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3DS XL

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I played a demo-unit yesterday, and the difference in indeed remarkable! Just got a textmessage that my red 3DS XL is waiting for me in the shop. Won't get there until tomorrow, though.

 

Fingers crossed for no dead pixels.

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I love the System Transfer. It has Pikmin carrying the stuff between 3DSs

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3DSXL Get!

 

No dead pixels, slightly warm/yellow tinted bottom screen.

 

Initial impressions below...

 

The Screen:

 

tumblr_m2zyfqK97m1qdhjfgo1_1280.png

 

The top screen is pretty much the same size as the PSVita screen (which is HUUUGE!) The 3D effect feels stronger by nature of being bigger and has a really strange immersive quality that really feels like you're being sucked into the screen (turning 3D on full whack in certain games like Zelda OoT 3D takes up almost your entire field of view! :o) The 3D sweet spot seems to be ever so slightly larger, but not by much. The 2D viewing angle is also a bit better, but not as good as the DSiXL sadly (which had a fantastic viewing angle!)

 

As for the actual screen quality... it varies from game to game. Generally speaking, the lower PPI is not bad in of itself, but rather what it does is exacerbate the flaws in the visuals of each game. Games which generally have a very clean look look just fine when blown up, while games that suffer badly from aliasing like Zelda OoT 3D look really bad!

 

Generally, I've noticed some games that would use the high PPI to cover up their flaws (dithering in RE:Revelations, colour banding in SM3DL - flaws that I never even noticed before on the original 3DS!) and having them blown up does take away from their premium sheen a bit when you see some of the flaws you never noticed before, but otherwise they look fine (RE:R is also one where I noticed some extra details that were too small to see otherwise!) Flaws like S3D crosstalk are also much more noticable as well.

 

It's the games with strong aliasing (Zelda OoT, Tales of the Abyss, KIU) and bad S3D crosstalk that I reckon will suffer the most from the lower PPI. That and the low quality of the eShop's videos & screenshots becomes a lot more noticable too! For everything else, aside from flaws that you might not otherwise see, they look just fine on the 3DS XL (not unlike going from playing the Wii on a small TV, to a large one)

 

The Speakers: They're slightly quieter and give a bit less bass. Not bad, probably about the same level as the DSi/DSiXL, but a slight step down from the original 3DS. I haven't really tried a game that takes advantage of the simulated surround though (which is really good on the original 3DS!)

 

The Buttons/Circle Pad: The buttons are heavenly! Tight and responsive and the D-Pad is back to DSi/DSiXL levels of quality :D No problems hitting diagonals here! :yay: L & R Buttons are also very good and like the GB Micro, can be hit at any point (from edge to centre to edge) and it'll always register just fine :D )

 

The circle pad feels a bit tight and requires a bit more push than my original 3DS, though that may be because it hasn't been broken in yet.

 

I'm not a fan of the new stylus though. Feels cheap, it's shorter than the OG 3DS stylus and it's not as comfortable to hold. Almost feels like a 3rd party knockoff one :( That being said, it's really nice having it on the right hand side again, much more natural than having to reach for the top of the console! :)

 

The Home/Start/Select buttons are no better than on the original 3DS. They're just as bad and still require you to hit the middle of them for them to register :mad: On the other hand, you can still hit them with the tip of your stylus, like you could on the original 3DS (handy for games like KIU and Theatrhythm :) )

 

The Design & Feel: In many ways it reminds me of the DSiXL, but rounded off. The matt finish is nice on the hands, doesn't pick up fingerprints, but doesn't feel cheap (just like its other jumbo counterpart) If you've experienced the DSiXl, you'll be right at home here! The weight is also about the same (though feels a bit lighter in the hands as the weight is shifted more towards the middle)

 

Original DS Games: It's exactly what you expect. 1-1 mode is exactly the same size as on a DSi (not DS/DSLite). Nice and large, easy to use, games look great. This is definitely the way to go (blown up mode is ugly beyond belief!)

 

Overall, it's a lovely device, but I think there will be a few games that I wont play on it (Zelda OOT springs to mind) What looks good on the 3DS still looks good here and what looks bad now looks very bad. Now to go and try out the rest of my collection :D

Edited by Dcubed

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How does one copy the stuff to a new SD card. I just tried and the 3DS didn't see anything on it so I had to use my old one...I want the space

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Just copy the folders (DCIM and Nintendo 3DS) to your computer, then paste them into in the new SD card. Should work fine. Try deleting any old folders from the new SD card first.

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How does one copy the stuff to a new SD card. I just tried and the 3DS didn't see anything on it so I had to use my old one...I want the space

 

You just copy and paste the folders using a computer. That's it.

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I have no intention of getting one yet ( want a white one ) but i'm wondering...

 

Do all of your puzzles, accomplishments, hats and Streetpass Quest data remain intact once a transfer is done?

 

Cheers

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I have no intention of getting one yet ( want a white one ) but i'm wondering...

 

Do all of your puzzles, accomplishments, hats and Streetpass Quest data remain intact once a transfer is done?

 

Cheers

 

E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G (even the position of the icons on your Home Menu!)

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Play starfox:) the 3d in that looks stunning

i have tried mario kart, mario but starfox has been the best xl game so far.

 

anyone finding the circle pad a bit tight mving left to right ?

Edited by yesteryeargames

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Play starfox:) blew me away

 

i have tried mario kart, mario but starfox has been the best xl game so far.

 

anyone finding the circle pad a bit tight mving left to right ?

 

Yep. Mine's like that too. Mind you though, it'll probably loosen up a bit as you use it more.

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You just copy and paste the folders using a computer. That's it.

