Customer Ratings & Reviews

After not being able to pick one of these up when they first released I was a little bummed. But after checking out at my local Best Buy one day about two weeks ago I noticed one sitting in the cage near the front. I couldn't pass up the chance. All and all, I love what Nintendo has done with this system in the latest revision. The stable 3D is the biggest and most notable change and has made me go from someone who always kept the 3D slider in the off position on the regular 3DS XL to someone who has it on almost all the time. It's worth the upgrade from the old systems just on that fact. The amiibo support is great for Smash and Project Steam, and the c-stick makes playing games that use the Circle Pad Pro so much nicer. If you already have a 3DS XL, you may want to wait for another special edition system to come out before jumping to an upgrade. But if you love the 3DS and/or don't have one yet. I would recommend the New 3DS XL as your starting point. It's a fantastic system.

So this New 3DS comes with a faster processor, better WiFi capabilities, NFC reader for Amiibo support, C-Stick for camera and other functions and a face tracking 3D. You can tell the speed on the UI and downloads. The load time for a game is noticeably faster than a 3DS or 3DS XL. Games like Xenoblade Chronicles will be exclusive to this new 3DS, due to the requirements in processor speeds. Amiibo support is appreciated, and it's amazing with Super Smash Bros (specially if you own the 3DS and Wii U versions). Soon Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. will support the Fire Emblem Amiibo, then Xenoblade Chronicles is coming to 3DS with Shulk being used for unlockables. The C-Stick. In Super Smash Bros, it works as it did and does with the Gamecube controller, a huge plus. For games like Monster Hunter 4 and LoZ Majora's Mask and Code Name: S.T.E.A.M.(as announced), you can control the camera with it. Battery life is still as good as previous 3DS XL (around 10 hours of constant use with 3D on), this can be improved by turning off Wifi/NFC (on the lower screen top right theme button now as there is no switch for it anymore). The 3D face tracking is great and makes the 3D better, you can look at the 3DS at different angles (around 45 degrees) and still have the 3D effect working. The screen now has an auto brightness feature (which I found to be annoying, and it can be turned off at the same menu where you turn off the wifi/nfc) This 3DS uses a microSD card for saving. It comes with 4GB but I suggest upgrading to at least a microSDHC16GB if you plan to download a few games or demos. I bought a Samsung Evo 32GB UHS-1 microSDHC for less than $20, more than enough. That being said, it will take higher capacities, if you are computer savvy you can format a microSDXC (64GB & up) to FAT32 as they are standard exFAT. Note that Windows will not allow you to format to FAT32, you will need another application to do this. Overall, I suggest you get this 3DS over any other 3DS that have come out previously. You will have support for newer games that will need this 3DS and if you're into Amiibo you'll appreciate the support for them.

If you have ever played a 3DS, you're familiar with the sweet-spotting that happens if you're using the 3D mode. You need to hold it a certain distance, in a certain spot, and if you don't, you lose the effect. Not anymore. The New 3DS XL's 3D is VASTLY improved. You won't want to turn the 3D off anymore. It's THAT good. No more fighting for a sweet spot, because the system tracks your face to make sure you keep the 3D effect. If ever you lose it, it takes but a second to correct itself. And if that weren't enough, it has a faster processor (everything loads quicker, be it menus, games, etc.), NFC functionality built in (for your Amiibo and more), MicroSD card storage, C-Sticks, two new shoulder buttons (No need for a Circle Pad Pro)... It's great, and all at what the old 3DS XL used to cost. The loss of the adapter is the only black mark, but I've seen them selling for $10-15. Definitely buy one with this if you don't have an extra hanging around. Still, if you're in the market for a new 3DS system, bypass the old 3DS models. Don't even consider them. Try this in store, and you'll be a believer. It's so much better.

I had an original 3ds before upgrading to the new 3ds xl. So my review is based on comparing the two: Pros: 1) the screen is the first thing you'll notice as the hugest improvement. It's like night and day different.. it's bigger, seemingly better light management, and the 3d effect is so much better 2) the 3d effect needs its own entry here. It's that much better. Beforehand, I would turn off the 3d effect once in a while because the 'sweet spot' would be hard to find. Now, it tracks your face to angle the sweet spot wherever your head moves. And it works really well. 3) the speed. It's a bit quicker than the original. Even just navigating the OS is improved. Load times in games is lower as well. 4) the audio is improved as well. The speakers are actually loud now. Before, I had to put on earbuds if I wanted to hear the game over the TV. But it's not even necessary now. 5) easier to hold. It's a bigger unit, so my sweaty dorito fingers don't slide off as much, and it's easier to hold in general. Less hand cramps during extended sessions. Cons: 1) it is a bigger system, so it's harder to put into your pocket. 2) it doesn't come with a charger. This is a non-issue for people who are upgrading (like myself) but new 3ds owners need to buy a charger separately (like $5-10 extra online) Summary: If you're upgrading from an original 3ds, it's definitely a nice upgrade and likely worth every penny. You'll probably want to replay some older games to view the glorious 3d experience... this time, as it always should have been If you're upgrading from a 3ds xl, it's less of an upgrade and you may not need to spend $200 on this system. The main upgrade to you would be the 3d enhancement and speed offerings If you're new, buy it. This is the best handheld gaming system out there.

