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

Cao Cao

CAGiversary!
Just announced on the Japanese Nintendo Direct.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x17E0PCsrns
(New 3DS segment starts at 49 minutes in)
 
Official site
 
- Both SKUs are getting a redesign.
- Analog nub ("c-stick"), 2 more shoulder buttons
- Built in NFC
- Home Button is the only one below the bottom screen, Start and Select are in their DSi positions, below ABXY.
- Cart slot and stylus slot moved to front, power button also moved to front (lower-right).
- Volume slider moved to the top half of the system, opposite the 3D slider.
- Wi-fi switch removed, you still can disable wi-fi in the settings menu.
- New 3DS is 20% bigger than the original. New XL is slightly taller, but thinner than the original XL.
- Slightly longer battery life
- Adaptive brightness (Automatically adjusts brightness based on amount of light in the room)
- Much better 3D viewing angles due to face tracking with the front camera.
- Supports MicroSD cards; the MicroSD slot is under the battery cover.
- Faster CPU, allows faster browsing, and potential enhanced/exclusive games.
- Xenoblade ported to New 3DS (only for New 3DS, confirmed by cvxfreak)
- 16,000 yen for New 3DS, 18,800 yen for New 3DS XL
- Launches in Japan October 11th, 2014. Smash Bros and Monster Hunter 4G limited editions too.
- Customizable faceplates for New 3DS
- NoA's Holiday PR doesn't mention the New 3DS line. Possible 2015 release in the west?
 
Pics (taken from Volotaire's post on GAF, will replace with higher-quality pics when available):
 
New 3DS:
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3D viewing angle difference:
Oc1FQXy.png

 
The whole gang:
ynuC5m6.png
 
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No second analog stick?

So basically this is just a way to move more units?
The "c-stick" (nub) acts as a second analog.

If Xenoblade comes to America, then I am ALL in.

If it's the only platform that supports Amibo then I am still all in.
The old 3DSes support Amiibo through the separate NFC "portal" accessory. The new 3DSes have NFC built-in.

 
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The "c-stick" (nub) acts as a second analog.

The old 3DSes support Amiibo through the separate NFC "portal" accessory. The new 3DSes have NFC built-in.
Ah ok. If Xenoblade is a new 3DS exclusive I will be buying one no questions. I was playing Xenoblade on Wii but I stopped because I really didn't want to play a 70 hour RPG on a HDTV with the Wii's graphics. 3DS will be much nicer.

If not, then idk I may get a new 3DS, may not. Depends on if I really want the XL model. I don't own a 3DS XL.

 
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Nintendo of America just released their PR for the holiday season. Unfortunately, it makes no mention of the New 3DS line.

http://www.gonintendo.com/s/236158-official-nintendo-america-pr-amiibo-prices-hardware-bundles-ultimate-nes-remix-for-3ds

Off-topic, but interestingly enough:

• Ultimate NES Remix: This new Nintendo 3DS game will be available in stores and in the Nintendo eShop on Nintendo 3DS on Dec. 5 at a suggested retail price of $29.99. The game features rapid-fire challenges and mashups from a selection of 16 of Nintendo’s finest 8-bit games. Regional online leaderboards will let players see how they stack up against others in their area, and Championship Mode offers a series of challenges from three different games.
 
I think the US will get these next year, I'll be waiting for a themed console.  Maybe get the Zelda one this time or something.

EDIT - Didn't realise there were face plates.

 
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I think the main reason for this new console is because of the 3ds limitations. They don't want any excuses as to why their upcoming 3ds titles perform horribly. When I tried the Smash 3ds game, it chugged hard, and did not maintain a steady 60 fps. I'm betting a lot of those developing Smash for the 3ds pestered Nintendo for more processing power. Welp, I'm in for one...

 
The CPU and memory management have been pretty well documented as reasons why GBA emulation hasn't come to the 3DS yet. I wonder if on the long-term this will serve as a means to get more games on the VC.

Before anyone says 'but what about Ambassador games?' - they run in DS mode and don't use any native 3DS features, they can't even do sleep mode.

Much like the DSi launching DSiWare and having a few DSi-specific features in games, I think this will unfortunately become the standard unit within a few years time.

 
Interesting.

Will most likely pass since I see this as the DSi version of the 3DS (half upgrade).

I'm thinking Nintendo releases a full followup in 2016/17 with their new console+handheld.

