RedShell Posted July 28, 2012 Posted July 28, 2012 Why do I remember people saying then that they sent theirs in for repair and got a new one back with new FC's?That was probably pre-system transfer. It wasn't an available feature at launch as far as I remember.
david.dakota Posted July 28, 2012 Posted July 28, 2012 Guys, you've killed it for me. I have been tempted, but the lack of black only has been putting me off. The final nail in the coffin is the PPI - I've been concerned by it and so for big games like Mario Land and Zelda to be effected, the XL is completely off the radar. Hopefully the next revision will have a more suitable screen size and better PPI (along with a decent battery and second analogue stick).
Jimbob Posted July 28, 2012 Posted July 28, 2012 HMV are giving a free charger with every 3DS console purchased. Just in case anyone is interested.
Retro_Link Posted July 28, 2012 Posted July 28, 2012 Guys, you've killed it for me. I have been tempted, but the lack of black only has been putting me off. The final nail in the coffin is the PPI - I've been concerned by it and so for big games like Mario Land and Zelda to be effected, the XL is completely off the radar. Hopefully the next revision will have a more suitable screen size and better PPI (along with a decent battery and second analogue stick). Yeah my thoughts are exatcly the same. I've been holding out for other colours, but now after hearing the impressions in here I don't think I'm gonna bother. Hopefully a 3DSi or a 3DSXLi or something might gets announced within the next year or so and I'll give that a look, but until then I'll just stick with the sharper original.
Dcubed Posted July 28, 2012 Posted July 28, 2012 Guys, you've killed it for me. I have been tempted, but the lack of black only has been putting me off. The final nail in the coffin is the PPI - I've been concerned by it and so for big games like Mario Land and Zelda to be effected, the XL is completely off the radar. Hopefully the next revision will have a more suitable screen size and better PPI (along with a decent battery and second analogue stick). The PPI can't be improved without either making the screen smaller (defeating the purpose of an XL model) or by making it higher resolution (requiring a complete successor, rather than a simple revision) The battery life is also more or less as good as you're gonna get (With 3DS games ranging from 4hrs on max to 8.5 hours on the lowest settings http://n4g.com/news/1045423/3ds-xl-battery-life-check). A smaller model wont last as long, because you can't fit a bigger battery in there. Really, you're making a simple trade off. It's just like the difference between playing on a smaller TV or a bigger one; you lose some image quality for a bigger display. And some games suffer less than others, simple based on how the visuals were designed. MK7 looks great, while TOTA looks rubbish. Generally, if it looks clean on the original 3DS, it'll also look clean on the 3DSXL.
Ike Posted July 28, 2012 Posted July 28, 2012 What? I thought Zelda looks amazing. Tried One Piece, while the game is still ugly the bigger screens makes a huge difference making it easier to see. It was worth the upgrade for the amazing looking DS/DSiWare/Gameboy/GBA games (haven't checked NES yet :P). Extra weight hasn't caused any issues yet and I've been playing it most of the day. The strengthen hinge is great my original was slightly loose so it makes using the gyro nicer to use since I don't have to hold the top screen to keep it from moving.
Aneres11 Posted July 28, 2012 Posted July 28, 2012 I've gotta say the more time I have spent with the XL the more I am disappointed. The screen is the size it should be - but the lack of resolution change does make everything look a little 'off'. Even the menu's have become slightly jagged and though it's something I have found myself getting used to, it is still a little disappointing. The biggest thing for me is just how cheap this thing feels. Like it really is not a nice console to hold. The Vita looks and feels great in comparison. I know they are not really comparable but in terms of hand held devices and build quality the 3ds XL feels like a toy. I had really high hopes for it but I almost regret the trade. My own fault of course - I shoulda gone and had a proper play on one but I honestly thought the changes in the XL would be positive. Turns out the biggest things that were changed (screen size, start, home and select buttons, and the dodgy hinge) are the things that have turned out to be the biggest disappointments. For me, that is.
Hero-of-Time Posted July 28, 2012 Posted July 28, 2012 I've been holding out for other colours, but now after hearing the impressions in here I don't think I'm gonna bother. I still wouldn't mind a white one but the talk of the top screen having a yellow tint on it massively puts me off.
