Nintendo 3DS XL

I ordered this for myself as a Christmas present, and I don't mind telling you that I am VERY impressed!! The difference between this and a standard 3DS is a lot greater than you may think. I realise that compared to the resolution of the PS Vita this will seem quite inferior, and after the cost of the Vita dropped not only here on Amazon but also in the high street just prior to Christmas, I was beginning to think I had made the wrong choice, I can assure you, I didn't. The build quality is sublime and it feels very heavy and sturdy in the hand and gives the impression of a top quality product, especially when "locking" the screen to one of the 2 fixed positions. The buttons and the analogue controller feel pretty much the same as a standard 3DS so no problem there. Some people have complained that unlike the Vita, there is only one analogue stick present, and I must admit that the inclusion of a second would have been a great idea if Nintendo had decided to go ahead (apparently their president said the unit was not large enough?). As it happens though, I have bought Metal Gear Solid for it, in my opinion a game that probably would benefit from a second analogue stick to control Snake with, but I didn't really notice to be honest. Rumor has it that a version of the famed Circle Pad Pro is going to be made to fit the XL anyway, so it's just a matter of time. With regards to the screens, this is obviously where the new version shines, although Nintendo have not updated the resolution from the original 3DS (Upper Screen)800 x 240 WQVGA resolution. (Lower screen) 4.18 LCD touch screen at 320 x 240 QVGA resolution. It still works, and for those of you who own a collection of original DS games, by pressing and holding the start button when turning on the power, the game is portrayed in it's original resolution, albeit with a black border. I happen to think that although there is slight pixelation when playing an original DS game on the bigger screen (in this instance New Super Mario Brothers) it still works and is very pleasing on the eye!! With regards to the 3D aspect of what the larger screen means, it simply shines. I have played quite a bit of the pre loaded Super Mario 3D Land and it looks amazing!! Admittedly you have to ensure that the screen is held directly in front of you to fully appreciate the effect and the depth of field, but on a larger screen as a glasses wearer I found that the effect was much less debilitating and potentially headache inducing than my daughters standard 3DS. Another key feature regarding build quality are the Select, Home and Start buttons. On the 3DS XL they are actual buttons, and not something similar to a simple rubber dome configuration covered in a thin sheet of plastic with the relevant titles denoted in a white print, reminiscent of a cheap pocket calculator from the mid 80's. These are buttons you can see being physically pressed and have the words laser etched in to them. Just a small piece of detail, but one that lends itself well to the overall build quality of the unit. I found though that the sound volume compared to the original has been reduced at least without earphones. It is loud enough but at the same time noticeably quieter than the standard version. With regards to the included 4gb Memory Card, I have since swapped it out for a 64gb SDXC version. I did do some research on this, and after reading that someone had used a 128gb SDXC card to store their information, games, photo's etc, I decided to take the plunge. This works very well, but only AFTER you have converted the card to be in a FAT32 file system. This is quite an old file system by modern PC standards and an SDXC when first used is in the exFAT file system. Copying the included cards data from one to the other is also very easy, simply creating a new folder copying the content from the included SDHC card and then copying it back to your now FAT32 SDXC card. You get the picture, tons more space in terms of blocks possibly too many, and having already made good use of the Nintendo eShop all the titles I have downloaded work perfectly with no flaws, glitches or otherwise. Again, the large screens are far superior when playing old classics like Super Mario Land (Game Boy Dot Matrix Display & Super Mario Bros 8 Bit pixels and colours). I was surprised to see that the European version of the unit comes without a PSU and this is something that Nintendo need to rectify as to buy an official one from Amazon (PSU only) is if I remember correctly, only approx £7 plus P & P, hardly a fortune. I paid £189.99 at the beginning of December for mine, and yes, won't deny that seeing it now for £20 less is a little annoying, but not the end of the world. I certainly would not rate this product 1 star as another reviewer has done, solely because a PSU is absent from the packaging?! If you hover your mouse pointer over the picture of the box, it magnifies it and the text printed on the box stating this is clearly legible, so if you look properly, you will see that a separate PSU is needed before you click add to basket. Overall this version is brilliant, from the build quality to the sheer size of the screens compared to the original 3DS!! Anyone looking to buy a current generation handheld, or a 3DS, the XL really is a no brainer especially as they themselves are still in the region of £130 without the inclusion of a title to get you started. I must admit I would have preferred a cartridge containing Super Mario 3D Land to be included separately in the box, but it being pre installed on the included memory card is a very handy feature, and means until you have played it to death, is always there for your amusement, before you decide to erase it.

