WORLD EXCLUSIVE: Nintendo 3DS XL Review

The first true gamer's verdict on the new 3DS console!
There's no hiding the fact that the original 3DS console did not sell nearly as strongly as Nintendo might have hoped. This fact is the reasoning behind the drastic drop in price of that version, and indeed Nintendo heading back to the drawing board to bring us a bigger, chunkier yet still sleek new rendition of the 3DS hardware in the form of the 3DS XL. So, how is it? Well, fundamentally if you weren't exactly keen on the concept of third-dimensional visuals blaring out into your eye sockets while playing video games, then little has changed here in the technology to alter your mindset. Problems can still be found in the amount of time which can be spent viewing the screen to a far greater degree than say playing an Xbox 360 or the original dual-screen Nintendo console. That said, the make and mould of the hardware is far less prone to damage than the first version, making for a substantial improvement which feels far more like a casual handheld console than its predecessor. The screen visibility is much more efficient too, adapting to a wider variety of environmental settings and thus allowing players to still be enabled to have a shot on Mario's hardest level one last time even in the brightest of resorts during the Summer months. In all honesty, though, the 3DS XL hasn't really undergone many major changes, and while it's definitely an improvement, it still does not shed away the truth that there are still a lack of killer apps for the console, with Mario 3D Land, Kingdom Hearts and Ocarina Of Time being amongst the only main reasons to own it. I won't discredit the improved hardware on that front, but I'd definitely warn you to wait just a little longer to see if Nintendo's first- and third-party offerings improve in late 2012 and early 2013 before scooping up the new Nintendo 3DS XL console.
4.5/5