I love the look and feel of the system, the top screen is still a little loose but is much better than the previous 3ds xl. The 3d is much better but I don't use it much cause I suffer from migraines, so if you get migraines I would avoid that feature. Downloads are much faster really big games like the new Zelda took about an hour and a half versus like 3 hours on the old system, although it could be faster if you have a faster internet connection. The only thing I didn't like is that out of the box the screen has a small scratch on the side of the top screen, it's not super noticeable but it is a little disappointing and that they system didn't come in pink. I really like the pink ones, but the black and red are really nice. Over all it's is a great system and I would recommend upgrading from the last 3ds xl it just feels and looks so much better.

I had the original small 3DS, so upgrading from that to the larger screen, plus all the new features has been great. The head tracking works pretty well for the most part, though if I'm wearing a headset, or have bright lights behind me it can break the effect, which is a bit more unpredictable and unpleasant than on the older models (though certainly much rarer as well). The C-stick works pretty well. I grew rather proficient with track sticks as an input device on my old Dell laptop, but I saw many people struggle with the mechanism when I had other people work with my machine. The new 3DS' track stick is not like that, as it is far less sensitive, which makes it much more accessible for people not familiar with track sticks. The transfer process was a bit more difficult than I expected, but that was mainly because of my choice of an unsupported 64gb micro SDXC card. (They officially only support SD/SDHC which goes up to 32gb). I had to download EaseUS partition manager to format the card to FAT so that the device would recognize it. After that everything went much smoother. I was an early adopter of the original 3DS, and while it was slow to pick up with good games, it has had an onslaught of quality titles, and is easily one of my favorite consoles on the market. With the increased processing power, and added buttons, I have little doubt that the new 3DS will continue this trend.

The 3D is significantly better than the original 3DS. It really does seem to at least try its best to track your movement and shift the 3D to follow your eyes. I rarely see the sudden blind spot and blurry areas I used to see on the original 3DS. Speaking of original, this screen size is just beautiful and massive compared to the smaller 3DS screen. Now I can actually see a lot more detail even though I know the image just got superimposed a bit. I have not got any games to take advantage of the new C-stick thing except for the Monster Hunter demo; it works well, as everyone has said so far: it feels like an old Thinkpad mouse nub. It moved the camera in-game fine and was decently responsive to light to harder force. The more, at least to a point, force the faster the camera moved. The auto dimming backlight for power saving was annoying but it gives you an option to turn off auto. It adjusted too often indoors for my taste, I put mine off and turned power savings on with a brightness of 4/5 and I get decent battery; much better than my aging 3DS. Overall this is a great upgrade if you have the smaller 3DS and wanted to get an 3DS XL; however, the 3D alone is probably worth the upgrade in my opinion. I used to almost always turn 3D off but now I leave it on mostly unless I have been playing for a while.

The only bad part about the *New* Nintendo 3DS is the name. (What's the name of the new 3DS system? The New 3DS. I know it's new, but what is it called?.....you know what I mean) But anyway, this is an absolute must for Nintendo DS/3DS fans. The biggest improvment here over the original 3DS (XL) is the obvious improvement to the 3D. It's no longer an annoying endeavor to keep that *sweet spot* steady for 3D. You can easily move your head around a bit and still get spot-on 3D. The next best thing here is the added C-stick for enhanced camera and other controls. It is making my trek through Monster Hunter 4 absolutely wonderful - couldn't imagine even playing this on the "non-new" 3DS. And, of course, we have a faster processor in this one and will handle games in the future that are specific to the *new* 3DS. Xenoblade Chronicles will be one of these and I can't wait (look for this game's release on April 10 - already pre-ordered my copy from Best Buy). Oh, and I'm over 35 years old and this is one of my favorite toys. I'm a Nintendo nerd at heart. I couldn't let my son be the only one that had one of these slick systems. ;-) HAPPY 3DS gaming. Once again, Nintendo delivers another handheld beauty.

