially when you’re playing the Gameboy emulator with the Gameboy replica around the game area.

On the downsides, I disagree with you, Vook, when you say DS games looks better on it. I think they look much uglier. I played NSMB and Mario Kart DS on it last night and thought they looked hideous being blown up like that. Maybe there’s some other games that look better but so far, I’m not impressed. Also, on the bottom left hand side of the console, near where the headphone jack sits, there seems to be a sharp edge to the plastic that feels kind of uncomfortable against my palm. I don’t know if that’s just my unit or if its how every XL has been made, but I don’t like it.

Otherwise, I’m happy with the upgrade in general, especially with what was a fairly decent trade-in price at my local EB. I did the system transfer in store using my iPhone as a Hotspot and it all went off without a hitch!

I’m loving my 3DS XL – it was worth every cent of the $99 trade-in at EB Games. I have big hands, so it’s much more ergonomic for me and really makes the original 3DS look and feel like a ‘toy’. I tried to use personal hotspot on my iPhone 4 (with Telstra) to do the system transfer instore at EB and it got to the 5th and final step before freezing for 20 minutes, then ultimately failing. I ended up buying the console outright, then returning it the next day and getting my correct trade-in amount, which wasn’t a big deal.

The 3D sweet spot is much bigger and better, but I do notice the pixels a lot more. Running through Hyrule Field in Ocarina of Time with the 3D slider right up did look a bit uglier than on the smaller 3DS. With the 3D slider off the pixelation isn’t as noticeable though. Kokiri Forest looks unreal with all the little flecks of fairy dust flying through the air on the bigger screen!

I think New Super Mario Bros 2 looks great without 3D. Love the matte finish. Would have liked an all black or all white version, but happy with silver (doesn’t look too ‘kiddy’, and looks fairly sleek). NES games look great, and GB Advance games look as good as they ever have. Overall – very worthy purchase.

Really happy with the upgrade, agree with james in that is has more presence as a system from the second you open it up. not spent significant time with it yet – that’s what weekends are for – but played some pinball games last night and they really benefit from the larger screens.

No transfer issues but i did leave mine at the store for them to do.

I’m really enjoying it 🙂 The transfer went through smoothly, no problems at all 🙂
DS games look fantastic! And 3DS – just brilliant!
Took me a couple of hours for my eyes to adjust, but now its all good!
*thumbs up*

Loving the new 3DS XL so far: nightmare transfer experience with no Ambassador games coming across and my Street Pass is all messed up…other than that, the build quality is a big plus, feels much sturdier and well put together.

My impressions from the 3ds thread:

Pros:
DPad is better, easier to pull of moves in SF4.
Feels much more solid, better build quality.
Screens are HUGE loving this. On its own this is a selling point.
Console is more comfortable to hold, gone are the hand cramps.
No glare, not sure how they’ve achieved this but there is almost no glare from that huge screen.
I want to replay my games especially OOT. (Not really a pro but thought i would add it)Battery life is deffinately better.
Stylus position.

Cons:

Screen pixelation, how bad depends on the game e.g. SF4 suffers more then MK7. Its not a big deal but to not mention it would be wrong.
Screens are slightly warmer, i believe this varys from console to console. I had a very cool 3ds and my XL is warmer however my whites are still white and colours in game a very vibrant. (For me this is hardly a con but i did prefer the whiter orginal 3ds look.)Speakers are quiter at full volume.
Volume slider position, I keep moving the volume slider.

Final comment:
Is the best handheld I’ve ever owned. Worth the upgrade if you have the current 3DS and if you’ve been waiting for a revision this is the one you want.

So glad I traded in my old unit for this.

The spacing between the R button and the charging port has been increased. Now when im charging and playing, my right finger doesnt press up against the cable. So nice. Im also glad the shoulder buttons themselves are back to the DS Lite’s design. Never liked them on the original 3DS unit.

So far, no scratching on the sides of the top screen. While my Peach unit didn’t have this issue, my red one was scratched like hell! It seems the bumpers on the top go onto the border around the touch screen, which was the cause of the scratching.

Had a marathon session with Megaman zero collecting crystals going back and forth. Buttons hold up nice. No more cramps. It could be fromt the matte finish. Not as tough.

Money well spent.

My transfer went well, at least on the second attempt. Did it at home, with the friendly EB staff allowing me to take both consoles home, leaving ID, and only paying $99! I was afraid my hotspot wasn’t strong enough, and wanted to take the safe route. It went all good and well up until transferring my eShop account, it attempted to connect to the internet, then BAM! “Cannot connect to the internet” 🙁 Had to start over, and waited for another 30 minutes or so, and it went fine from there, everything is as it should be!

As for the build, overall it is better than the original 3DS. Except, it has a lower volume, due to different speakers. Also, the top screen is still scratched by the bottom screen, might have to add bigger rubber stoppers myself! Games look great on it, still need to get used to its size and weight, and the ideal distance I should hold it from my eyes. For some reason, the 3D sweet spot has become smaller for me, making me constantly readjusting my position.

Picked one up today and traded my old 3DS in, definitely worth it just to get ride of the track marks on the upper screen. Transfer was smooth as, and EB was very nice about trading it in. But the down side, my girlfriend said she is going to kill me for ‘spending money to get something I already have.’ Darn it.

Got mine. Love it. For me the biggest selling point was, believe it or not, the reduced glare. On the train in the morning with the sun shining in, I was staring at my reflection more than the graphics. I can play annoyance-free with the XL. Oh, plus no scratching like the earlier one. Is it just me or was the 3D more stark on the smaller one?

Freezes a lot, every hour our so :/

Can we plebs who haven’t done the deed yet get more info on DS and GBA games being played? I’d never give up my DS Lite but would like to know the XL can play anything I throw at the way. For instance, the video review Vook did only looked at WarioWare and Mario Kart DS.

What about Metroid Fusion or Wario Land?

For DS, what about stuff like TWEWY or Ghost Trick?

I had a go at the locked away 3D video demo version in EB Swanston St and sure it felt okay but I’m not quite convinced yet. Apparently they’re all sold out and I was told I must preorder to ensure I got one on next shipment. It’s the Wii all over again.

ThAnks guys and girls.

PS. What good are the two screen lock positions?

The 3DS, and 3DS XL will play *any* DS games. Not sure about region coding, pretty sure it’s not an issue though.
DS games look much better on an XL compared to a regular 3DS in my opinion. Not going to be selling my DSi anytime soon though, as they still look a bit nicer on the screen resolution they were made for.

About the 2 screen lock positions, I’ve yet to find a use for the one that’s closest to a 90-degree angle. It’s just not usable. Maybe for 2D Clubhouse games maybe? Not sure.
The properly folded out lock position is as good as any DS has ever been.

Regarding transfer, I tried doing it in store, the guy at EB was very patient, and I think just as interested as me in how the transfer would work. The 3DS XL needed a system update before it could transfer, and thiis wouldn’t even start on my dumb Vodafone connection. The EB guy said I could take both consoles home, perform the transfer, and bring the 3DS in the next day and be refunded the trade value, so that’s what I did.

I love the XL as a console, it’s much more comfortable to use compared to the original. I always got hand pain using the old one, especially in games like MK7 where shoulder, face buttons and circle pad were in use at the same time.

The resolution on the screen isn’t terrible. Compared to a Vita or iPhone the resolution is tiny, but games still look really nice on the screen.

I upgraded on Day 1 of release in NZ got a Silver one. Just luv it. Things I really like, Big screens, less glare. The feel is right, L & R buttons so seemless. It just looks so new and shiny and it’s is mine, all mine. Over all better than I expected.