david.dakota Posted July 28, 2012 Posted July 28, 2012 The PPI can't be improved without either making the screen smaller (defeating the purpose of an XL model) or by making it higher resolution (requiring a complete successor, rather than a simple revision) Well, yes it can. Apple seem to have done it quite regularly, same size screen higher PPI. Older games could be simply up-converted or - heavens forbid - patched with higher res textures at least. An pretty expensive option, admittedly. Though if we're honest who was actually complaining about the screen size? Next to no one (unless they gave the caveat 'and improve the resolution whilst you're at it). We wanted a second stick (with grip), improved battery, better overall design. A far better option would have been a minor increase in screen size, maybe to 4", invest in a great battery and add a second circle pad. The battery life is also more or less as good as you're gonna get (With 3DS games ranging from 4hrs on max to 8.5 hours on the lowest settings http://n4g.com/news/1045423/3ds-xl-battery-life-check). A smaller model wont last as long, because you can't fit a bigger battery in there. Really, you're making a simple trade off. It's just like the difference between playing on a smaller TV or a bigger one; you lose some image quality for a bigger display. No, Nintendo are telling you its a trade off. When I can walk into a store and buy a 3300 mAh in an incredibly powerful mobile (and one that is significantly smaller than a 3DS), there is no excuse not bump the battery significantly. An extra half hour play is worth paying for. That thing is big, space for a bigger battery would hardly be noticed. Incidently, TV manufacturers invest in video processing software to lessen the effect. Nintendon't. And some games suffer less than others, simple based on how the visuals were designed. MK7 looks great, while TOTA looks rubbish. Generally, if it looks clean on the original 3DS, it'll also look clean on the 3DSXL. I don't recall people taking issue with the visuals in flagship games like Zelda and Mario 3D Land, yet there are issues on the 3DS XL?. And its a problem for the future too; despite my temptations I've started to feel that i'll be buying into a problem with the XL. I still wouldn't mind a white one but the talk of the top screen having a yellow tint on it massively puts me off. I have noticed this in the other two 3DSs in the house, far prefer the pristine white of the original blue and black versions.
Retro_Link Posted July 28, 2012 Posted July 28, 2012 despite my temptations I've started to feel that i'll be buying into a problem with the XL.Yeah this is my worry.I don't want to not know which games I buy will look decent and those which won't.
dazzybee Posted July 28, 2012 Posted July 28, 2012 The bottom screen takes a bit of a hit, but generally, I'm well happy with it. The machine itself looks better, the games look better (from what I've played), the hinge is infinitely better. It doesn't cause those stupid streaks on the top screen... The speakers are the worst thing about it.
Guy Posted July 28, 2012 Posted July 28, 2012 (edited) I love this thing to pieces, however there are two massive flaws with it: Nintendo still didn't fix the problem with the lower screen's outer trim scratching the upper screen. Had my system a day and the top screen is already permanently scratched along the same lines the original 3DS was. This really isn't good enough. The speakers are terrible and way too quiet through earphones. Edited July 28, 2012 by Guy
Retro_Link Posted July 28, 2012 Posted July 28, 2012 Don't think I've ever once noticed these screen streaking/scratching issues that people talk about with the 3DS.
Guy Posted July 28, 2012 Posted July 28, 2012 Don't think I've ever once noticed these screen streaking/scratching issues that people talk about with the 3DS. You didn't get two vertical lines down the sides of your top screen on the original? If not, that's great. I've seen some horror stories.
-Dem0- Posted July 28, 2012 Posted July 28, 2012 Well that's a shame. I thought this issue was finally resolved with the XL. My 3DS only had minimal scratches on the left side, but I'm happy that my XL is scratch/mark free. Also the yellow/warm tinge colour that you guys mention, how strong is it? In my case only the top screen has a slight tinge to it whereas my bottom screen is totally fine. Apart from the slightly noticeable dip in sound quality and the spongy select/home/start buttons I'm very pleased with XL. Playing DS & VC titles is a lot more fun especially with the much improved D-pad and playing 3DS software has been great, if not better than when I had played them on the 3DS.
Guy Posted July 28, 2012 Posted July 28, 2012 Be sure to press the bottom of the Select/Home/Start buttons as they're designed to be pressed there rather than the middle!
dazzybee Posted July 29, 2012 Posted July 29, 2012 Am I th wonky one who thinks the start and select buttons are loads better? They don't work as you'd expect but they're so much better. And the xl DOES solve the problem of streaky lines, youre the first person who's ever mentioned the problem - unlucky. I played pilotwings last night for the first time in about a year. Looked amazing on the xl. Weirdly I played free flight mode nd found my two balloons, one trophy and ring I was missing, tried for hours and hours when I played it before with no luck. Also finished two events pretty much straight away I struggled with before. Thought I would need loads of time to get used to it again. Awesome game!
