3DS vs. 3DS XL
Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2012 3:10 pm
Due to my recent acquisition of Pokemon Soul Silver Version for nostalgia purposes, I have found myself with a renewed interest in my Nintendo DS. Unfortunately, with this renewed interest has come a few reminders of just how much my beloved 2004-2005 first-model unit is showing its age: the battery no longer holds a charge properly and will revert to factory settings if it isn't plugged in at least a couple times a week, even if I don't use it; it only plays games for 2-3 hours before the battery light goes red; and the internal wireless adapter is so old that it can no longer connect to the Internet due to changes in encryption methods on modern routers.
As such, the item at the top of my Christmas list this year (which is usually very short or nonexistent, but this actually gives me something to put on it for once
) is a 3DS XL. Family members who have read my list have told me that they're more likely to give me the cash to pick one out myself, so I'm anticipating that this is what will happen. Assuming I don't get the system itself as a gift, I'll head down to a local games shop and likely pick one up there. First however, I'd like to know a few things from people who have used one, especially if they've also used the first-model 3DS:
- How big is the system in comparison to the very first DS design? From pictures, it looks like they're roughly the same size, but I'm not too sure as I haven't seen a definite side-by-side comparison of the oldest DS to the 3DS XL - just the XL with the standard 3DS. (EDIT: I've found a couple pictures of it next to a model-1 DS like mine; the size difference is noticeable, but not as big as I was afraid it might be.)
- How do DS games look on those larger screens? Does the upper screen look awkward at all due to its increased size? Does it blow up/stretch the image in weird ways at all? The uneven size of the two screens has always looked a little odd to me since I'm so used to the original DS, whose screens are equal-sized with one another. I haven't actually seen them running a DS game though, so I don't know what that will look like.
- Is there any reason I might want to go for the basic 3DS instead of the XL? I don't mind the XL's size too much as long as it isn't significantly larger than the original DS, so the smaller size of the base model isn't a persuading factor for me. So far, the bigger screens and increased battery life (plus the fact that I found a package that includes Mario Kart 7 at no extra charge) makes me thing that the extra $30-40 is worth it. Still, is there anything I should know about that the basic 3DS does that the XL doesn't?
Thanks in advance to anyone who can offer some insight!
As such, the item at the top of my Christmas list this year (which is usually very short or nonexistent, but this actually gives me something to put on it for once
) is a 3DS XL. Family members who have read my list have told me that they're more likely to give me the cash to pick one out myself, so I'm anticipating that this is what will happen. Assuming I don't get the system itself as a gift, I'll head down to a local games shop and likely pick one up there. First however, I'd like to know a few things from people who have used one, especially if they've also used the first-model 3DS:- How big is the system in comparison to the very first DS design? From pictures, it looks like they're roughly the same size, but I'm not too sure as I haven't seen a definite side-by-side comparison of the oldest DS to the 3DS XL - just the XL with the standard 3DS. (EDIT: I've found a couple pictures of it next to a model-1 DS like mine; the size difference is noticeable, but not as big as I was afraid it might be.)
- How do DS games look on those larger screens? Does the upper screen look awkward at all due to its increased size? Does it blow up/stretch the image in weird ways at all? The uneven size of the two screens has always looked a little odd to me since I'm so used to the original DS, whose screens are equal-sized with one another. I haven't actually seen them running a DS game though, so I don't know what that will look like.
- Is there any reason I might want to go for the basic 3DS instead of the XL? I don't mind the XL's size too much as long as it isn't significantly larger than the original DS, so the smaller size of the base model isn't a persuading factor for me. So far, the bigger screens and increased battery life (plus the fact that I found a package that includes Mario Kart 7 at no extra charge) makes me thing that the extra $30-40 is worth it. Still, is there anything I should know about that the basic 3DS does that the XL doesn't?
Thanks in advance to anyone who can offer some insight!