First off, this Yoshi edition is simply gorgeous. The design looks even better in person than in the photos. Extremely high quality. I'm a big fan of these special edition console designs, I also have a Pikachu-themed N64 and Zelda-themed Wii-U so this is a great addition to my collection. They look very unique compared to the standard plain consoles, and at this price, it's a no-brainer! The 3DS itself is a cracking console with lots of great family-friendly games that are fun for all ages. It's obviously perfect for kids, but it certainly has a much wider appeal. Some people think these types of games are just for kids because they're cartoony, but those people are wrong. Nintendo games are incredibly immersive and engaging for people of all ages and genders, and you can never be too old to enjoy it. I'm a 22 year old guy and plan to never stop playing. If you're a fan of beloved Nintendo series like Pokemon, Mario, Zelda and Animal Crossing then you're gonna love the 3DS. If you hate those types of games, it probably isn't for you though. The 3D isn't the main attraction here, I tend to have it turned off a lot. You need to stay in the same spot for it to work properly, and it can drain the battery faster. It isn't needed that often in games and can be switched on and off at the flick of a switch, so it's nothing to complain about, but in my opinion it's not a big reason to get the console, although it is a cool feature and does look amazing at times. I've had it for well over a year and am still having a blast, can't see myself getting bored of it. In addition to all the great 3DS games, there's a vast amount of classic games you can download from the e-shop for only a few quid, with Pokemon Red and Blue recently being added. The original Sonic the Hedgehog looks amazing in 3D too. They're some of the first games I ever played as a kid, and they're glorious to play through again on the 3DS, or discover them for the first time. The XL screen is also a huge plus. The console isn't that much bigger than others, but the screen is massive, which is excellent. I can't even look at my old DS anymore. It's just a great console and way better than the DS, which I felt wasn't as good as the GameBoy consoles that I grew up with. This, however, is the ultimate Nintendo handheld system. A few things to be aware of, since other reviewers were caught out. This isn't the console called "New 3DS" (stupid name) - it's just a regular 3DS with a XL screen. So you won't get some things on this that the 'New 3DS' offers, like SNES games. Also, you need to buy the Power Adapter (charger) separately, though it isn't too expensive. I would also recommend a screen protector and carry case to keep your console safe. Hope you enjoyed my review and have lots of fun with this console.

Whenever I come back to look at this product page the Amazon Instant Order Update makes me smile, because I purchased it on the 8th January 2013. Any Pokemon fan can probably make an educated guess as to why. I'm really glad I waited so long to upgrade from my beloved DS Lite, because all of the negative reviews about the 3DS barely holding a battery charge of 3 hours really concerned me. After my DS's 10+ hour charge, 3 hours seemed pitiful. I also did not like any of the colour options available (as at the time Pink, the only one I liked, was bundled with Nintendogs and not available for separate purchase). When I first set eyes on this 3DSXL, I just KNEW it was what I'd been waiting for. I'd already fallen in love with the specs when browsing online reviews - the expanded battery life, the massive screen, oh yes please. And then they went and released it with a bloody great Pikachu on the front. How could any gamer girl pokemaniac of 15 years resist? I had my DS Lite for 7 years, and it was hands down the best console I'd ever owned. Wifi capability, where before there had only been a cruddy link cable which constantly threatened to pop out and ruin your saved data mid-battle or trade. I could now sit in my bedroom and trade a Totodile with a kid from Japan. What an age we live in! You charged it and could play hardcore for at least a week without needing to plug it in again. The touchscreen interface was easy to learn and a pleasure to use, the screen brightness clear and