Still, it's nice to see additions that we've been asking for (second stick, better battery life, more shoulder buttons).

A little late but still nice to see this will be part of the future handheld.

The new menu options look nice and the auto brightness feature sounds useful.
 
Not sure how I feel about this.  On one hand I welcome the upgrade, on the other I feel Nintendo portables is now the Apple of the video game industry.

 
I wish this was announced at E3.  I waited to buy a 3DS until after as I thought if any new hardware would be announced it would be then.  Now we get segregation.  In a years time we will have shovelware for the original 3DS line. 

Think of all the options parents have to deal with this holiday:

2DS (plays only some 3DS games)

3DS and 3DS XL (plays only some 3DS games)

"New" 3DS LL (plays all 3DS games)

They should have just made a new brand and called it a day.

 
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When Nintendo has to put stickers on cases for people to figure out that 3ds games work on 2ds, I can just imagine the steps they will have to take to get people to figure out what games can work on the "New 3ds" only.

I am super pumped though.   I usually have a hard time playing games in 3d as I can never find that perfect angle so the 3ds using its camera/gyro to figure it out seems cool.

 
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I know that it's early but that Xenoblade framerate looks super rough. (and that's without turning on 3D :shock: )

 
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I hope the color coded buttons make it over to the US. They remind me of the Super Famicom controllers and that makes me very happy. I just wish the buttons on the new 3DS XL were just like the more colorful ones on the new 3DS. 

 
I like the smaller 3ds for its customizable faceplate and colored buttons (as well as portability), but I like the XL for the bigger screen.

I already have the Zelda 3dsXL, what do I do CAG D:

*edit*

New 3ds = 16,000 yen = ~150 USD

New 3dsXL = 18,800 yen = ~180 USD

My body/wallet is ready.

 
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The CPU and memory management have been pretty well documented as reasons why GBA emulation hasn't come to the 3DS yet. I wonder if on the long-term this will serve as a means to get more games on the VC.
I was wondering about this, too, and whether this will allow not just GBA but perhaps DS games and SNES games to be on the eShop and run in native 3DS mode (maybe even N64 games).

Not sure how I feel about this. On one hand I welcome the upgrade, on the other I feel Nintendo portables is now the Apple of the video game industry.
Do you remember the Game Boy Pocket, Game Boy Color, Came Boy Advance, Game Boy Advance SP, Game Boy Micro, Nintendo DS, Nintendo DS Lite, Nintendo DSi, Nintendo DSi XL... etc? :) This is nothing new. I am hoping this turns out like the Game Boy Color, which was a big success, but even if it's a bit of a no-show like the DSi was, I think I'm okay with that. The DSi's main feature was DSiWare, though, so I have to think the new CPU on the New 3DS must be better than they're currently indicating.

I hope the color coded buttons make it over to the US. They remind me of the Super Famicom controllers and that makes me very happy. I just wish the buttons on the new 3DS XL were just like the more colorful ones on the new 3DS.
Yeah, I am really sad about that, too. Apparently the New 3DS copies the awesome Super Famicom button coloring, and the New 3DS XL copies the... GameCube button coloring. yawn. Can't please everyone, I guess, but I love that Super Famicom style. I want a Super Famicom-themed 3DS!

Definitely interested. No customizable faceplates for the LL though?
Yeah, that's really sad! And plus I already have a black XL, so I'm a little sad if I can only get... another... black one. That white smaller one is neat, and it has the faceplates. But I love playing DS games on my XL and think they look smeary and bad on the original 3DS. And I like the extra battery life. / ramble Well I have time to decide I guess.

 
Have to admit my distaste for the NFC and stuff, though, just to get dumb plastic figures working in games.  Yuck.  I know some people love that stuff though, so fair enough.

 
I like the slightly updated design, even though the dimensions are only a bit different, it still gives it a nice streamlined appearance. With what KillerRamen already said, I hope they give the "LL" XL version the Famicon button design too, really makes it stand out.  Maybe a US monster hunter 4 bundle to soften the blow of purchasing another 3DS.. lol

 
Not sure how I feel about this. On one hand I welcome the upgrade, on the other I feel Nintendo portables is now the Apple of the video game industry.
Completely agree. I feel like the C-Stick and more processing power aren't going to go well. Developers are now going to have to design their games around two different models, around the original 3DS (where it'll work on either model) or just for the new model.

