The 3DS XL Upgrade

The 3DS XL has been out for a few weeks now but is it worth another large investment; especially if like me you own the original 3DS handheld.

In terms of models these come in three new colours but again these are all styled the same; silver, red and blue are your options. The most interesting thing is that Nintendo have decided to ditch their boy racer metallic paint in favour of a matt finish – and there I was waiting the XL with the hope that it might get racing strips or a spoiler.

Aesthetically I find the new model to look quite a bit cheaper in comparison to it’s smaller counterpart the black screen boarder has been switch with some grey plastic and the inextensible stylus makes the model feel a lot like a toy – we all know what it is so why do we want to be constantly reminded.

The big selling point is obviously the larger screen which is substantially larger (duh) in comparison to the standard model and makes the world of difference for those of us that have been suffering with a year long headache when using the original console.

The larger screen is great but doesn’t stop your eyes going a bit tingly after a while and the battery life increase doesn’t really matter unless you are a long journey traveller already experiencing problems.

The new larger design does weigh a bit more but nothing that is going to be exceptionally noticeable and the console still fits nicely in my soft, smooth hands.

One thing worth noting is that the giant grave style charging cradle does not come within the new box and your old charge (if you owned a 3DS) just won’t be large enough. That’s a massive error on Nintendo’s part and will put people of straight away knowing they’ll only get on playthrough of the £100+ console before they need to spend something on a charging unit.

Aesthetically I find the new model to look quite a bit cheaper in comparison to its smaller counterpart the black screen boarder has been switch with some grey plastic and the inextensible stylus makes the model feel a lot like a toy – we all know what it is so why do we want to be constantly reminded.

One of my favourite changes is the increase hinge efficiency. Now the console clips nicely in place and has fewer screen drops when moving around while playing. I always found this a bit of a gripe on the original console, as I play a lot while lying down, and my screen would sometimes attempt to close itself due to the gravity shifts.

I had the best part of a morning to toy with the new design and would be happy to recommend the upgrade to anyone who doesn’t yet own a 3DS model. In fact I would recommend the original console too as the platform is far better than anything that has preceded it. The problem is I’m hard pressed to recommend the upgrade to anyone already owning a 3DS – unless you get an amazing dealing following a part exchange.

If you already own a 3DS then my recommendation is not to bother upgrading unless you have any problems on the above. It’s also worth notice that the buttons are laid out the same and only one circle pad is includes (for those of you who care).

Did you upgrade your console? How have you found the new design? Do you disagree with my comments? If so sound off as usual using the comments link below…