3DS XL worth the upgrade?

Upgraded from 3ds to 3ds xl and love it. Biggest plus for me: It is much more comfy for my hands, they don't cramp up like they did on the smaller one. Having larger screens has been a plus as well, even though you sometimes see some extra pixelation with the larger screen. If you do play the 3ds, I would say it is worth the upgrade.
 
i never had the first 3ds, but i just bought the xl the week before black friday, when best buy had it for 180, and its a blast, i love it, i would say if you have the cash go for it the screen size is awesome, one of the best purchases i've made in a while, the only con i can think of jojo already mentioned, the little bit of pixelation.
 
I like my 3DS XL except for one thing. The sound. It's extremely low, even at full. It's almost hard to hear.
 
[quote name='KingBroly']I like my 3DS XL except for one thing. The sound. It's extremely low, even at full. It's almost hard to hear.[/QUOTE]

It's not the console, it's just called getting old. =P

It is hard to hear when there is a lot of background noise.
 
[quote name='jojoschump2000']Upgraded from 3ds to 3ds xl and love it. Biggest plus for me: It is much more comfy for my hands, they don't cramp up like they did on the smaller one. Having larger screens has been a plus as well, even though you sometimes see some extra pixelation with the larger screen. If you do play the 3ds, I would say it is worth the upgrade.[/QUOTE]

Same - I agree with all of this.

[quote name='KingBroly']I like my 3DS XL except for one thing. The sound. It's extremely low, even at full. It's almost hard to hear.[/QUOTE]

I rarely play without the headphones so this is a non-issue for me but I do think the sound could have been a little louder.
 
I say its worth it. The screen alone was a night and day difference for me.

Sent from my White Nokia Lumia 920 using Board Express
 
I also didn't have the original 3DS, I just got the XL when Kmart had that $40 coupon with it, but it's an excellent piece of hardware. I haven't used a portable system this much in years, esp since I got an iPhone, but I love the larger screens.

Only problems I would say are that the sound is a tad low when using speakers (Using headphones negates this problem), and that some original DS games that are sprite based, like Chrono Trigger DS, look a little too blurry on the XL (But you can play in the original resolution if you want, so that's not a major issue either.)
 
I say check your local target or wherever for a demo. I tried one and it's more comfortable, has better buttons, but new super mario looked washed out, and it's even less travel-compatible than the 3DS.
 
I love the matte... if there's a deal on the XL after the holidays I want to unload my launch 3DS in favor of it, I know Animal Crossing will bring me together with my 3DS for hours.
 
The XL absolutely trumps the original (I've had both and I love my XL).

Like others have mentioned, the one thing that the original does better is in the speakers department (the sound from the XL speakers is quite low). Although this is remedied if you use headphones.

-better buttons
-better battery life
-smudge-free matte finish
-less glare
-bigger screens.

The last pro is the biggest pro for me. You can play games at a distance comfortably with your hands resting in your lap (like you do with a console controller).

For me, the XL transforms the 3DS from "simple handheld" status to "console-like experience" status.
 
Absolutely! Didn't get the original (waited for 2nd stick, new form factor), but Adventure Time: Hey, Ice King...finally made me bite (I'd been sitting on a TON os GS credit). So far I'm loving it. Went in for Resident Evil, Mario Land 3D & Mario Kart 7 with BB's B2G1F. The only drawback so far is the lack of a decent case for it that's not the size of a backpack. With it going for $159.99 at Best Buy on the 9th, you've got no excuse. DO IT!
 
Decent 3ds case: I am using the HORI hard pouch for the 3DS XL. Not as big as some of the Backpack cases you mentioned.
 
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GS is offerring double the TIV for your any handheld towards the purchase of a new handheld. that's $90 TIV for your 3DS towards the 3DS XL. It includes bundles as well, so $199 for the blue/red + Mario Kart 3DS is valid.

it's finally time to bite.

