New 3DS and New 3DSXL - New 3DSXL coming to North America Feb 13th, $199.99, no AC adapter

I think this is great news for everyone involved, and fragmentation is the only concern, but I can't see it being an issue. The current install base is too big to ignore, so you won't see many games exclusive to the new model. I think most games will have alternative control schemes or support the Circle Pad Pro.

I think the best news (that I haven't heard anyone else talk about) is that Nintendo is still committed to 3D gaming. I personally play with 3D on all the time, and I was worried it was on the way out. If the new version improves the 3D effect and improves the viewing angles, it might convince more people to try it and more developers to take advantage of it.

 
GBAstar said:
Apple does a good job supporting old hardware?
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Yes. I have a MacBook from 2007 and it's still fully supported (OS, software, and support). And iOS devices usually get OS updates for 3 to 4 years. Many Android devices don't ever get OS updates.

Apple also does a pretty good job of enabling new features on devices if they are capable of running decently.

 
The new 3DS will be confusing for your average consumer but for us gamers not so much. I will not upgrade until there is a game (or 2) that I really want to play. Hopefully the Ultimate nes remix will run well on the old 3DS. They mentioned before that the 3DS couldn't handle it.
 
A portablized version of a game I don't really like all that much isn't going to make me run out and buy a "3DSi". I am worried that a game that I DO like will be exclusive to this new version of the 3DS. Your move, Capcom.

 
Well I only upgraded to the XL from my 3DS recently so I'm going to wait on buying new hardware. There would have to be at least a few exclusive games I really like.

 
GBC is definitely the best comparison, minus the fact it was so easy to differentiate between the old and new systems/games. They specifically said "Game Boy COLOR" on them, it was technically a new platform but an incremential upgrade which didn't have a huge lifespan relative to other platforms. GBA playing ALL legacy GB/GBC games made it a moot issue, too.

The DSi never put a dent in the way developers made games. The extra CPU enabled some DSi-specific features in,  only a handful of games and, aside from the obvious DSiWare, there were from what I can tell only 3 games (see here) that were strictly limited to the DSi versus any other version of the NDS. In that respect, the 'New 3DS' is much more of a departure if it takes off. I have a feeling it will be big in Japan and that a lot of games will come out for it there, but the odds of localizing them for a huge territory like NA with a fragmented install base will be much lower.

That, or it will mean a ton of eShop games (like Phoenix Wright currently) that are downloadable only for the New 3DS but wouldn't survive at retail.

However, the color-coding on the face buttons (A/B/X/Y) mirrors the colored SNES/Super Famicom controllers they put out. Makes me really wonder about plans for the VC.

ALSO, with the added shoulder buttons and 2nd analog nub, the controller will now 100% mirror the Wii U gamepad in terms of the buttons available (two sets of shoulder buttons, two analog sticks). Makes you wonder if this part of the strategy to have a more cohesive ecosystem....

 
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blueweltall said:
Will the New 3DS XL fit the original 3DS XL cradle?
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I'm not really sure... They have new cradles that are of a different orientation. The dimensions of the handhelds are also different, but I'm pretty sure they charge in the same way. I guess it depends on if it fits.

stand_3dsll.jpg
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johnnypark said:
However, the color-coding on the face buttons (A/B/X/Y) mirrors the colored SNES/Super Famicom controllers they put out. Makes me really wonder about plans for the VC.
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Actually, the New 3DS has a Super Famicom style where as the New 3DS XL has a GameCube style. :( I guess that could mean GameCube VC, but that seems like a stretch. :) I'm kind of sad they didn't do Super Famicom style on both.

Glad I'm not the only person who likes the Game Boy Color comparison!

 
I think most of want to know how the nub analog stick works, PSP anyone? I have 2 XLs, one blue and one Zelda XL that I got for $150 last BF that I haven't used... Apparently this wouldn't come to the stated until  2015 so hopefully they don't release a Smash Bros special edition of the current 3DS because I'll probably end up buying it.

 
Jesse_Dylan said:
Actually, the New 3DS has a Super Famicom style where as the New 3DS XL has a GameCube style. :( I guess that could mean GameCube VC, but that seems like a stretch. :) I'm kind of sad they didn't do Super Famicom style on both.

Glad I'm not the only person who likes the Game Boy Color comparison!
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I didn't notice the Gamecube style on the new XL... hmm. Looking at the photos, I'm not actually seeing it?

