Nintendo New Galaxy Style New Nintendo 3DS XL Console

When the original 3DS was announced my first question was how long the battery would last. When I found out how low it was compared to the Nintendo DS, I vowed to wait until it was greatly increased to buy one (with more features added of course).Well, the battery life of this device is till nowhere near that of the Nintendo DS, but I'm more an occasional portable gamer than a constant one, so in the end I don't mind all that much. And now that the price of the software has finally come down to earth, this is the perfect time to buy a 3DS family device.SoftwareFor starters, now that some time has passed it's much easier to see what the great 3DS titles are, and most of them can be had for less than $20.00. Between online purchase options and in-store promotionals, you even get the expensive games used for around $20.00 if you buy them all at once (I signed up for a store promotion right after buying the device so could get all the games I wanted all at once).And how are said games? We all know that the 3DS is rather low res (320 resolution in this day and age???) which is absolutely hilarious when you consider the push behind "4K" and "retina vision". While Apple and SONY etc. are pushing for resolutions so high you can't tell the difference unless your eyeball is one inch away from the screen, this sucker does indeed make 3D games look like they are running on Windows 3.11. Despite how awful that looks in store displays and in TV commercials, in your hand thanks to interpolation (remember how good 480i looked on old CRT TVs?) everything actually looks great. The screen is good and bright, the 3D effect is nice and easily controlled with a slider, viewing distance is decent, and the overall effect is like watching GBA games on the DS for the first time (the brightness and contrast is boosted so much that you can see just how good low res games can look when presented properly). Speaking of older games...I was concerned that my collection of old Nintendo DS games might look terrible on such a huge screen, but they actually look BETTER than they did on my Nintendo DS because of the quality of the screen.Controls, OS, OverallI've heard a lot of controversy about the controls of these systems since the original one was released, and initially I did find this system to be a bit cramped despite it's huge size, but I got used to it pretty fast, and the stylus works great. The OS is responsive, if a bit like a kitchen table with a your office drawer spilled out onto it (everything is kind of out at once). It continues to puzzle me that Nintendo and SONY and whoever else never seem to consider that if you buy hundreds of games (as they doubtless hope you will) you'll eventually have a list that will take all day to scroll through. Oh well. As long as I don't download many games it shouldn't be a problem. There are a few I want, but not anywhere near as many as I have downloaded on Steam, PS3, PS4, etc.I love that you can put the system to sleep incredibly easily, but I hate the placement of the power button. It's awkward and you're constantly accidentally pressing another button on top of the device while you try to press power on the bottom. The wifi works well and gets a good signal, but downloads often fail (I expect that from Nintendo). Videos actually look great on the device from games or netflix, much better than I expected. To the point where you might actually reconsider buying a giant phone and instead get one of these for playing your Netflix videos and games on (for the most part).All things considered, I think this device as sold is an OUTSTANDING value. There's plenty of great games you can acquire for cheap (and some classics can finally, finally FINALLY be played on the go the way you always wanted (Donkey Kong Country, Star Fox). Battery life, while not great, is decent. The looks fantastic. The controls are comfortable. The OS is friendly and fairly easy to use.As of right now, this is the portable to own. Oh, and I made the decision to buy one now on impulse based on the cool galaxy design. It' a very purple nebula, and it's very pretty.Game on!