beautiful and being able to set the console down while playing was a massive advantage(after the Gameboy Advance it was like a mini laptop!). I loved the colour options (mine, a birthday gift, was baby pink). I loved how absurdly light and portable the thing was. I eventually obtained a spare DS 'phat' for trading with myself and there was no comparison; my DS Lite was elegant and smooth and feather light. In fact, this is the only area where the 3DSXL loses points. It is a bulky, heavy little git. The price you pay for the massive deluxe screens is aching wrists. I often play Pokemon just before sleep (I find it more relaxing than reading) and let me tell you that lying horizontal in bed holding up the DS Lite in front of you with one hand and the stylus in another is not a problem. But the 3DSXL I cannot manage with for more than 10 minutes, tops, or my muscles start to hurt. And I'm a fit 25 year old, so it's definitely a thing to bear in mind if you're considering the console as a gift for an elderly relative! Perhaps a 'lite' version will be on the cards someday, but bear in mind that even if it gets lighter it cannot get any smaller without reducing what you bought it for in the first place - those cinematic screens - so if you like to be able to slip your consoles in your pocket you might want to settle for the regular 3DS. Other than that one sort-of-understandable flaw, the 3DSXL does everything the DS could do and so much more. Connecting to wifi was a bit of a nightmare with my DS Lite, involving lots of typing in of number and headaches and general stress because certain games wouldn't connect to WEP, they needed WPA (etc etc insert lots of technobabble here). The 3DSXL is a poppet. You ask it to connect, it find a connection, and hey presto you're on the internet. It is dummy-proof. It even has a browser, for gosh sake, so you can now pause your games halfway through, start up the internet, go looking for the gym leader's roster so you're prepped, and return to your game. All without leaving your chair or reaching for your tablet. Youtube was also recently added for FREE to the Nintendo eshop, and once downloaded you can sit and surf through hilarious cat videos or walkthroughs to your heart's content, all on those 2 big beautiful screens in your hand. Internet browsing is a bit laggy but Youtube comes through crystal clear and with no tiresome 'buffering'. As a girl from the Gameboy Colour generation, I sometimes can't believe I'm watching HD clarity video game trailers and music videos on my games console. It's amazing. I also adore the camera function - several games such as Animal Crossing New Leaf allow you to store screenshots taken from your game on your SD card and upload them online; it's like your player character can social network and show off their town! I have to confess the one function I do not use on my 3DSXL is the 3D function. I find it makes my eyes go squiggly and makes me feel sick, so I just keep it off the whole time. It saves battery power! And I have to talk about the Pikachu cover. It is a sunny, happy thing of beauty. It means I cannot pick up my console without grinning. I have received compliments about it when I'm out! When I first took it out of the box I was a little disappointed that only the outside of the shell has the yellow decorations, but after owning it a year I think the white inside is calmer on the eyes and less distracting; and there's plenty of Pika to go around on the outside! This case was limited edition so I'm glad I grabbed it for £160 when I did as the price seems to have skyrocketed these days. My advice is if you are a Pokemon lover and you see it at a bargain - grab it! You can do no better for a happy and attractive console design. The 3DSXL is a bit of a behemoth, but with those expanded viewing screens all the better to feast your eyes on every gorgeous pixel of the gaming experience, it is to be expected. It is more than the best console on the market - it is a smooth internet browser, a decent digital camera, a pedometer, and with that adorable yellow face peering up at you it is your new best friend. Full marks, Nintendo, for finally releasing something impressive enough to tear me away from my darling DS Lite (whose screens now seem puny and inferior in comparison!!).