I might get the pink/white one coming out next week for $159.99 w/my trade in. Hopefully they can do the memory and game transfers at the store.
 
[quote name='100xp']GS is offerring double the TIV for your any handheld towards the purchase of a new handheld. that's $90 TIV for your 3DS towards the 3DS XL. It includes bundles as well, so $199 for the blue/red + Mario Kart 3DS is valid.[/QUOTE]

Pretty disgusting that they normally only offer $45 for a 3DS. Oh well, Gamestop will hopefully be out of business in 5 years and I won't have to deal with them anymore.
 
It seems worth it. I've handled one at Target and it just feels and looks really nice. I don't even have a 3DS. Just a DSi still, :(

I want the midnight purple but as a 3DS XL :(
 
[quote name='JasonTerminator']Pretty disgusting that they normally only offer $45 for a 3DS. Oh well, Gamestop will hopefully be out of business in 5 years and I won't have to deal with them anymore.[/QUOTE]

i totally ordered from Best Buy instead, after the math the extra $45 TIV for my 3DS equates to basically the same thing as BB taking $40 off the top of all their 3DS handhelds. Now to get a superman sticker to put on my blue case. Hopefully transferring content will be a breeze then I'll sell my minty black 3DS for more than $45 on CL.

I don't hate GS enough to boycott them as they do have some good TIV, but the TIV for the 3DS I must agree is pretty disgusting.
 
I admit, I wasn't immediately sold on the XL when I got it. It looked a little jaggy, it was tougher for me to find the 'sweet' spot... it wasn't love at first sight, basically.

That said, after two days of heavy use, I don't know how I lived without this thing. Not to parrot what others have said, but it really feels like what the 3DS should've been in the first place. To me, unless you violently hate the colors (which, really, look much better in person) there's almost zero reason to go with a regular 3DS at this point. Portability isn't even hampered all that much... still in a case, still in the same coat pocket my original 3DS lived in.

Plus, the nice part about the Best Buy (save $40) deal is that I used half the saved money to buy the charging cradle from Nintendo. I realize that's not the 'cheapass-est' thing ever, but the 3DS really sold me on the idea of charging cradles/docks for my handhelds. I'll pay $25 for that convenience, no problem.

Short version: The XL is still on sale for $160 at Best Buy until tomorrow. If you're on the fence, go. Best gaming decision I've made in a while.
 
Ok, I'm chiming in with my .02 I upgraded to a 3dsXL and love it so far. Transfer was smooth but time consuming. I did the transfer while grilling. I love the bigger screens and feel of the larger console in my hands. I can tell a difference in volume level, but feel the sound is still plenty loud. Well worth the upgrade. I gave my daughter my 3ds.
 
I must be in the minority here, but my hands hurt after using my 3ds XL for the first time today. I'm using Nerf Armor which I thought might be the problem, but when I took it off it didn't alleviate the problem.

Is this a good product for what I"m looking for? http://www.amazon.com/DreamGEAR-Nintendo-3DS-XL-Comfort-Grip/dp/B008XHCLFO/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=2ZTWG91WU5YX6&coliid=I18ZTYYNM7P4R7

If it helps in giving you an idea of my hand dimensions, I was a fan of the original "Duke" Xbox controller and found it fit me perfectly.
 
So I have upgraded (the transfer process was PAINFUL) and the thing I like most about the 3DS XL is it's more like a DS Lite or DSi. The stylus is where it should be, no weird loose top screen, or bulge (raised cover) on the bottom screen. I'm not crazy about the device size but having those big screens kind of makes me forget. Overall satisfied with the decision to upgrade. I also got $122 from Amazon as a trade in so that helps too :)
 
hey when you traded in your 3DS to amazon did you have to include the SD card to get full value? I just printed my label for like new, as I still have the original packaging and charging dock etc.
 