This is a beautiful console, and by far the nicest handheld I have ever owned. I upgraded to this from a 2DS and then a 2DS XL, and to me is fully worth the extra cost. I have had my 2DS for a couple years and just got tired of the uncomfortable wedge-design and small screens. I upgraded to a 2DS XL, but was disappointed. The 2DS XL is okay, but it was too cramped for my larger hands, the screen was much too loose, and I actually had some quality issues with both the top and bottom screens. The 2DS XL, while better than the 2DS, is clearly a budget model. I believe there is a design flaw with the top screen as well- it is so thin and flexible that it is prone to bending and breaking.Immediately upon opening the Galaxy 3DS I fell in love with it. The exterior of the device is a deep purple, and has a metallic sheen to it. The stars/galaxy design really pops, and almost looks 3D in person. The galaxy design is glossy as opposed to the satin finish on the normal 3DS's. The top edge and interior of the 3DS is a dark blue that is very pleasing to the eyes (blue is my favorite color) and also hides fingerprints better than black. Another point is that the 3DS XL top screen is surrounded by a satin plastic, which is much better than the all glass top screen area of the 2DS XL. The 2DS XL is so reflective that it can be really difficult to see in environments with direct light. Overall the exterior design of the 3DS XL Galaxy is perfect in my eyes. It is much more mature than both 2DS designed, which are clearly kid-focused. I do wonder how the galaxy portion will hold up to normal wear however, but only time will tell.Overall construction is very good. It's got a bit of weight to it, which gives it a substantial and quality feel. The buttons are crisp and responsive just like other 3DS models, and are much better than both 2DS models. The hinge on my unit was satisfyingly tight, it has no screen wobble at all. I am unsure if this is common among all New 3DS XL's though. The plastic used for the 3DS is very high quality and does not flex or creak at all when being used. Both 2DS's I owned had less sturdy plastic and would often creak when handled. The only issue I have with this system is the circle-pad, which just can't compete with a true joystick. Mine tends to feel a bit gritty sometimes, but I will add a bit of WD-40 to see if I can smooth it out.The screens are beautiful compared to the 2DS screens, as expected. I don't really use the 3D feature, but it's cool that it is available. It's fun to see how different games look in 3D, but I really don't consider it a necessary feature.The sound quality is also unbelievably better on the 3DS XL in comparison to both the 2DS and 2DS XL. The 2DS has the mono speaker that sounds like garbage no matter what. The 2DS XL is better, but still not up to par with the 3DS XL. I am a bit of an audiophile, so the sound quality issues with the other handhelds drove me nuts.I did notice that the 2DS XL may have been slightly faster in terms of booting up games, but both systems blow the regular 2DS out of the water. So for me, the 3DS XL is still blazing fast compared to what I am used to. The stylus is actually usable on the 3DS XL, unlike the 2DS XL, although both styluses are inconveniently placed on the front of the handheld. I prefer the stylus to be located on the right side, under your hand.Battery life seems to be on par with every other handheld from Nintendo I have used. No complaints here, but could always be better. An obvious huge downside to this model is the lack of an included AC adapter. This shouldn't even be allowed, and made it hard for me to purchase one simply on principle alone.Speaking on ergonomics, I found the 3DS XL to be much more comfortable than both 2DS consoles. The regular 2DS just felt awkward to hold- the bottom corners jutted into my palms and the buttons were weirdly spaced. The 2DS XL was better, but I found that the overall smaller profile of the console meant the buttons were much more cramped together. They also spaced the c-stick further down, and therefore the ABXY buttons were further down as well. This made it difficult for me to find a comfortable hand position on the console. The 3DS XL is perfect for my larger hands, the controls are located exactly where they should be.Conclusion:This is simply the best Nintendo handheld ever made. It is a well-built, solid feeling console with one of the most aesthetically pleasing exterior designs I have ever seen on a gaming console. The controls feel crisp and responsive, and the overall size make it very comfortable to hold in a variety of hand positions. I was pleased to find the hinge to be tight and no screen flop present on my 3DS as well.This is an infinitely better handheld than the regular 2DS, which makes sense as they are trying to do two totally different things. The regular 2DS is a cheap way to access the DS and 3DS library of games. The 3DS XL is the best way to enjoy these games to their fullest potential, and an absolute joy to use.When compared to the 2DS XL, there doesn't seem to be any good reason to choose the 2DS XL over this. There is only a $25 difference in price (on amazon at least) and the 3DS XL is so much better that I can't recommend anyone purchase the 2DS XL. In my opinion the 2DS XL needs to be $100-$125 to really be a compelling purchase (and maybe include a game too). The 3DS XL just feels so much nicer than the 2DS XL when compared directly. I am extremely happy I decided to return the 2DS XL and go with the 3DS XL, it's really that much better.

At first, I was skeptical about ordering a used 3DS since they discontinued manufacturing of new ones. I recently got interested in the nostalgia of retro gaming so I decided to browse. The design for this 3DS was so pretty in the pictures that I had to get it. When the package arrived, I had to check the system if there were any faulty buttons or cracked screens. Luckily for me, the system was in great condition albeit there were small scratches on the exterior. Needless to say, this system is like brand new and it’s even more beautiful in person. The nice thing about this was that I got a USB charger so I can play on the go with a power bank on me. My purchase is a 10/10. Word of the wise to potential buyers: be careful choosing who to buy from since some people report receiving damaged systems and needing to return them for replacements or refunds.