S.C.G Posted July 29, 2012 Posted July 29, 2012 Nintendo still didn't fix the problem with the lower screen's outer trim scratching the upper screen. Had my system a day and the top screen is already permanently scratched along the same lines the original 3DS was. This really isn't good enough. I've just realised, this is why there is a almost unnoticable - but still there - pixel-sized scratch on my top screen because I looked at where it would meet the bottom screen when closed and a I found a tiny imperfection on the lower screens outer trim which I have now promptly removed but still, slightly annoying. It's not noticable at all really when playing so it's by no means a deal-breaker but I completely agree, not good enough... even if I am pleased with the system overall.
Grazza Posted July 29, 2012 Posted July 29, 2012 Well, I've had this since Friday, but have only had time to play it here and there. The first thing I wanted to do was find out how good DS games are on it, to see if it can replace my DSi XL. As such, I inserted Dragon Quest IX. Apart from some double-imaging on the text, I didn't think it looked bad at all - in fact, I actually like the way it smoothens the graphics. I know many will strongly disagree, but I think playing it fullscreen is far better than using 1:1 mode (which is surprisingly small). The next thing I wanted to try out was how good 3DS games are on the XL. I tried Ocarina of Time and was perfectly happy with it. So far so good - this was looking like a machine that could replace both my DSi XL and 3DS. But there are two massive disappointments: As others have said, the screens are "warmer", with a yellow tinge. This annoys me. No one asked for yellow-tinged screens. Whatever problem Nintendo thinks they're solving by doing this, it's not worth it. The colours are simply nowhere near as good as the original 3DS. The second problem is the sound. Let me make this clear, I was fully aware the 3DS XL had slightly inferior speakers, but this didn't bother me as I always use headphones. The sound chip would still be the same, and thus the sound would still be as good through headphones, right? Well no, it seems not. I spent ages comparing the sound last night and am utterly convinced the 3DS XL is inferior, even through headphones. Even so, I wondered if I was imagining it, but now I see @Guy has confirmed it to be the case. I had my 3DS and 3DS XL next to each other, with both handhelds on full volume, the same headphones and using Pilotwings Resort as the game. The intro music has far more impact and subtlety on the original 3DS. Louder and more detailed. This is a massive disappointment to me as music is a huge part of games. I want to hear them at their best. So now I've got this situation where I've got three Nintendo handhelds and don't know which one/s to keep. I know maybe that seems a bit "spoilt" but it's frustrating. Another thing that's sad is that, as usual, the reviewers have missed these flaws and the consumers have been left to find them out. No one could begrudge Nintendo for wanting to be profitable, but I feel a very different company made the original 3DS than the one who make the 3DS XL. The former was designed to be expensive and, more than anything, good. Who is to "blame" for it not selling is debatable, but I think the end result is that Nintendo has become a cheaper company. It doesn't bode well for the Wii U. The 3DS XL still delivers on what I bought it for (the big screen), but I'm now left wanting a new handheld, with a higher-res screen, a build quality at least as good as the original 3DS and better sound too, which is not ideal for something I bought two days ago.
Retro_Link Posted July 29, 2012 Posted July 29, 2012 @Grazza I'd just get your money back and stick with the original if I were you. £160 is a lot of money to replace a console you seemingly loved anyway (you've always been a massive supporter of it); for a console that arguably hasn't really improved on anything; plus no CPP support yet. Why not wait for a few months to see if they start bringing out improved mkII model which improve screen colour.
S.C.G Posted July 29, 2012 Posted July 29, 2012 I still think the console is a vast improvement, this whole 'yellow tinge' on the screens really isn't bothering me, in fact I can't say I really notice it, certainly not to the point that it detracts from the gameplay. The speakers are fine but I've noticed they do tend to break up a bit in certain places on certain games when at full volume but inferior with headphones? Not the case here as I'm watching the Kingdom Hearts 3D intro atm and it sounds amazing on a decent pair of headphones. At least one thing we can surely all agree on... the buttons have been vastly improved.
Serebii Posted July 29, 2012 Posted July 29, 2012 I only see the yellow tinge when it's a time of a transitional screen. When it's actually trying to do white, it's white with no tinge. I really don't see 1:1 mode for DS games being too small, it's just about the same size as DSi screens. I love the XL though, the screens are amazing
nekunando Posted July 29, 2012 Posted July 29, 2012 The 3DS XL still delivers on what I bought it for (the big screen), but I'm now left wanting a new handheld.. ..and that's probably exactly what they want They'll make the products that improve aspects of a console, so that you buy it, but still leave you wanting just that little bit more so that when they give you just a little more you'll buy that one too :wink: I'm not in the slightest bit interested in a 3DS XL..
Pookiablo Posted July 29, 2012 Posted July 29, 2012 I don't think the yellow tinge is really that big a deal. Sure, it's noticeable on the menu screens but most games still look great. I'm really impressed with original DS games on it, too - Pokémon Conquest looks surprisingly good.
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