Monstrously huge that is. Last night Nintendo quietly held another one of it’s Nintendo Direct presentations, and the big news to come out of it was the announcement of the 3DS XL. This isn’t Nintendo’s first experiment with super-sized handhelds, but this one puts the earlier DSi XL to shame. Check this beast out…
Call the doctor Ma! The 3DS is all swole up!
The 3DS XL will have a 4.88-inch screen, which means 90% more viewing area than the original 3DS. Surprisingly even with the bigger screens, the 3DS XL will actually have improved battery life — 3.5 to 6.5 hours off a single charge as opposed to 3 to 5 hours with the original 3DS.
Aside from the enlarged screens not much else is changing with the 3DS XL. No extra slide pad or enhanced abilities. Also, it looks kinda ugly. Those rounded corners and matte background around the top screen remind me of the earliest DS models. Hopefully this thing receives some extra refinement before it’s released.
Hit the jump for some video of the new 3DS model…
The 3DS XL will hit stores on August 19th, the same day as New Super Mario Bros. 2. Speaking of which, here’s a new New Super Mario Bros. 2 trailer that explains what the game’s all about.
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Think it looks fine, not sure how much “refinement” there could possibly be when its out in less than 2 months, even sooner in Japan.
Also size-wize its exactly the same size as the DSi XL. I personally loved that thing, the only bummer being the relatively low PPI on its screen, but on the 3DSXL its going to be higher (compared to the DSi XL, obviously it will be lower than the original 3DS) so I’m not too worried about it.
It’s screen is actually a decent amount bigger than the DSi XL. The DSi XL was 4.2 inches, the 3DS XL is almost 5 inches.
But yeah, you’re right, probably no time for refinement. I just don’t like those damn rounded edges.
Yeah I was referring to the actual physical dimensions of the unit, the difference of course being that the 3DS has a wider top screen proportionate to the DSi, so you’re correct the screen itself is significantly larger.
Also I don’t entirely disagree about the edges, presumably its to “fit” aesthetically with the WiiU GamePad’s design. That may also be a reason they’re doing this, while the lack of a second stick limits it from FULLY replacing a gamepad, the touchscreen now actually large enough that WiiU games could be designed to use it in a similar fashion for games where the touchscreen is the primary thing.