"Upgrade" to 3DS XL or not?

[sevin0seven]

I kind of want to get a 3DS XL, but I got my 3DS at launch, so if I traded it in, I'd be trading in the 20 Ambassador games, not to mention the few other free downloads I've gotten.

You can transfer the games over to the new XL, I havent done it yet, but from what I understand it is very easy to do.

yep. takes about 10-15 mins...depending on internet connection.

[ElkinFencer10]

I kind of want to get a 3DS XL, but I got my 3DS at launch, so if I traded it in, I'd be trading in the 20 Ambassador games, not to mention the few other free downloads I've gotten.

You can transfer the games over to the new XL, I havent done it yet, but from what I understand it is very easy to do.

Yeah, but that would still make it hard to trade in my 3DS.

[irixith]

I kind of want to get a 3DS XL, but I got my 3DS at launch, so if I traded it in, I'd be trading in the 20 Ambassador games, not to mention the few other free downloads I've gotten.

You can transfer the games over to the new XL, I havent done it yet, but from what I understand it is very easy to do.

Yeah, but that would still make it hard to trade in my 3DS.

I traded my ambassador 3DS for the XL -- just opened the XL right up on the store counter and did the transfer right then and there. They need to have Wifi you can connect to, but as long as they do, it's really easy. (and fun to watch the little Pikmin move all your data.)

[ElkinFencer10]

Haha, doing that hadn't occurred to me, though now that I think about it, it is rather common sense. Well, even with that, there are other things on which I'd rather spend my money since I'm mainly a console gamer, not a handheld gamer. That may be something for me to consider in the future when Nintendo releases the 3DSXL2000Zeta or whatever the inevitable next redesign is, haha.

[Korpi]

Just got my XL. A lot nicer I could tell instantly. More in the line what DS and GB systems were. Original 3DS seems like made by some other company. It's still toyish, as usual, but has that certain solidness and smoothness that I associate with Nintendo products. "Cheap" feel, in a way, as some people have said, but that mainly comes from the ever so slightly bendy and hollow feel of the outer plastic, but that actually makes it more durable if you drop it, so the cheap feel is more of an illusion. Also not as nicely finished and doesn't have all that gloss and shit, that made the original nice to look at, but didn't do anything for functionality.

Sure there's bigger screens and bit battery life and stuff, but the technical factors are not really the strong points here. Besides the PPI gets worse with the screen size increase, although cant really say it's much worse compared to original. Just saying that the screen size increase is not without a cost. The main appeal in XL for me is how it feels in hands, and other small physical things that were tweaked nicer. Hinges, stylus and buttons as well. Everything you feel with your hands is better, and that is damn important in a portable system. I play GBA SP, because it feels so nice and fun in hands, too. And the stylus is solid. One overlooked thing is also the matte screens, much better. Glossy sucks. Couldn't imagine using the original anymore, but I could return to smaller screen, if they make 3DSi or something, with the improvements of XL.

Mines is Silver x Black and looks sweet. About 10 times more mature looking device, than my metallic red original. Not sure if that's a good or bad thing... At least I feel more comfortable taking this one to public places.

[gtmtnbiker]

Just got my XL. A lot nicer I could tell instantly.

Welcome to the club! I got mine about 2-3 weeks ago. I've been happy with it. Currently playing Pushmo and Paper Mario Sticker Star. Looking forward to the release of Crashmo on the 22nd.

[Key-Glyph]

Bumping an old thread because I need people's thoughts/opinions/expertise on this matter.

I just bought a (refurbished) 3DS XL from Nintendo, and I know I have to give myself some time to get used to it, but I'm wondering if I made the wrong decision.

I've wanted an XL model ever since I gave Nemoide's DSi XL a spin a few years ago; Pokémon Platinum looked so crisp and pixel-beautiful to me, and I felt more relaxed with the bigger screen than I could have imagined. I thought the 3DS XL would produce the same effect, with the added bonus of unlocking an extended library of titles. Based on my experience so far, though, I'm either misremembering my DSi XL experience, or the 3DS might be, in general, not for me.