[quote name='100xp']hey when you traded in your 3DS to amazon did you have to include the SD card to get full value? I just printed my label for like new, as I still have the original packaging and charging dock etc.[/QUOTE]

I included it since the XL came with a 4GB and the original came with the 2 but I could see them overlooking that since they have to open the system to see if it's in there. Probably not worth taking a chance though.
 
[quote name='jkam']I included it since the XL came with a 4GB and the original came with the 2 but I could see them overlooking that since they have to open the system to see if it's in there. Probably not worth taking a chance though.[/QUOTE]

yeah, that's what i figured. thanks for the quick response.
 
I'm buying my first 3DS soon but am torn between the original and the XL. I like the buttons, matte finish, and form factor of the XL, and the screen brightness, clarity, and overall size of the original.

Pixelation is a huge concern for me since many of the games I liked on the DS use a fair amount of 2D art, and some of these same types of games are coming to 3DS. For instance, one of the first games I'll be getting is Etrian Odyssey IV, which uses a lot of crisply-drawn 2D character art. I probably won't play any original DS games on whatever 3DS I get, so that's not a problem.

Any advice is appreciated :)
 
[quote name='blueshinra']I'm buying my first 3DS soon but am torn between the original and the XL. I like the buttons, matte finish, and form factor of the XL, and the screen brightness, clarity, and overall size of the original.

Pixelation is a huge concern for me since many of the games I liked on the DS use a fair amount of 2D art, and some of these same types of games are coming to 3DS. For instance, one of the first games I'll be getting is Etrian Odyssey IV, which uses a lot of crisply-drawn 2D character art. I probably won't play any original DS games on whatever 3DS I get, so that's not a problem.

Any advice is appreciated :)[/QUOTE]

Honestly, the XL is the way to go. In terms of graphics, I was someone who actually didn't like the DSi XL because of the pixelation, but I have zero problems with my move from the regular 3DS to the XL. There is a slightly lesser lack of 'sharpness', as it were, but it's not enough to outweigh all of the other benefits of the XL.

Outside of the lesser speakers (which, really, I haven't had an issue with), there's almost no reason to not go with the XL. I don't even find it to be less portable.

Anyway, just my opinion... but if you're taking the 3DS plunge, the XL is the one to pick up. I really don't feel like it's hyperbole to say that the XL feels like what the 3DS always should have been. Even after only a month of XL use, my old 3DS feels so antiquated that it's not even funny.
 
blueshinra - I recently upgraded and gave my daughter my old 3ds. Their is no comparison, get the XL. The screen and graphics still look great and the sound is fine. I can't believe I used to play on the smaller system.
 
[quote name='007']There is a slightly lesser lack of 'sharpness', as it were, but it's not enough to outweigh all of the other benefits of the XL.[/QUOTE]
Yeah, "sharpness" is why I ask, since one of the big reasons I'm getting a 3DS is for an RPG with in-game art that looks like this:

etrian_odyssey_iv-2.jpg


How slight is the loss? Just want to make doubly sure.

I have looked at both systems in stores, but none of the demo games (Pilotwings, Mario platformers, etc.) have used 2D art.
 
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How does the brightness compare between the two screens for you guys? I was told the CL has a simmer screen at the same setting so as to preserve battery life, is this correct?
 
[quote name='prateeko']How does the brightness compare between the two screens for you guys? I was told the CL has a simmer screen at the same setting so as to preserve battery life, is this correct?[/QUOTE]

It is dimmer in terms of an overall brightness ceiling, yeah. I had my regular 3DS set to 4, but my XL needs to be at 5 to achieve the same level. Truthfully, though, it's not a problem. I've yet to run into a situation where I've needed it any brighter. So, there's a difference, but it's not one that really seems to be problematic in any way.
 
I'm really late to this to reply but I chose the regular over the XL having owned both at the same time; atm I own neither.