The 'New 3DS' will all depend on what kind of support is thrown behind it. Certainly a flagship RPG like Xenoblade (even if it IS a port) will move more units than any amount of DSiWare ever did... but I'm still not sure how effectively they can market it when the 3DS has already done so well. I wonder if it will be like Perfect Dark, where the RAM cartridge was required for multiplayer, but the single player game was still playable on any old N64.

 
Mine is a personal gripe. I have nearly every LE/SE 3DS XL to date - still in the box, save for my Pikachu which is my main. It bugs me to know that they're probably all old news now (which I ought to have seen coming) but I didn't think it'd be to half an upgrade.

If they release a good themed new3DS XL version stateside, I'll be on board, reluctantly. I still have a regular old pink XL and purple vanilla 3DS to trade in.

 
KillerRamen said:
I'm not really sure... They have new cradles that are of a different orientation. The dimensions of the handhelds are also different, but I'm pretty sure they charge in the same way. I guess it depends on if it fits.

stand_3dsll.jpg
stand_3ds.jpg
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The New XL is slightly taller than the old, and the charging port has been moved to the middle of the back, so it's not going to work in the old cradles.

MoYXFdUl.png


 
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johnnypark said:
I didn't notice the Gamecube style on the new XL... hmm. Looking at the photos, I'm not actually seeing it?
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It is a little obscure, but if you compare a Game Cube controller to it, the colors are the same. It is not as obvious as the beautiful Super Famicom coloring on the smaller one.

If you compare the New 3DS and New 3DS XL, you will at least definitely be able to see that the New XL lacks the coolness of the Super Famicom buttons. I might actually have to go with the smaller one just for this and the faceplates, which kind of saddens me. :(

Edit: You know what, I think I might be totally wrong about the Gamecube controller influence. It looks to me like they both have the Super Famicom colors, BUT, the smaller unit has the buttons totally colored and the XL just has the letters colored. Why? :(

Anyway, sorry for the confusion.

 
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Wonder why those extra triggers are in "deeper" instead of stacked... They seem to be hard to hit back and forth between the two in the heat of gameplay.

 
soonersfan60 said:
Wonder why those extra triggers are in "deeper" instead of stacked... They seem to be hard to hit back and forth between the two in the heat of gameplay.
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That reminds me of something I hate on the current XL, the position of the volume switch. I am constantly cranking the volume to max during the heat of gameplay. It's awful. The power button is in a bad place, too, although I've never hit it by accident. :) Wonder if the new power button position is prone to accident.

 
Jesse_Dylan said:
That reminds me of something I hate on the current XL, the position of the volume switch. I am constantly cranking the volume to max during the heat of gameplay. It's awful. The power button is in a bad place, too, although I've never hit it by accident. :) Wonder if the new power button position is prone to accident.
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I do this constantly. Still use my DS Lite now and then too so when I go to a 3DS, muscle memory sometimes means I flick the WiFi switch wanting to turn it on.

The redesign of the new 3DS isn't hugely different from the current ones so I doubt there will be many of the same problems, but the positioning of the buttons on the back seems very odd. I wouldn't be surprised if the reason for moving the charging port was to be able to sell new cradles.

 
Kaipper said:
I wouldn't be surprised if the reason for moving the charging port was to be able to sell new cradles.
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The New 3DS has different dimensions anyway (it's bigger), so it wouldn't have fit in the same cradle. The New XL is relatively the same but apparently not same enough to fit in the old cradle anyway.

 
soonersfan60 said:
Wonder why those extra triggers are in "deeper" instead of stacked... They seem to be hard to hit back and forth between the two in the heat of gameplay.
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Probably to maintain the form factor, as it would either be a lot thicker if they were stacked like a PS360 style controller or they would be super small.
 
Honestly I think this device could last a few years. I mean this screams DS-i but at the same time, this also has a lot of nice built in features. Plus I think this would be the perfect opportunity to have games that are "plays best on new 3DS" while chugs on the old 3DS meaning upgrade or your game play like shit, lol (kinda like the N64 ram pack).

I feel like the DS-i was more made to launch the e-shop then to be a system that lasts. Either way we will see.

 
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Sir_Fragalot said:
Honestly I think this device could last a few years. I mean this screams DS-i but at the same time, this also has a lot of nice built in features. Plus I think this would be the perfect opportunity to have games that are "plays best on new 3DS" while chugs on the old 3DS meaning upgrade or your game play like shit, lol (kinda like the N64 ram pack).