I love the new system. It runs quicker, not that it was much of an issue before. The c-stick was a great improvement for third person games. The best part is the face tracker in the inner cameras. You can now view games in 3D from any angle. This is a small thing, but Nintendo made their red system shiny again, very awesome.

All complaints of the original 3DS are addressed and fixed. Faster processing speeds allow for better shading, frame rate, and load times. The C-Stick feels natural and tight. Zr and Zl have a nice click. The 3D is stable and doesn't hurt my eyes any more. Only complaints are the use of a screwdriver is required to change the Micro SD card and a charger is not included

So I have had my New Red 3DS XL for a few months now and am loving it. At first I was disappointed they were not selling the non XL version, but lets be honest the bigger screen is better. The quality is pretty good, and it seems pretty sturdy to me. Getting the back plate off to replace the mircoSD was a little tricky but thanks to nintendo's useful guide it made upgrading and migrating the data a breeze. The super stable 3D seems pretty good, though since I wear glasses it does cause problems when looking at it from the angle since its harder to watch your eyes, you pretty much have to look straight forward, however without them it does a pretty amazing job. The graphics are pretty decent for a hand held but it doesn't match say my iPhone or iPad, lol. Either way its still good.

If you have an original 3DS XL or are looking to upgrade, you should definitely consider the New 3DS XL. The facial tracking 3D is a massive improvement over the original 3DS, and the screens look a bit better as well. The slightly improved processor, and C-Stick are great additions as well, but aren't the real sellers of this device in my opinion. The outside surfaces (front and back) are glossier than previous models, and may be a little more slippery, but I don't feel like it'll slip out of my hands any more than any other device I own. If you want to upgrade the micro SD card that comes with it you will need a Size 0 (or Size 00 depending on some sources) phillips-head screwdriver to remove the back plate. It's not too difficult, but is inconvenient.

Previous to purchasing this new 3ds xl I owned the original 3ds xl which has been my go-to gaming system for a long time. Upgrading to the new system is a game changer and here's why. - Face tracking 3D: forget about sitting in one place with your head tilted the perfect way to see that 3D rendering of your 3D games because now the system has an additional sensor that tracks your eye movement as well as your head tilt to ensure you are seeing the 3D effect at all times. It works really well and has made me turn my 3D back on while playing all my games. Awesome feature. - Additinonal joystick: This feature turned out to be a bigger deal than I thought. Games like monster hunter and the like now all recommend that you use a new 3ds system to control the camera as well as your character using the new dual joysticks. It works really well in those 3D worlds needing independent camera manipulation and makes for a whole different experience without having to buy any accessories like you would with the old system. - Faster processor + bigger battery = more fun for every full charge. There is a noticeable difference in battery life as this system lasts a lot longer than the previous one. Not only that but it lets you play with a power saving mode as well as modifying your screen brightness depending on your surroundings much like a cellphone would. This combined with the faster prcessor gets you into the games faster, loads content faster and gets you longer playtime. It's a win win. So in conclusion: should you upgrade? That really depends on your situation. If you only play games like pokemon or the like where you prefer to have your 3D off most of the time then I would suggest you stick with your current system but for the vast majority of gamers looking for the ultimate handheld system, it's a clear, 'yes' to upgrade from me. Everything has been improved and we can finally utilize that sweet face tracking 3D to play our games without having to sit like a statue. We've broadened the games we can play by a lot due to the second joystick and new amiibo reader on the bottom screen that needed accessories to function in the previous system. It's faster, it lasts longer, it does more. What's not to like? Is it worth it? Yes. 100% yes.

This system offers a most noticeable upgrade from the previous 3DS models. For me, I was stepping up from the aqua blue 3DS I purchased in 2011. This system is faster by a slight, but significant amount. The new 3D capability is great; the screen size is awesome, and my hands aren't cramped anymore. The only flaw comes with the battery and Micro-SD cover. This is a pain to access and removing it the first time causes unsettling cracks which, while not breaking the cover, weakens it. After removing it a few times to upgrade my Micro-SD, I noticed that the cover did not fit as snug, and it was more easily removable. I highly recommend purchasing this system along with the Accidental Protection Plan from Geek Squad. You can't be too careful with that Micro-SD and battery cover. Plus you are covered from accidents. You can always renew your protection plan as well. Overall, this is a great buy, and worthy of five stars. However, Nintendo could do a much better job designing the cover to the battery compartment by adding several more well placed screws; and no snapping that tortures me into thinking I am breaking the darn thing.