The XL does have bigger screen, better battery but it feels like a cheap toy compared to the regular 3ds. In the hands it's hollow feeling and has a bit of flex in the casing. It wasn't any more comfortable imo in fact the finish on the XL seemed conducive to generating sweaty palms which I can easily see leading to pre-mature paint wear on the console. The sound quality is noticeably worse on the XL as well.

I really enjoyed owning the DSi XL but the 3ds XL is not for me.
 
The playing experience just seems better with the bigger screens and less of a squinting experience. Sound is a little lower and less "bass"ey, but the quality might be more realistic. And the actual size of the 3ds xl is smaller than the dsi xl.
 
I got a 3DS XL like 2 weeks ago and love it. Hold it next to my regular 3DS makes it looks so tiny. It was defninitely a worthwhile upgrade in my opinion.
 
I'm very much enjoying my 3DS XL and have found that I'm playing it more due to the size increase. I'm also playing a lot more DS games and appreciate the larger display for them.

I also like the buttons a lot more and the larger size of the machine feels better in my hands. The position of the stylus is better plus it's size is nice. Finally, the locked 3D slider! Since I play with it off 100%, it no longer becomes activated by accident.

Overall, hands down must have upgrade for me.
 
First time owning a 3DS XL and I feel like the 3DS XL was cheaply made. I am thinking of returning this for a 3DS but will that be worth it? I am having a tough choice since its my first Nintendo handheld.
 
So worth the upgrade. Ive had both and love my 3DS XL now.
Feels awesome and love playing Fire Emblem on it.

I love the way it feels.
 
[quote name='TimesTicking']First time owning a 3DS XL and I feel like the 3DS XL was cheaply made. I am thinking of returning this for a 3DS but will that be worth it? I am having a tough choice since its my first Nintendo handheld.[/QUOTE]

The build quality is said to be better on the XL. It's less creaky, no lines on the screen, start select and home are buttons, not little panels.
 
[quote name='Buried On Mars']I want to make the jump to the XL but I afraid as soon as I do an XL with a 2nd circle pad will be announced.[/QUOTE]

How long will you keep living in fear?
 
[quote name='Buried On Mars']I want to make the jump to the XL but I afraid as soon as I do an XL with a 2nd circle pad will be announced.[/QUOTE]

I think they would have done it by now or when releasing the xl.
 
[quote name='Buried On Mars']I want to make the jump to the XL but I afraid as soon as I do an XL with a 2nd circle pad will be announced.[/QUOTE]

Just get the XL and trade it in if they announce an upgraded system. No reason to deprive yourself of super happy awesome fun times just because maybe there will be something better down the road. Live in the moment!
 
I am trying to decide between the regular 3DS and the XL. I am leaning toward the original because it comes in a color I like (midnight purple) and the XL's screen worries me in terms of PPI. On the other hand, I hear people all over the Internet raving about the XL and how it is so much better than the original 3ds, so I have doubts. Is the difference in pixel density not as much of an issue as I fear? Also, does one feel "cheaper" than the other?
 
[quote name='Flutz']I am trying to decide between the regular 3DS and the XL. I am leaning toward the original because it comes in a color I like (midnight purple) and the XL's screen worries me in terms of PPI. On the other hand, I hear people all over the Internet raving about the XL and how it is so much better than the original 3ds, so I have doubts. Is the difference in pixel density not as much of an issue as I fear? Also, does one feel "cheaper" than the other?[/QUOTE]

I don't find the XL screen to be bad at all and don't notice any issues, but if you are particularly concerned about that then it could be a factor. The XL is heavier and has better build quality and a better hinge (perhaps better buttons too). I am really digging the XL and the huge screen.

The XL at times feels too heavy though and my hands get uncomfortable (probably my small hands rather than button placement or anything) and it sometimes makes me wish that I went with the 3DS.

Overall you should pick your console based on the size and form factor, not the color. You won't even notice the color of the console when you're playing a game, and besides, you can buy skins if it really bothers you. You could even make your own.

http://www.gelaskins.com/store/gaming
 
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