I feel like the DS-i was more made to launch the e-shop then to be a system that lasts. Either way we will see.
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Given that Nintendo pretty much owns the handheld market (if we're talking about dedicated gaming machines), the 3DS is at a point where it could last for many more years as a platform. They've also invested too much in the Wii U and are working hard to turn it around, so any incremential upgrades to extend the life of a platform is probably in their best interest. It's not developer-friendly because there's less chance of a title being successful if it's only a small % of the overall install base (similar to Kinect and PS Move) but it's never really hurt Nintendo in terms of business to release these kinds of upgrades along the way.

And really... looking at what a major leap in terms of quality there was from the GBA to the GBA SP and the phat DS to the DS Lite... for the past ten years, it's always been the first FULL revision of hardware that was the definitive version of that system, as well as what made people say "Now this is what they should have had at launch." Then those superior models are revised near the end (GBA SP w/ the backlit screen, DS Lite into the DSi).

The New 3DS might be more like the GBA SP, or it might just be the DSi. Software-wise they'd be insane NOT to use the extra horsepower to try and extend the VC to include SNES and GBA games, because it's almost literally a pile of money people are just begging to give them. I have a feeling they'll do it slow enough that early adopters will feel less burned...

It may even be that they have a 'New 3DS eShop' to segregate content so that standard 3DS owners don't see things they can't purchase (like Xenoblade) and similar to the way that the Wii U still has the old Wii Shop channel. Wouldn't surprise me at all.

 
johnnypark said:
ALSO, with the added shoulder buttons and 2nd analog nub, the controller will now 100% mirror the Wii U gamepad in terms of the buttons available (two sets of shoulder buttons, two analog sticks). Makes you wonder if this part of the strategy to have a more cohesive ecosystem....
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That's a very good point. They could be trying to tie the 3DS and Wii U together to boost Wii U sales by association and/or inter-connectivity.

I'm still curious to see how this'll play out with developers and consumers. I just got back on the Nintendo bandwagon recently with my 3DS XL (pretty happy with it thus far) and Wii U (meh...) purchases, but stuff like this makes me think Nintendo is just doing shit randomly in hopes that they get something right.

 
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Vinny said:
...stuff like this makes me think Nintendo is just doing shit randomly in hopes that they get something right.
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They don't do anything randomly. Every choice they make is carefully calculated (mostly with $$$ being the end goal, as with most any business). They may not do things that make total sense to us (or any sense), but what they do makes sense to them.

Frankly, I find this one of their more sensible moves. Even the Wii U was very carefully calculated (of course). It just didn't pan out the way they'd aimed.

 
I don't understand why Nintendo didn't just add a full-sized analog nub on the right side (moving some buttons around), rather than using this little awkward "pencil-eraser" style nub; would have made games that utilize it so much better.   This seems like a poorly thought-out solution compared to what they could have done.

 
Jesse_Dylan said:
They don't do anything randomly. Every choice they make is carefully calculated (mostly with $$$ being the end goal, as with most any business). They may not do things that make total sense to us (or any sense), but what they do makes sense to them.

Frankly, I find this one of their more sensible moves. Even the Wii U was very carefully calculated (of course). It just didn't pan out the way they'd aimed.
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I really don't see why you took what I said literally... I'm just calling out the fact that this decision seem less than ideal, regardless of whether or not they've done their research.

chimpmeister said:
I don't understand why Nintendo didn't just add a full-sized analog nub on the right side (moving some buttons around), rather than using this little awkward "pencil-eraser" style nub; would have made games that utilize it so much better. This seems like a poorly thought-out solution compared to what they could have done.
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So that in a year, they can do exactly that and release another revision. :lol:

 
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Hmm...wouldn't the Gameboy Pocket to Gameboy Color transition be a better comparison to all this? Least that's how it appears to me, owning a 3DS XL at the moment.

I think I might wait for the next revision of the 3DS.  I might consider a "New 2DS" with the c-stick nub/extra triggers/micro sd slot/faster processor/brightness adjuster to compliment my 3DS XL. 

I did skip the DSi when I had a DSLite, so I can resist change.

 

 
anotherpoorgamer said:
Hmm...wouldn't the Gameboy Pocket to Gameboy Color transition be a better comparison to all this? Least that's how it appears to me, owning a 3DS XL at the moment.

I think I might wait for the next revision of the 3DS. I might consider a "New 2DS" with the c-stick nub/extra triggers/micro sd slot/faster processor/brightness adjuster to compliment my 3DS XL.

I did skip the DSi when I had a DSLite, so I can resist change.
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I've been making the Game Boy Color comparison for ages and people tell me off for it. :)

I skipped the DSi, too, zero interest in it, but for some reason I'm really stoked about this one.