That's what I did originally, but nothing. Got it working by putting it in the 3DS at first, having it create management data, and then deleting that on the PC and copying everything over

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As for the actual screen quality... it varies from game to game. Generally speaking, the lower PPI is not bad in of itself, but rather what it does is exacerbate the flaws in the visuals of each game. Games which generally have a very clean look look just fine when blown up, while games that suffer badly from aliasing like Zelda OoT 3D look really bad!
Well that's a bit rubbish.

 

I'm wondering if it's just worth keeping the original 3DS.

 

But like @Hero\-of\-Time said, I've got plenty of time to make my mind up, and to hear what future games look like, as I'm waiting for other colours.

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Finding a little bit of crosstalk, but a week or 2 use and the screen will settle in and look better.

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Well that's a bit rubbish.

 

I'm wondering if it's just worth keeping the original 3DS.

 

But like @Hero\-of\-Time said, I've got plenty of time to make my mind up, and to hear what future games look like, as I'm waiting for other colours.

 

As I said, it varies from game to game. OoT3D looks pretty bad when blown up, but Mario Kart 7 looks boss!

 

Why not try one for yourself? They should have demo models in stores now!

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Ordered mine from Amazon and it hasn't even been dispatched yet! Hope it arrives tomorrow as I was led to believe!

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I think it's time for me to join this little party! :awesome:

The buttons are heavenly! Tight and responsive and the D-Pad is back to DSi/DSiXL levels of quality :D No problems hitting diagonals here! :yay: L & R Buttons are also very good.

I agree.

 

I'm not a fan of the new stylus though. Feels cheap, it's shorter than the OG 3DS stylus

I agree

 

The Home/Start/Select buttons are no better than on the original 3DS. They're just as bad

 

Totally agree, when I first saw the pictures I was very excited, but after feeling it for myself it's just a let down (IMO). They look awesome, but don't feel anywhere near as good as they look.

 

Original DS Games: It's exactly what you expect. 1-1 mode is exactly the same size as on a DSi (not DS/DSLite). Nice and large, easy to use, games look great. This is definitely the way to go

I agree.

 

Some pics Blue 3DS XL looks terrific!:

image.jpg

Layers.jpg

BLue.jpg

Wow.jpg

Blue_Back.jpg

20120727_151635_1.jpg

Edited by -Dem0-

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Some pics Blue 3DS XL looks terrific!:

 

So how does DQIX look?

 

Blue is very nice, almost makes me wish I got that one :P

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I thought it looked really good, bear in mind I've never played DQIX on a DSi/DSiXL etc. When comparing to the 3DS it's much better only played a few minutes, soon after I tested MK7. I will go back to DQIX a bit later after I've checked out some other titles.

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Ok, so after trying out all the games in my 3DS library (as well as the demos of games I don't have - I haven't done a System Transfer), here's how I rate them in terms of how they look in comparison to how they did on the original model 3DS.

 

Near Perfect

 

Mario Kart 7

Theathythm (The game looks great and the FMV looks shockingly good! Puts all other 3DS downloadable videos/in-game FMVs to shame!)

Starfox 64 3D

Mario Tennis Open

Kingdom Hearts DDD

Mutant Mudds

Dead or Alive Dimensions

Bit Trip Saga (duh, it's mostly square!)

Tetris (no surprise here either!)

Nintendogs & Cats

Pilotwings Resort

 

Some noticable flaws but otherwise OK

 

Super Mario 3D Land (minor colour banding, more noticable aliasing - particularily on anything red)

Super Street Fighter 3D (HUD looks awful, game looks great)

Heroes of Ruin (2D HUD and characters in menus don't look great, but the rest of the game looks fine)

Mario & Sonic 2012 Olympics (2D crowd looks bad and a few HUD elements look dodgy, the rest of the game looks fine though)

Metal Gear Solid Snake Eater 3D (Bad texture filtering is very noticable, as is the aliasing on the grass but strangely everything else looks fine :hmm:)

Steel Diver (Some bad textures are more easily noticable)

Kid Icarus Uprising (Easier to see lack of detail on distant objects, aliasing more noticable)

Resident Evil Mercenaries (Dithering is very noticable)

Resident Evil Revelations (Dithering is slightly noticable, S3D crosstalk is more noticable)

 

MY EYES! THE GOGGLES DO NOTHING!!!

 

Ocarina of Time 3D (The aliasing is horrible! Thankfully it looks great in 2D at least since it adds 2x AA in 2D)

Tales of the Abyss (Each pixel is a shard of glass that sears the retinas and sends them home crying. 2D fares no better - The PS2 version was a jagfest as well BTW!)

Rhythm Thief (2D stuff looks ok, 3D stuff looks like pixellated garbage)

Rayman Origins (It's pretty much a badly compressed Youtube video stretched out to fill your TV screen!)

All 3DS downloadable videos/FMVs that do not come from Theatrhythm.

Edited by Dcubed

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Thanks for the impressions guys!

 

The single worst game on the 3DS for aliasing is One Piece; worse even than Rhythm Thief and about on par with Tales. Plus the FMV is all of the worst quality imaginable. I HATE to think what that would look like on the XL :shakehead

 

The issues you highlight there Dcubed are all very apparent to me on the regular 3DS - the Rayman demo was one of the most horribly compressed looking games I've ever seen! The one exception is Ocarina, which I'm rather surprised at. Hoped it would look good :(

 

Think I might give the Gamestop trade in deal a go next week. Good 1:1 on DS and VC is reason enough for me.

Edited by Lens of Truth

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Is 'Near Perfect' the best the XL is going to be able to do with future 3DS games aswell, or are developers going to be optimising games better for it moving forward?

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