The 3DS XL system itself is great. From the moment it was cracked open, (pre-loaded with Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, may I add) it has been a joy to play with. The blackness of this special edition makes it feel alot less like a toy, and more of a tool; that being said, I don't even feel embarassed playing it in public. The game [Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate] is definitely worth the buy, if and only if, you're into that genre. And contrary to what many people say, including myself before playing this game on the 3DS, this edition of monster hunter is quite playable without a Circle Pad Pro, so don't be daunted. The system has a great, big screen, that makes cinematics a blast and playing visual-heavy games even better. The battery, on relatively high brightness with no 3D effect, tends to last a whopping 5-6 hours. The home menu comes loaded with a bunch of things you will likely never use, but luckily you can customize it enough to hide them. The browser is surprisingly good (bear in mind, the bar wasn't set very high), and can be accessed in-game. There are plenty of little features that people might enjoy, there is a built in note-taking feature from the home menu that can also be used in game, there is a manual switch for the wi-fi card, surprisingly many little details that I would never have given nintendo credit for thinking of. On the negative spectrum, the 3DS XL appears to have many quality flaws in the actual body of the machine. The back panel creaks horribly and has what feels like a dangerous amount of play, the touch screen seems to give in a little bit if you push it too hard (Which you shouldn't unless you're irresponsible to begin with), the D-pad, 3D slider, and buttons all feel a little loose, despite working exceptionally well, and the screen flops around when it is open; it should be noted that the last point is actually a design point by nintendo, apparently previous DS and DSi models had hinges that cracked easily, and thus decided to make these ones loose to compensate somehow. As counterproductive as it feels (I own a DSLite that, over the 7 years it's been in my possession has been to over 10 countries, one desert island, and two siblings, and the hinges are fine. So they must have been doing something right before, right?), this is said to be perfectly natural and safe. Despite all the quality flaws in it, it's a slim, powerful little machine that'll do what you tell it to do, and there have been no signs of it dying on me yet. I could go into detail about how it doesn't come with a power adaptor, although this is straightforward. This is said to be because most people buying a 3DS XL are likely to have previously owned a 3DS, or DSi. I, however, had not.

Five stars for this Nintendole 3DS XL console I've just received today! This is my very first nintendo console ever and I fell in love when I saw the colour pink as well. I wanted to get PS vita to upgrade my current PSP consoles but then, thought I'd try the nintendo series as PS vita games are not so playable for me as I'm not really a hard-core gamer and choices are limited and I did the right choice. Delivered on the same day with my other pink accessories and Harvest moon 3DS games and I was amazed by the beautiful graphics. Even though one can argue PS vita has higher resolution, gotta say this XL console is not that inferior when it comes to screen performance and displays too! 3D function makes the games more beautiful and complete but I only use it at the lowest possible level. Read some reviews and watched this console video but I can say that all of them have really underestimated the capability and underrated the display and graphics of this little console. Dual screen is also perfect when playing games. Well, the colour is not exactly the same as displayed (which is more neon-pink) here. The real console is slightly darker-pink than in the photo but I prefer it anyway. I bought the Deluxe Pink Kit to go with my console and so, I don't have to buy the AC adaptor for now but if you're NOT buying such a kit, please buy an adaptor so you won't get disappointed when you receive the delivery! The Touch screen response is a bit slower when using fingers but again, using the provided stylus solves the problem. As for the screen protection, I would recommend buying the official protectors (if you think you might need one) as the bottom touch system didn't work properly after I fitted it with the ones from my Deluxe Kit (also partly due to trapped air and dirt). I eventually had to remove the protector for the bottom display, with some difficulty (I could have ended up with scratches trying to remove it). Sound system is even greater than my PSP, louder and sharper. Connecting to the E-store doesn't take that long like in the reviews. Might seem a bit heavy at first but you get used to it and it's convenient to carry around. Yes, I would certainly recommend this if you're looking for a console with a big screen, beautiful graphics, good sound system and great nintendo games! Totally worth the money spent :) Sorry for my long review and thanks to the seller who made the fast and reliable delivery.

Marks on screen, super laggy gameplay, games getting stuck in game slot, some games not even loading in at all.