 
I will be getting one of these. Don't know which version yet. This gives me an excuse to get a bigger screen and also give one of my family members my old 3ds so that we can get some good co-op action in, or VS modes :)

 
On the fence about upgrading.  May just get one to see before upgrading the entire family's 3DS XLs.

 
anotherpoorgamer said:
Hmm...wouldn't the Gameboy Pocket to Gameboy Color transition be a better comparison to all this? Least that's how it appears to me, owning a 3DS XL at the moment.

I think I might wait for the next revision of the 3DS. I might consider a "New 2DS" with the c-stick nub/extra triggers/micro sd slot/faster processor/brightness adjuster to compliment my 3DS XL.

I did skip the DSi when I had a DSLite, so I can resist change.
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I lump the Gameboy Pocket in with the original Gameboy, similar to the GBA SP and then the SP w/ the brighter screen. It was definitely a nicer piece of hardware but it didn't change the way games ran or were developed.

The same could obviously be said about the DS phat and the DS Lite, but that was such a huge leap in hardware quality (and ergonomics, screen quality, form factor, etc) that it's a little different.

 
My first thought when I saw these is I can't believe Nintendo is this stupid.  Then I remembered that yes, they are just this stupid.

I guess really it's irrelevant...it'll just be (and SHOULD just be) like the DSi models that maybe had better designs but ran the exact same games.  So ultimately this doesn't matter...

But still...If they were going to go to all this trouble, they needed to ACTUALLY MAKE A NEW SYSTEM.  It's not like a new piece of hardware couldn't be backwards compatible. 

Also kind of surprised they kept the "3D" in.  Seems like it would be a good time to drop it.

At any rate, this is further evidence that Nintendo desperately needs to get rid of that current president.  Not one thing he's done has seemed competent. 

 
Wolfpup said:
My first thought when I saw these is I can't believe Nintendo is this stupid. Then I remembered that yes, they are just this stupid.

I guess really it's irrelevant...it'll just be (and SHOULD just be) like the DSi models that maybe had better designs but ran the exact same games. So ultimately this doesn't matter...

But still...If they were going to go to all this trouble, they needed to ACTUALLY MAKE A NEW SYSTEM. It's not like a new piece of hardware couldn't be backwards compatible.

Also kind of surprised they kept the "3D" in. Seems like it would be a good time to drop it.

At any rate, this is further evidence that Nintendo desperately needs to get rid of that current president. Not one thing he's done has seemed competent.
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I agree. But I think they're hoping all their loyal fans will just buy the "New 3DS/XL" (terrible name), just like those same people re-bought the XL after having previously gotten the original 3DS (which had an overly-small screen to begin with). It's a mystery to me that they get away with this stuff over and over; you'd think that, at some point, their loyal fans would stop acting like sheep.

Nintendo hasn't been generous in their hardware designs for over a decade; they set the specs/features bar as low as possible, to ensure the highest possible profit for the product. They really need to reevaluate this philosophy, as it is directly contributing to their sagging fortunes. Iwata should have been gone long ago, but amazingly he's still there, piloting the ship straight to the bottom of the ocean.
 
Some bad news for owners of the Circle Pad Pro (or CPP XL): according to Nintendo's compatibility list for the CPP, Super Smash Bros. for 3DS will NOT be compatible with the Circle Pad Pro, even though it's compatible with the New 3DS' second analog.

 
Cao Cao said:
Some bad news for owners of the Circle Pad Pro (or CPP XL): according to Nintendo's compatibility list for the CPP, Super Smash Bros. for 3DS will NOT be compatible with the Circle Pad Pro, even though it's compatible with the New 3DS' second analog.
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Damn that sucks, good thing I never got around to pick up the circle pad pro.

 
If you think developers don't want to make games for the Wii U, wait until you find out that there are no games being made for the "new 3DS".  Unless you MUST HAVE Xenoblade again, the only wise thing to do at this point is wait it out and see if the hardware is successful.  If there are only a couple games made for it (as with the DSi) then there's really no need to rush out and buy a "New" (if that's to be the "new 3DS" nickname?).  I see the product as selling simply because it's a 3DS replacement but I can't imagine more than a handful of games are ever made specifically for it - all of them from Nintendo and as of right now it looks like the "new 3DS" games will be Wii ports.  Yay?

 
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Well, there will be some early adopters, like me.  :)  I'm okay with that.  I want Xenoblade a lot, and I'm also interested in the new features.  Whether it gets supported or not will depend on how many other people like me pick it up or how many new folks it attracts.