Nitendo's sold over 40 million 3DS (including XLs, I assume) so I get the feeling that developers really only have two options: either make games that make use of each model or just around the old model.

Either way, I'm kinda peeved at Nintendo... I'm glad we're getting a second analog in some form, but feel that this is something they should have done a LONG time ago (as in, on the 3DS XL).

Xenoblade is a nice surprise but I feel like it's one of those games that simply wouldn't be that great on a portable. The game has a fantastic sense of scale that I can't image will translate well to a portable. A HD remake would have been much more welcome.

 
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I like the new cosmetic designs. But I could care less about the Xenoblade remake. As long as the new games I want can be played on the old XL, I don't care. Although the extra buttons for Smash....they should just release another cirle pad for Smash 3DS
 
Splitting the developer base and creating all sorts of customer confusion.  Blech.

This looks like a bridge to their next gen which is a more unified handheld/home console development scheme.  DSi all over again.  

 
Splitting the developer base and creating all sorts of customer confusion. Blech.

This looks like a bridge to their next gen which is a more unified handheld/home console development scheme. DSi all over again.
Or potentially Game Boy Color all over again. Or something in between.

 
Not a good comparision, GB was released in 89, GColor was released in 98. That is 9 years. 3DS is what 3.5 years old
It's neither this nor that but something else entirely. I don't think the DSi is a good comparison either. That was basically just the addition of being able to download shovelware. :)

3DS is about 3.5 years old, yep. DS was about 4 years old when DSi came out, too.

Thing about the Game Boy Color is that it was a stopgap between Game Boy and Game Boy Advance. I don't think that's what DSi ever was, which begs the question, is that what the New 3DS is?

Oh well. All we can do is wait and see what happens, I suppose. We haven't been given a whole lot of details yet really. Maybe the new CPU isn't even a big deal. Everyone seems to be focusing on the extra buttons.

 
It's neither this nor that but something else entirely. I don't think the DSi is a good comparison either. That was basically just the addition of being able to download shovelware. :)

3DS is about 3.5 years old, yep. DS was about 4 years old when DSi came out, too.

Thing about the Game Boy Color is that it was a stopgap between Game Boy and Game Boy Advance. I don't think that's what DSi ever was, which begs the question, is that what the New 3DS is?

Oh well. All we can do is wait and see what happens, I suppose. We haven't been given a whole lot of details yet really. Maybe the new CPU isn't even a big deal. Everyone seems to be focusing on the extra buttons.
extra buttons and analog nub is not that difficult to get around when considering any new games that may require them. I have a circle pad pro XL that adds the buttons and extra stick (and I hope Nintendo supports it now) but the extra CPU power is a problem if that is required for newer games made specific for the NEW 3DS.

 
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extra buttons and analog nub is not that difficult to get around when considering any new games that may require them. I have a circle pad pro XL that adds the buttons and extra stick (and I hope Nintendo supports it now) but the extra CPU power is a problem if that is required for newer games made specific for the NEW 3DS.
That's why it reminds me so much of the Game Boy Color. You had the original grey Game Boy games, you had the black games that were compatible with both Game Boy and Game Boy Color, and then you had the clear games that only worked on Game Boy Color. I am curious if that is what's going to happen here. The ratio of games that don't take advantage of the new CPU, that do but still also work on the old 3DS, and games that require the New 3DS, will of course be determined by how successful the system sells and how it's supported.

 
That's why it reminds me so much of the Game Boy Color. You had the original grey Game Boy games, you had the black games that were compatible with both Game Boy and Game Boy Color, and then you had the clear games that only worked on Game Boy Color. I am curious if that is what's going to happen here. The ratio of games that don't take advantage of the new CPU, that do but still also work on the old 3DS, and games that require the New 3DS, will of course be determined by how successful the system sells and how it's supported.
Like I said 9 years between the GB and GColor. If you bought a GColor game 9-to whatever years after the GB came out, that been out for 9 years, you can reasonably expect it not to work on a new GB. 3DS has been out 1/3 that time.

 
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Completely agree. I feel like the C-Stick and more processing power aren't going to go well. Developers are now going to have to design their games around two different models, around the original 3DS (where it'll work on either model) or just for the new model.