I have had my 3ds for over a year and was very pleased with it, although there were a few areas that I felt could be improved, these included: The Buttons under the lower screen - the ones on the 3DS didn't feel easy to find and I wasn't always sure that I had pressed it. When I needed the stylus it was a bit of a search for it at the back behind the screen. The non-screen parts picked up fingerprints so easily - being a bit of a freak about keeping things shiny always used to keep a cleaning cloth handy. Battery life concerns meant I always felt the need to bring the charger with me. Well my white 3DS XL arrived while I was at work and i've just finished doing the system transfer from my 3DS and here are my initial impressions. If you are also doing a system transfer you will lose the pre-installed game as part of the process - don't panic - the transfer process merges the eShop accounts on the original 3DS and on the new 3DS XL - just goto the eShop once complete and scroll to settings (far left of choices) and choose your downloads - the pre-installed game will be at the top of the list for you to redownload :) The 3DS XL is a big improvement on a great original. I simply love the white colour - it looks really classy - and dare I say it looks amazaing, and doesn't seem to pick up fingerprints at all, something that happens across all 3DS XL models due to a change in finish, well done Nintendo. The larger screen size, even in menu's is a revelation, with the 3D effects more noticable :) The sylus now sits on the right side of the unit, is really easy to find, both due to the change in position from the original 3DS and with the redesign of the stylus itself. The buttons under the lower creen are now proper individual buttons, the improvement here is immense, each is much easier to identify and you always know you have pressed it - working just like a keyboard button. I can't comment on the battery life from my experience, but all the online reviews and nintendo scources agree that the larger battery, despite the larger screen sizes, means that the XL lasts longer than the 3DS :) I am really, really pleased that I made the choice to upgrade, and anyone else who's sitting on the fence weighing up the options, all I can say is you won't be dissapointed if you choose the XL, and if your a newcomer to Nintendos 3D world what are you waiting for. Nintendo have really impressed me with this, and although you it doesn't come with a mains adaptor, everything mentions this, so just remember to purchase one at the same time you buy a 3DS XL :) its certainly not a deal breaker.

I wasn't planning on ever buying a 3DS since I already have a DSI anyway, but when I heard that a new Animal Crossings game was coming out, I knew I had to buy one and I'm glad I did. Having been a fan of the first two on DS and on Wii, I wasn't sure how they could improve on this one since they have already built a city, but I was absolutely impressed with this new design, I feel more engaged with the neighbors since they have more to say and things for you to do to earn satisfactory to gain progress in building a town, you are the new mayor in your new town and everyone respects you and your opinion on them personally means a lot. You also get to improve the features in your town, by deciding where to build a new bench or bridge (because there's only one in my town, it's rather tedious) though you are relied on to make a huge donation! It does seem to be a lot of work, but surprisingly it is easy to make the money by selling fish and insects (even rare fossils) but also, you can hit rocks with your spade to get money flying out, and by shaking a tree, Bells with fall out too (watch out for bees nest! oh and pianos!) also, the more you help out your new friends, the more presents they'll give you (to sell if you want) So far, there isn't a Shampoodle or anywhere to get your shoes waxed and Brewster's cafe isn't anywhere to be found, but like I said, it's at an early stage, they might show up somewhere, but most of the old favorites are still there. (Especially Tom Nook and Rosetti!) The part I liked was that you actually got to decide which town you'd like, you still get to name it, but there are choices of layouts from the beginning to pick from. The town itself is much bigger with new shops and characters and characters actually shop and visit the museum as well as you! It is essentially the same game, but much more fun. With a bigger screen it is, much better, though no charger which is a bit naughty of Nintendo,although, it is adaptable to DSI and DSIXL chargers,so for me it wasn't a problem, I just wanted to give you a headsup! ;) However, I was a little disappointed with the back of the town, most of it is dedicated to the Happy Homes things that has appeared throughout the Animal Crossings saga and it can't be used properly without an internet connection which seems like a bit of a waste since the town has lost most of its shops and characters, although I am in early stages, this may change, also, we have a train that can't actually be used unless again, you want to connect with a random person via wi-fi which I'm not too keen on. Overall, very pleased, the console is beautifully decorated too and the screen was much bigger than I expected! I'm not too bothered about the 3D function, it doesn't seem to be the best game to have the feature anyway, but the other pre-installed are a good laugh in small doses since some people like myself get headaches, though thankfully, you can adjust that.