 
Jesse_Dylan said:
Well, there will be some early adopters, like me. :) I'm okay with that. I want Xenoblade a lot, and I'm also interested in the new features. Whether it gets supported or not will depend on how many other people like me pick it up or how many new folks it attracts.
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There are always new adopters and they understand the risks of buying early....or at least they should. Based on the Xbox One bundles/kinect removed/sale prices/etc a few short months after launch, I'm not actually all that confident that all early adopters understand what they're doing.

Clearly you understand what you're getting into. I would think that it would be wise to wait at least a year from launch to see how everything pans out, especially with the situation that happened to the 3DS. It had a massive price cut and free games and IIRC you were able to go to Walmart and buy the console at the lower price early and get all the free games. I'd say that for most people, if only 3 games came out exclusive to it and they already have a 3DS, they would consider it a waste of money.

I just got my kids 3DS XL's last Christmas, no way I'm buying them new ones.

 
I bought my XL at Christmas and no way will I buy the new one.

The 3DS has 50 million users, will game developers rather make them for the 3DS and 50 million years or a new system that isn't a new system?  It's weird.

Also can we fire who names the things.  Super Smash Bros for the 3DS is as dumb of a name as Wii U or New 3DS LL.

Even after a week of trying to make sense of this news I still have nothing.

 
It's no weirder than Apple calling their stuff "The New iPad" or whatever they did, or New Super Mario Bros., etc etc.

Apple also has a huge user base with their iOS stuff, yet they release new devices constantly, and developers have to decide whether to focus on the new devices or cater to the old ones.

It's not as if this stuff doesn't have precedent, including stretching back to Game Boy Color.  Whether it will turn out to have been a good business decision, no one can really say, but this is far from the weirdest stuff Nintendo has ever done.

 
Wait... so the n

Jesse_Dylan said:
It's no weirder than Apple calling their stuff "The New iPad" or whatever they did, or New Super Mario Bros., etc etc.

Apple also has a huge user base with their iOS stuff, yet they release new devices constantly, and developers have to decide whether to focus on the new devices or cater to the old ones.

It's not as if this stuff doesn't have precedent, including stretching back to Game Boy Color. Whether it will turn out to have been a good business decision, no one can really say, but this is far from the weirdest stuff Nintendo has ever done.
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Wait, so... the new 3DS is literally called "New 3DS"?

And when did Apple call anything "The New iPad"? Not an Apple follower, but I thought everything they released was referred to by generation?

 
Vinny said:
Wait... so the n


Wait, so... the new 3DS is literally called "New 3DS"?

And when did Apple call anything "The New iPad"? Not an Apple follower, but I thought everything they released was referred to by generation?
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Yep, New 3DS and New 3DS LL (Japan).

I think the current iPad is called iPad Air, and the iPad before was called The New iPad. Before that, I don't know, I suppose it was iPad 2.
 
This isn't the same thing, not even close. After 3-4 years the system can no longer update the iOS so then developers don't need to worry about new stuff. Like my refurbed iPhone 4 I just bought in April will not be updated to iOS8, and within a year several apps will not work on it.

But for some reason phones are very different than game consoles. People normally expect the game consoles to last longer than their phones.

But this isn't a new 3DS, it's a half (assed) new 3DS. If Nintendo wanted to follow the phone way just make a new 3DS and call it 3DS Next or something.

Jesse_Dylan said:
Apple also has a huge user base with their iOS stuff, yet they release new devices constantly, and developers have to decide whether to focus on the new devices or cater to the old ones.
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So you think Nintendo should stop supporting the old 3DS then since it's been out as long as the iPhone 4?  I think you're kind of arguing against yourself here.  It's not as if they're going to stop supporting the original 3DS model, and the New 3DS is as much a "new" system as an iPhone 5S is compared to an iPhone 5.

I don't really get what people are so ticked off about.  Either you want it or you don't.

 
Eh. It's been pointed out repeatedly that Nintendo has been doing this with their handhelds for 25 years. If anything, Apple took Nintendo's incremental upgrade strategy and cranked it up to an absurd degree. For real though:

GB
GB POCKET
GB Color

GBA
GBA SP
GBASP +
GBA Micro

DS
DSLite
DSi
DSiXL

3DS
3DSXL
New 3DS

See a pattern?
 
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So some people at TGS are saying the so called 2nd stick controls like that fucked up track mouse garbage the some laptop have in the center of the KB, seriously Nintendo?

 
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