I been wanting to buy a new DS for a while but waited becuase the only thing I would get is just a bigger screen. But now I have more then just a bigger screen. I have faster device with better 3D effect that dont mess with my eyes to much.

This is a purchase at launch and coming from an original 3DS user. The screen size is like the 3DS XL version. The Face Tracking 3D really makes you want to turn on the 3D more often because you don't have to worry about being in the sweet spot. C-Stick is useful in Super Smash and Majora's Mask. Overall a great system. If you have the original 3DS or a 2DS, this is the perfect time to upgrade to this system. If you have the 3DS XL, as of 3/11/2015, I would wait until an exclusive New 3DS killer app game comes out that isn't Xenoblade Chronicles 3D, UNLESS you are willingly to burn the $200 price tag right now.

Unless you are satisfied with the poor controls and often low-quality games available on smartphones and tablets, a dedicated gaming handheld can be a good investment. Nintendo's 3DS has been around a while and Nintendo has provided an excellent variety of exclusive first-party software for the system. Unfortunately, while the original 3DS's glasses-less 3D effect worked, it was very sensitive to any movement of your head or hands while playing. This would result in blurry or double images, making it sometimes unpleasant to use. The NEW 3DS XL corrects this by including face-tracking technology to make sure the 3D screen is always calibrated to your position. This greatly increases the reliability of the 3D images and therefore the comfort of using the system. There are other improvements such as increased memory and speed, and an extra nub (similar to laptop trackpoints) that can be used to control the camera in some games. All existing 3DS software will work fine and your account will transfer to the new system. In closing, while the NEW 3DS XL is not a must-have for existing 3DS users, it does include some very nice improvements for new owners or those who have the cash and would like the best version of the system.

I would say its worth an upgrade for those who have a standard 3DS. What's new about this 3DS XL? It has a face tracking system when you activate the 3D effect. No longer you need to hold it in a certain distance in a certain spot to get its desired effect. It has a new CPU processor which is faster than the previous one in the old 3DS XL. It also has a little nub called a C-Stick, but it is not exactly a true analog stick as you would expect. I suggest you try one at Best Buy if they have it. Other Important notes to make: --You need a size 0 Philips screwdriver for unscrewing the backplate if you want to switch out the 4GB Micro SD card with another one that has bigger capacity. --As mentioned on the box, no AC adapter is included. --The manual switch for turning on/off the 3DS's Wi-Fi has been removed. To turn it on/or off, you have to go directly to the home screen. Tap on the icon which looks like a house with a wrench in front of it. This icon is located on the top left corner in the touchscreen. Once you're there, you can turn the Wi-Fi on/or off. You'll also have other options such as turning auto brightness on/or off.

This is a great addition to the 3DS family in just about every way. The games that the C-stick works with now works great, the feel of the stick is pretty good and the rest of the New 3DS feels just like its predecessor. The 3D screen is the thing that got perhaps the most upgrading love. Before I rarely kept the 3D on finding it a bit awkward and hard to see. With this new 3DS however I rarely turn the 3D feature off and almost always have it on max. It has better face tracking capabilities and follows quite well. Sudden movements will create artifacts but it corrects those really quick. Play time is about the same as the old 3DS even with the better screen and slightly better looking resolution. However, there are just a couple warnings that may not be expected out of the box. First off the New 3DS uses MicroSD cards instead of the typical SD cards that the standard 3DS uses, so don't expect to just plop your SD card over from one to another. With that said however the console 'sync' option is absolutely perfect and works great. I simply just picked up a 64gb microSD, worked out great and just synced my old 3DS data over without a hitch. This 3DS also doesn't come with a power adapter. I'm not sure on the business decision by Nintendo on that one but if you have an old 3DS it will use that adapter just fine. If you don't you can pick up a refurbished one from Nintendo for about 4 bucks or just buy a new one from Best Buy. With that said. If you're like me and have an older 3DS and just looking to upgrade I'd say do it, if you're coming new into the 3DS family then I'd highly suggest getting this version over the older one. Either way the upgrade, or just getting it new, is worth it.

After years of playing my regular original Nintendo 3DS I decided that the release of the New 3DS XL was a big enough leap to justify the upgrade. Although I miss being able to slip the thing into my pocket a bit easier, I really appreciate the bigger screen for longer play sessions. The improved 3D works nicely as well, prompting me to use it fairly regularly, as opposed to the original system. The c-stick works nicely too, based on what I've played of Majora's Mask.