To my eye, the original DS games look like mediocre enlarged jpegs. I realize you can play the games in their native resolution -- a really awesome feature -- but with so much of my reason for buying this system being for the enhanced screen size with these games, I can't help but feel disappointed.

I also keep the 3D feature off, but the top screen never stops looking strange to me -- presumably because of how it's projecting (or what it's made of). If I move my head or don't have it in a "sweet spot" I get distracted by vertical "waves," which is a problem because I get all up in my handheld gaming and said sweet spot does not exist one inch from my face. I feel I should note that we went plasma in my household because I was bothered by the performance of an LCD LED after a day or two of use. The two seem related.

So my conundrum is this. I love my DSLite and can continue happily gaming on that, but had I known the 3DS XL's rescaling and top screen would bother me so much, I would have forgone the purchase altogether. I'm aware that the 3DS has a good library, and there are certainly a few games I'd like to try, but I feel as though the purchase wasn't worth it to me just to extend my title pool. Especially considering the "waviness." Unless people assure me I'll get used to it, I fear I'll spend all of my time on that system being subconsciously aggravated. Is this just me, or what?

And does anyone know if the 2DS top screen, being non-3D, looks more like a DSLite? If so, I'm thinking I might trade the 3DS XL back for one of those. That way I'll be able to play more games, on a (hopefully) prettier screen, and spend less money on the effort.

[Zing]

Your problems are due to the size of the XL. The regular 3DS is superior in regards to your complaints. Old DS games look perfectly fine on the smaller screen. The 3D effect is much easier to find the perfect viewpoint. I find it difficult on the XL screen, which is to be expected. Also, the speakers are inferior on the XL.

One thing I haven't tested recently on the XL is the crosstalk. It's there on the regular, but lowering brightness to 3 and angling the screen up a bit almost eliminates it. I read a lot of complaints from XL owners, but have yet to test it in the games which exacerbate crosstalk.

I prefer the smaller size. I carry my 3DS with me most places, and it fits in a pants pocket. I also find that long periods of play in bed can tire my arms when I am laying on my back. The XL is 100g more weight! I am also not sure why longer battery life seems to be a frequent feature mentioned by XL fans. the official specs list it as maxing out with 5.5 hours compared to the regular's 5 hours. Maybe the XL defaults to a lower brightness, or possibly people are more comfortable with a lower brightness due to the larger screen. I run my 3DS at brightness of 3 with power saving mode off (it does little other than mess with contrast at low brightness levels).

[alienjesus]

Your problems are due to the size of the XL. The regular 3DS is superior in regards to your complaints. Old DS games look perfectly fine on the smaller screen. The 3D effect is much easier to find the perfect viewpoint. I find it difficult on the XL screen, which is to be expected. Also, the speakers are inferior on the XL.

As someone with access to a 3DS, DSi and fat DS, DS games clearly look worse on the 3DS screen. The colours look really faded, the pixels look stretched to fit the screen (unless you play in original resolution, which results in a picture that is smaller than it would be on the original phat DS). The difference between the 3DS and the DSi screen for DS games is like night and day. I haven't bothered to transfer any of my DSiWare forward as it just looks worse. The easiest way I found to do a comparison was with the free 4 Swords game that was available on DSiWare a little while back. I downloaded it on both and ran them side by side, and the difference was pretty clear.

Honestly, anyone looking to play DS games should just pick up a DSi or DSi XL, they're definitely the best way to experience those games. Even a fat DS or DSLite (both of which should be dirt cheap by now) would probably be better.

[Zing]

It's possible that they look worse, but they look perfectly acceptable without a direct comparison. I don't feel they look like scaled jpegs, as mentioned. I've been playing NSMB, Super Princess Peach, and Rhythm Heaven without noticing any graphical artifacts.