Nitendo's sold over 40 million 3DS (including XLs, I assume) so I get the feeling that developers really only have two options: either make games that make use of each model or just around the old model.
Games have been developed with the Circle Pad Pro in mind for a long time now.

Kid Icarus
Kingdom Hearts
Monster Hunter

Just to name a few off the too of my head.
 
Games have been developed with the Circle Pad Pro in mind for a long time now.

Kid Icarus
Kingdom Hearts
Monster Hunter

Just to name a few off the too of my head.
Problem is that Circle Pad Pro works with less than 10 games I think, DLC titles included. I really hope the new games for the NEW 3DS supports the CPP. That new CPU may be a problem though if new games require that boost in processor power.

 
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Like I said 9 years between the GB and GColor. If you bought a GColor game 9-to whatever years after the GB came out, that been out for 9 years, you can reasonably expect it not to work on a new GB. 3DS has been out 1/3 that time.
Yet even then, things were developed to work on both, as I imagine they will be here, too, until it was apparent the new thing had a big enough market share.

 
Xenoblade is NEW 3DS only right off the bat yo.
I'm aware of that, but it's hardly a system seller. I'm sure the Game Boy Color had one or two exclusives in the beginning, but it was mostly stuff that was still compatible with the 9 year-old Game Boy in all its forms (Pocket and original).

 
Even if 1 retail game that is sold for the NEW 3DS that can never be played by the old 3DS without excessive upgrading (only 3.5 years) is an insult to the customer and generally a bad business practice

PERIOD

 
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Even if 1 retail game that is sold for the NEW 3DS that can never be played by the old 3DS without excessive upgrading (only 3.5 years) is an insult to the customer and generally a bad business practice

PERIOD
Sorry, I hadn't realized you were a picketer. :) I thought we were having a reasonable, speculative conversation, not an ideological argument.

Personally, although I've had a 3DS since launch, my XL was purchased more recently. When I bought my XL, it wasn't because I felt pressured into it; it was simply because I liked the idea of extra screen real estate, particularly for playing DS games non-stretched.

Similarly, and again, although my XL purchase was fairly recent, and although I don't feel pressured into purchasing a New 3DS, nor do I feel I "need" one, I am looking forward to it. The 3DS is what I play games on more than anything, but I have long thought it was slow and clunky compared to the Vita and other newer gadgets, so I'll be happy for a refresh, exclusive games or not (although I'll be happy to play Xenoblade as well).

Comparing to Apple, where they release yearly models and people happily pay hundreds upon hundreds (yuck), asking less than $200 for an upgraded 3DS doesn't seem all that unreasonable to me.

On the other hand, if it's not of interest, I certainly understand that. I don't really understand feeling insulted, though. It seems like a waste of your life and emotion. You're definitely right that you don't need a new one (I don't either), but to carry that into the territory of insult, "bad business practice" and "excessive upgrading" seems a bit silly.

It's definitely a consumerist, capitalist attitude, I will certainly grant you that, but that applies to a heck of a lot more than just Nintendo.

 
Good lord, in 3 years Nintendo will have released 5 fucking revisions of the 3ds.

That Xenoblade port is laughable if i must say lol

 
k

Well anyway, i think this is one of the few times Ive ever seen a "demake" of a game.  Why couldn't Nintendo give us what pretty much everyone on the planet was hoping for which is a hd port of Xenoblade to the Wii u, you know the console that would benefit from something like this to both attract new fans to the series and help tie in to the sequel. Instead we get a 3ds port no one asked for that looks like it runs at 15fps and looks like dogshit that could be on the ps2, not to mention you also have to have a new revision of a handheld just to play. sigh Nintendo.

 
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Yeah, Xenoblade does nothing for me - but only because I spent well over 100 hours playing the original on the Wii (which looked great for a Wii game). I'm more interested in the sequel (or whatever it is) for the Wii U. But hell, I'll probably get one of these handhelds regardless.

I can give my XL to my older son, and he can give his regular 3DS to his brother. Oh yeah, and we have another 3DS as well. I should probably try to sell or trade that one.


And this time I'll know to save the Club Nintendo registration for a free game promo!
 
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Not sure how I feel about this. On one hand I welcome the upgrade, on the other I feel Nintendo portables is now the Apple of the video game industry.
And that's a bad thing? Apple and Nintendo are two of the better companies when it comes to supporting their older hardware.

 
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